My daughter and her husband are buying a house, and the closing is in the beginning of June. In the process, they went to a few “open houses” for which there were no appointments needed. Some of the “open houses” were for sale “as is,” but more of the homes were fixed up and shown in their “Sunday best,” with all their fine features on display.

With celebrating the feast of Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit, my thoughts turn to how we should be like “open houses,” ready and open to receiving the Spirit’s gifts and fruits and ready to manifest them. Our just being “as is” may not be good enough. Some examination of our consciences and careful reconciliation may be necessary. The Holy Spirit offers comfort, refreshment, solace, healing, life, peace, and forgiveness, and we need to consciously accept and share these benefits.

The reading from the Acts of the Apostles (2:1-11) tells us that everyone in the mixed-nationality crowd that had gathered near that house in Jerusalem heard his or her own language being spoken by men who seemingly would not know them. If we think about ways of human communication, people speak in many ways…even with body language, their compassion, and by their actions or hesitancy to act. There are many means of communication, but when love is what we are communicating, the Holy Spirit is a powerful force of inspiration and strength.

In John’s Gospel (20:21), Jesus tells the apostles that just as the Father has sent Him, so he sends them. He sends us, too, armed with the Holy Spirit. It is like the deposit my daughter had to put down on their house. That was just the beginning. We have to stay open, aware, and invested. We have to be the agents as well as the recipients of comfort, compassion, consolation, healing, peace, and forgiveness. Unlike the house-buying process, there is no “closing.” God’s love does not end. We are blessed with it over and over again.

St. Paul reminded us,

To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit. (1 Corinthians 12:7)

We should be rejoicing! “In the Spirit” is a great place to set up housekeeping! The Spirit is a unifier. We are in this Pentecostal afterglow together! Taking the time and giving our attention to this mission of love is worth it! Our open hearts are full of hope! In today’s world so laden with grief and sadness, the Holy Spirit will counsel us. We must stay close to that Spirit in our daily lives. It is refreshing to pray often the Pentecost Sequence, Veni, Sancte Spiritus, from the Mass on Pentecost. Thank you for coming, Holy Spirit!

A certain phrase stood out for me in the first reading in the Liturgy of the Word for the Sixth Sunday of Easter. In this reading from the Acts of the Apostles, (15:1-2, 22-29) St. Luke writes that Barsabbas and Silas were sent to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas to deliver a letter to reassure the gentiles that by abstaining only from certain foods and by refraining from unlawful marriage, they will be acting rightly.

The apostles felt it was necessary to deliver this message to the Gentiles. Luke records their explanation:

     “Since we have heard that some of our number without any mandate from us

   have upset you with their teachings and disturbed your peace of mind, we have

   with one accord decided to choose representatives and to send them to you

 along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul…” (Acts 15;24-25)

So can you guess which phrase stood out for me? The answer is disturbed your peace of mind. In today’s world, there is so much that can disturb one’s peace of mind! Depending upon the broadcast channel you are watching or listening to or the newspapers you read, or even on situations in your personal life, it is easy to have your peace of mind disturbed. How about the rising prices of everything, or the upsurges in the pandemic, or the questions of “fake news,” or climate change, or local crime? The list is long!

 What factors make up peace of mind? I suggest that when you decide upon personal definitions of what is right and wrong, you give yourself a base on which to build peace. It also gives you a confidence and, perhaps, a certain methodical calmness. Of course, research and fact-finding are important, along with faith and trust in your sources of information.

With the easing of pandemic restrictions and the beginning of many summer sports seasons, I have been hearing about coaches—for instance, who coaches which team and whose contract has been renewed. Out of curiosity, I checked online to see what are considered necessary attributes of a good coach. I found that, in general, coaches have to be enthusiastic, positive, good teachers, supportive, focused, goal-oriented, knowledgeable, patient, clear communicators, prepared, inspirational, and good leaders. Whew! That’s a lot of qualifications!

Towards the end of last month, we celebrated the feast of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came to the disciples as tongues of fire, instilling in them the ability to tell people of many different languages about the wonderful acts of God. I started to think how the Holy Spirit is probably a kind of divine coach who has all the attributes of the best coach ever.

As we pray in the Nicene Creed, the Holy Spirit is the Lord and giver of life, who spoke through the prophets. In John’s Gospel (14:26), Jesus tells us,

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and will remind you of all that I have said to you.