Surprises of the Spirit
June 8, 2025
“There are different gifts but the same Spirit; there are different ministries but the same Lord; there are different works but the same God who accomplishes all of them in everyone. To each person the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” –1 Corinthians 12:4-7
As we continue the Jubilee Year of Hope, this weekend we celebrate the Jubilee of Ecclesial Movements, Associations, and New Communities. Ecclesial movements, associations, and communities started forming in the years just prior to Vatican II and have proliferated in the years since the council. These movements are free associations of baptized Christians, usually lay and clergy together, who work to grow in personal holiness and to bring the whole world into greater communion with God and neighbor in love prompted by the Holy Spirit and organized around a particular charism (gift or grace of the Holy Spirit) for the good of all. Pope St. John Paul II called these movements “expressions of the new springtime brought forth by the Spirit with the Second Vatican Council.” Some of these ecclesial movements include Communion and Liberation, Focolare, Legion of Mary, Neocatechumenal Way, Pax Christi, Worldwide Marriage Encounter, Life Teen, Cursillo & Teens Encounter Christ, and various Charismatic communities worldwide. Perhaps you have heard of or benefitted from the ministry of one of these associations.
When I worked in the Archdiocese of Washington, the archbishop would have a Mass for members of Ecclesial Movements and New Communities on the afternoon of Pentecost Sunday every year. The National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception would be nearly filled with those involved in these new movements responding to the gifts of the Holy Spirit!
From a parish perspective, I think that these new Ecclesial Movements and Communities highlight three things that we all could benefit from remembering this Pentecost. First, we need to prayerfully listen to the Holy Spirit and remain open to the Holy Spirit doing new things in our lives, in our church, and in our world. Pope Francis said, “The Holy Sprit is the gift of God, who always surprises us: the God of surprises. God is a living God, who abides in us, a God who moves our heart, a God who is in the Church and walks with us; and God always surprises us on this path!” Second, we do not need to wait for approval to do the good things the Holy Spirit puts in our hearts. We don’t need a mandate from the parish staff to share our faith and serve our neighbor. Not every expression of faith needs to happen “officially” through the parish. For example, my grandparents would have their children and grandchildren (and their friends) to their home every week to share their faith. They would include us in their Legion of Mary or Secular Franciscan ministries. From those sessions in their Essexville home, three men have become priests, and many young people continued to practice their Catholic faith. Third, we are meant to grow in holiness together. God has created us as social beings. Our growth in spirituality blossoms when we gather together with other Christians to pray, learn, and serve. This happens in our parish life, but it also can happen whenever any are gathered in the name of Jesus.
This week, we also celebrate the Jubilee of the Holy See. The Holy See (Sancta Sedes=Holy Seat) is often referred to as “the Vatican,” where the worldwide Catholic Church is shepherded, led by the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV. The Pope is the successor to St. Peter who was given the ministry to “bind and loose” by Jesus. (Matthew 16:17-19). The Office of Peter is a sign of the Church’s unity in belief, sacraments, and governance.
Our Church needs the gifts both from below (charisms) and above (hierarchy). Theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar wrote about both the Marian dimension of the Church (holiness “overshadowed” by the Holy Spirit) and the Petrine dimension of the Church (shepherding the Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit). Charisms must be guided by the pastors of the Church. “No charism is exempt from being referred and submitted to the Church’s shepherds . . . not to extinguish the Spirit, but test all things . . . so that all the diverse and complementary charisms work together for the common good.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 801) At the same time, “the Church’s structure is totally ordered to the holiness of Christ’s members . . . this is why the ‘Marian’ dimension of the Church precedes the ‘Petrine.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 773) In fact, Pope Francis praised St. Peter, the first Pope, for “the courage to be surprised by the novelty of the Holy Spirit” and not hindering the Grace of God in the newborn Church.
This Pentecost, let us as a parish and each of us personally and in association with other Christians open our hearts and lives to the gifts of the Holy Spirit, working together to grow in holiness (communion with God and neighbor in love). Let us be open to the surprises of the Spirit, so we can bring many people of our time and place into a deeper relationship with God just as the first disciples did following the first Pentecost. Come, Holy Spirit!