by Tom Cox
Pentecost is often called the "birthday" of the Church. Exactly fifty days (literally pente-cost in Greek) after Easter, it saw the Spirit transform fearful followers into daring disciples. The human experience of a birthday however tends to be less happy, at least in adult life. All the cosmetics, exercise, plastic surgery, tummy tucks and positive attitude cannot change the fact that you are ageing. What's unfair is that you may well feel vibrant inside, but the mirror and whatever indignities of physical limitation that age puts upon you gives another story. Still, while many might wish to be younger, few really want to return to a much younger life. It's an impossibility and a source of unhappiness for two reasons, and also because you possess a much deeper wisdom and experience of life at 40, 50, 60, 70 years of age.
Sometimes we try and do a "Mary Magdalene" in terms of preserving our youth. On Easter morning she tried to cling on to the Jesus she once knew. Pentecost is about accepting the spirit of our lives, as they are right now. Some of the happiest and unhappiest people in the world share the same age. The difference is not in who has kept themselves the slimmest or most youthful looking, but in Pentecost. Have you accepted the spirit for someone your age?
- "the particular way in which the spirit is given to each person is for a good purpose" (2nd Reading)
(Comments to Tom at stmarysrcathlone@oceanfree.net )