What are you waiting for?"

That’s a question we often ask when we're impatient and eager to move forward. After all, who likes to wait?

Jesus was about to leave his disciples, and they feared they would be left on their own. If their behavior during the days leading up to Jesus’ death was any indication, their track record without him was not promising. Now, Jesus was sending them out into the world to bear witness to him. But considering how the world had treated Jesus, what chance did the disciples have of faithfully fulfilling his command? They were in desperate need of the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus had promised to send.

The disciples had no real choice – they had to wait for the help Jesus assured them would come:

"Wait for the fulfillment of my Father’s promise, which you have heard me speak of" (Acts 1:4).

At this point, I pause and reflect on my own journey of discipleship. How have I done? I am grateful for the times I have lived out my vocation as a baptized Christian – when I spoke out against falsehood, helped someone in need, defended the oppressed, sheltered the vulnerable, protected the abused, and so on. I could not have done any of that without the gift of the Holy Spirit, which I received at baptism. In light of the many challenges facing our church, our nation, our world, and our families, we are in dire need of a renewal in the Spirit of Jesus. He promised to be with us as we struggle to remain faithful in these new and often confusing times.

Today we celebrate Pentecost!

Our reading from Acts is full of energy and excitement. Despite their fears, their troubles, and the absence of Jesus, the disciples were not forgotten by God. There’s the sound of a strong wind, tongues of fire descending and resting on each of them, and the miraculous speaking in new languages. There is no doubt that something momentous is taking place: the wind is roaring, the fire blazing– God is transforming the disciples and giving birth to the Church. The Holy Spirit gathers them into a community of mutual support and challenge.

All this happens during a major international gathering in Jerusalem. Jews had come to celebrate the feast of Pentecost – Shavuot, which occurs 50 days after Passover. Christian Pentecost, when the Spirit descends on the disciples, takes place 50 days after Easter. With this gift of the Spirit, God forms the Church, the new people of God, and empowers believers to live according to God’s will – not by laws written on stone tablets, but inscribed on human hearts.

Each of today’s readings invites us to reflect on our role in the community. None describe the Spirit as a private or isolated experience. Paul makes this clear with his image of the body:

"As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ."

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us that if we love him, we will keep his commandments. But he doesn’t leave us on our own to do so. Knowing the human condition, he promises the Spirit will teach and remind us of what we need. Our love for Christ keeps us open to receiving the Spirit.

As we reflect on our own lives, we recognize that God is not finished with us yet. There is still more to be done to complete God’s work in us. That is what we anticipate and celebrate today: the Spirit dwells within us, enabling us to hear God’s word and live it out.

"The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you."

Many of us "old-timers" in the faith are saddened by the number of people who have drifted away – or left the Church altogether. We notice others whose names remain on parish registries, but who are seldom present among us. Those who leave offer many reasons: uninspiring homilies, haphazard music, a lack of reverence, frequent fundraising appeals, disagreements with Church teachings on social issues, the exclusion of women, and more.

Do we, the Church, lack the fire of those early believers we read about today? The Gospel made a real difference in their lives. Belonging to the community gave them vitality and a shared sense of purpose. So, what are we waiting for? On this Pentecost, we pray for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit – one that will set our communities ablaze with a fire that draws others by its warmth and light.

No one is suggesting we abandon our responsibilities and sit idly by, "waiting on the Lord." We have already received the gift of the Spirit and have been sent to proclaim the Risen Christ through word and action. Yet, there remains a longing within us– a kind of spiritual yearning that rises in the quieter moments of our lives, when we pause to catch our breath. You might call it "waiting."

In this, we stand with our Jewish ancestors and with Jesus’ first followers. We are waiting and groaning. A quick look around – at the world, the Church, and our personal lives – reminds us that even as we stay busy doing the Lord’s work, we are still waiting:

Waiting for an end to the world’s suffering,

Waiting for healing in our broken Church,

Waiting for reconciliation in our divided families,

Waiting for restoration in a wounded creation.

And so, we pray with hopeful longing:

"Come, Holy Spirit."