Parish Missions

Being What We Are Called to Be

Eugene Peterson pastor, scholar, author, and poet, relates seeing a family of birds teaching their young to fly. Three young swallows were perched on a dead branch that stretched out over a lake.

"One adult swallow got alongside the chicks and started

shoving them out toward the end of the branch--pushing,

pushing, pushing. The end one fell off. Somewhere between

the branch and the water four feet below, the wings started

working, and the fledgling was off on his own. Then the

second one.

"The third was not to be bullied. At the last possible

moment his grip on the branch loosened just enough so

that he swung downward, then tightened again, bulldog

tenacious. The parent was without sentiment. He pecked

at the desperately clinging talons until it was more painful

for the poor chick to hang on than risk the insecurities of

flying. The grip was released, and the inexperienced wings

began pumping. The mature swallow knew what the chick

did not--that it would fly--that there was no danger in making

it do what it was perfectly designed to do.

"Birds have feet and can walk. Birds have talons and

can grasp a branch securely. They can walk; they can cling.

But flying is their characteristic action, and not until they fly

are they living at their best, gracefully and beautifully.”

--Run with the Horses by Eugene Peterson

The role of the Holy Spirit in our lives has often puzzled me. How do I know that the Holy Spirit is working in me? How do I know that the Holy Spirit is speaking to me? On this solemnity of the coming of the Holy Spirit, I may have come up with a possible answer to those questions in Peterson’s observation of those sparrows. Could we, you and I, be those little birds? Could the Holy Spirit be like the parents who kept challenging their charges to be what they were intended to be?

Like the disciples locked in that upper room out of fear, we tend to hang on to the safe and the secure in our lives. Especially in these truly “terrifying” times, we hunker down with the easily familiar, suspicious not just of our surroundings but even of our fellow human beings. If uncertain of the outcome of a venture or opportunity, we often opt for inaction. If a person is different in ethnicity, culture, or lifestyle, we recoil from any meaningful interaction, perhaps even avoiding contact. So much like those little swallows.

But the Holy Spirit encourages us with persistent prodding to be all that we have been called to be. Being fully human, being fully alive is more than just surviving. Especially as Easter disciples, we are challenged by the Holy Spirit to spread our wings and to accept the mandate of our calling: to bring about a world of peace and justice in our time. Ensconced in our loving and safe world of family and friends, that calling seems as daunting as the thought of the young swallow letting go of its secure perch.

But the Holy Spirit knew that we need to do what we were intended to do by our Baptism. We are co-creators of the Reign of God. Whether we resort to the Beatitudes, the Prayer of St. Francis, or the Gifts of the Spirit for direction the Holy Spirit is prompting us to action. What we do when we gather each Sunday around the Word and the Sacrament is ritually letting go so that the presence of the Spirit in our lives will move us to action.

We are asked to let go and let the Spirit of God direct us in our relationships with family members, putting “the other” before self. We are challenged to energize our faith community by caring for the least and the most vulnerable in our midst. The Spirit teases us to let go of our own self-interest so that the needs of others will move us to witness compassion for the immigrant, hospitality for the marginalized, and reconciliation with those who hate us.

This is scary business for sure. But what was the point of his death and resurrection if not for releasing the power of his Spirit so that the world might be transformed in his image. In our Baptism, in the Eucharist we reaffirm our oneness with his message and mission. It will take all the courage we can muster. The Holy Spirit prods us this Pentecost to let go of what is secure and safe and to spread our wings. The swallows came to understand that

… flying is their characteristic action,

and not until they fly are they living

at their best, gracefully and beautifully.”

As Easter disciples, we echoed a similar destiny in our opening prayer to this Pentecost Liturgy:

…send your Spirit into our lives

with the power of a mighty wind,

and by the flame of your wisdom

open the horizons of our minds.

Loosen our tongues to sing your praise

in words beyond the power of speech,

for without your Spirit

we could never raise our voices in words of peace

or announce the truth that Jesus is Lord.