Filled with the Same Spirit
A week before Pentecost in 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was killed by a white police officer. Despite raucous public outcry over how Floyd was treated in his last moments of life and his resulting death, this was not the only, but rather the most publicized, situation of what many considered racial profiling and unfair social justice.
My husband and I are of Eastern European descent. Because of the beautiful gift of adoption, three of our adult children are Guatemalan – a mix of Spanish and Mayan. Two of our grandchildren are Guatemalan and African American. I do not need to follow high profile news cases to know that racial discrimination continues to separate us. Sometimes a subtle action or stare from a stranger will tell me that my grandchild is not safe; other times it is a blatant comment made by a family member that turns my stomach.
When I search for books with little girls that look like them, I find many that focus on self-confidence. “I am strong. I am beautiful. I am intelligent.” What is lacking are books in which the characters in a plotted story, fairytale, or children’s Bible, are anything but white. I am often dismayed at the lack of depiction of children who look like them.
At Pentecost the Holy Spirit blew in to gather “devout Jews from every nation under heaven” so that, together, they could be “sent forth to renew the face of the Earth.” And yet, we continue to separate. We still see fear of another’s race prevent a true manifestation of the Body of Christ as one with different spiritual gifts. “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.”
On this day dedicated particularly to the Holy Spirit, when the Lord shows us how we are all one but have different gifts, how can we still be so divided? When will the calamities within our nation be enough that hearts will be changed and people of all races will be respected.
The fruits of the Spirit have no relation to violence, fury, death, and destruction. They are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control: “To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.”
I try to envision today’s Gospel applying to our nation today: “Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’”
— Beth Casteel
Reflection provided by diocesan.com. Reprinted with permission.