The disciples were inside, behind closed doors, shut off from the outside world. Does that sound like much of our own lives in the past year?

As we celebrated the great feast of Pentecost and the gift of the Holy Spirit, I related more than ever to the disciples being locked in the upper room. They were also staying in for their own safety, but their threat was not a global pandemic. 

They saw what happened to Jesus, their leader and teacher, who was arrested, mocked, and died a gruesome death on a cross. They were seen as Galileans who were his followers. Peter had already denied the Lord three times because he was afraid to admit that he was a friend of Jesus, and that fear lingered.

Then it all changed. After Jesus appeared to them multiple times following the resurrection and then ascended to heaven, the Holy Spirit burst into the locked room. We read in Scripture about the strong wind and then the tongues of fire. We may not fully understand the miracle, but we can understand this: They were changed. 

Their hearts were opened. They were no longer afraid. Peter went out on the streets to boldly preach and teach, and those who heard him were also changed. They could understand him in their own varied languages, and, at the end of one talk Peter gave about Jesus, 3,000 people became believers. 

At Pentecost, we celebrate and give thanks for the gift of this same spirit in our lives today. One week later, we celebrated Trinity Sunday, which comes from how the disciples experienced God. They knew God as father from their heritage as God’s chosen people. They realized that Jesus was truly God because of the resurrection, and they recognized the Spirit as God coming to help them, as the Lord had promised. This was not God as Father or Son, but as the Holy Spirit guiding all that the Church would do.

As I reflect on this gift and the third person of the Trinity, I relate more this year to the freedom and empowerment experienced by the apostles. I think about what it is like for us to be on our way to living again in less fear of our safety, to be able to gather again in numbers as a community in hope and prayer, and to be able to fully celebrate weddings, funerals, Confirmations, Holy Orders, and all the important moments in life.

I am very excited to be able to witness in person Cardinal Gregory ordaining new priests and deacons on June 19. The Spirit has clearly guided these men on their journeys, and they are responding to God’s call with this life-changing commitment to holiness and service. I pray that the Lord will bless the vocations of all those willing to serve the Church and God’s people through ministry and the sacraments.

We live in the age of the Spirit, which is easy to forget. The ages of the Father and of Jesus are complete, and now the Spirit guides, leads, and challenges our Church and each of us to live as God calls us. 

I ask God today to send the Spirit upon all of us, and for a greater awareness of the Spirit in our lives. I pray that the Spirit will help you live the gift of your Baptism fully and empower you to share that gift and the presence of Jesus with all you meet.

In one of his post resurrection appearances, Jesus asked Peter at the Sea of Galilee, “Do you love me?” He asked the same question three times, which I am sure was to let Peter put aside his remorse, sadness, and guilt of having denied the Lord three times during his passion. Now, Peter has the chance to proclaim to Jesus three times, “You know that I love you.” (John 21)

And what did the Lord say to him? Feed my sheep. Tend my sheep. He says the same to us today. If we are truly open to the Spirit working in our lives, we realize that a big part of our role in this life is to take care of God’s people – physically, mentally and spiritually – in whatever ways make sense for our own vocations. 

We love our families. We take care of those in need. We pray for others. We live in such a way that others see Jesus in us as we also see Jesus in them. We let the spirit of God shine forth through us.

Beyond living our own vocations, I strongly encourage all of us to do two things. First, please make every effort to get back to church as soon as you are able to participate in the sacred Mass and receive the Lord in Holy Eucharist. It is so important that the community gather around the Eucharistic table that the Church calls the Mass “the source and summit of the Christian life.” Plus, we just miss you, and I hope you miss us, too. 

Secondly, take to heart the concluding words of the Mass: “Go now to love and serve the Lord.” This is not a signal to get your things together to get ready to leave. It is a sending forth that we all should take seriously. We have worshiped God and received the Lord, and now we have jobs to do. Imagine how different our world would be if we all left church determined to love and serve those who come our way in the week ahead.

May these early days of summer be a special gift to you as we continue to break free of the pandemic and the ways it has restricted our lives. May this be a time when our hearts change as well. We have been locked in our own versions of the upper room for more than 15 months. Now, the doors and windows are opening. Let us breathe in the Holy Spirit with renewed appreciation and vigor, and then let the Spirit shine forth through us in how we live each day and how we celebrate our faith.

May the Holy Spirit touch your heart and lead all of us to a greater sense of God’s presence in our lives.

(Msgr. Enzler, the president and CEO of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, writes a “Faith in Action” column for the Catholic Standard and Spanish-language El Pregonero newspapers and websites of the archdiocese.)