THERE can be moments of depth in our everyday lives–times when God reveals something to us or makes us feel his quiet presence. These moments do not have to be dramatic; they can be simple and ordinary.
The other day, I was sitting with a priest-friend in a nearby coffee shop when one of the waiters recognized me, his pastor. He came to our table and introduced himself. This young man is from Oaxaca, Mexico.
Being so excited to see me, he shared his love for our church. He then asked me how he could celebrate a presentacion for his newborn child, a Hispanic tradition of bringing a child to a priest at the church, usually at Mass, for God’s blessing and protection. Without hesitation, I told him that I would gladly do it. Then we had a conversation about life, faith, and culture in Oaxaca and in our parish.
After this chat with the young waiter, my priest-friend and I conversed about the joy of priesthood, of our ministry to different people in their joys and sorrows, in their triumphs and failures, and in their varied cultural backgrounds. The beauty of our ministry is that we become part of their lives and that we touch a deep part of their beings. The joy and profundity of our calling is that we can almost feel the hand of God, his presence and his power in the quotidian experiences of our people.
It is Pentecost Sunday and we commemorate that day when the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles, as Jesus had promised, to empower them with passion for ministry “to go out to proclaim the Good News to every creature.” The Scriptures relate to us that a noise like a driving wind and tongues as of fire filled the entire house where the disciples of Jesus were.
We, baptized Christians and ministers of the Church, may not have had a dramatic empowerment of the Holy Spirit like that of the Apostles, a “driving wind” or “tongues of fire.” Perhaps, our parents just led and “presented” us to the Church and then quietly raised us in its traditions and values.
Many of us received the Sacrament of Confirmation with a short and simple anointing with Chrism oil on the forehead by a visiting bishop. It was not a phenomenal experience of the Divine, but simply a solemn experience of prayer by laying of hands and anointing with oil.
What is important is what happens after the reception of a Sacrament – that we become actively and continually attentive to the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives and consequently respond to it with generosity, compassion, service, and love.
Indeed, we need a keen eye for Grace, for the Holy Spirit working in our everyday and ordinary lives. It is only then that we can effectively proclaim God’s love to all creatures and bring peace, harmony, wisdom and love into this world.
* * *
Reverend Rodel G. Balagtas attended St. John Seminary in Camarillo, California and earned his Doctor of Ministry in Preaching from Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, Missouri. For twenty years, he has been in the parish ministry of large multi-cultural communities. Since 2002, he has been the pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Los Angeles. Please email Fr. Rodel at [email protected].
