Pentecost concludes the Easter season, 50 days called “a festival of weeks” that celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit, said Father Michael Van Sloun.
And one of the great things about the Holy Spirit is “it’s the constant presence of God with us,” he said. The Holy Spirit brings inspiration, wisdom and enlightenment, he said.
Father Van Sloun, recently retired from serving St. Bartholomew in Wayzata, is interim director of clergy personnel in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and author of The Catholic Spirit column “Faith Fundamentals.” He recently joined “Practicing Catholic” radio show host Patrick Conley to discuss the meaning and symbolism of Pentecost and the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is often associated with two sacraments in particular, baptism and confirmation. Father Van Sloun said some students preparing for confirmation ask, “Why do we need to do this again? We’ve already received the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Father Van Sloun said he tells them, “But now you’re going to receive an intensified version of the Holy Spirit. You’re going to have an adult faith commitment that’s different than when you were an infant. You need more than you had then.”
Confirmation students will be “reinfused” by the Holy Spirit, he said. It is similar to people needing to plug in their cellphones overnight to recharge them.
“That’s why Jesus went off to pray after a day of ministry,” he said. “He had to be reenergized as he went on.”
Father Van Sloun said that when he provides anointing of the sick, he “calls down the gift of the Holy Spirit” to be with the person through the illness so that their faith will be strong, “so that they’re ready to meet the Lord.”
The gift of the Spirit comes in all of the sacraments, he said, “but the Holy Spirit gives us a different grace, an extra grace beyond baptism in each of the other ones.”
Bible verses pertaining to the coming of the Holy Spirit are typically quoted from the Acts of the Apostles — such as the disciples gathered together in one place, and tongues of fire appearing and resting over each of them — or the Gospel according to John, chapter 20: “As the Father has sent me, so also, I send you. After saying this, he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’”
Another reference tends not to be mentioned as often, Father Van Sloun said. At the Last Supper, Jesus told his disciples, “I’m not going to leave you orphaned. I’m going to send you the Holy Spirit to be with you always.” And in John 19, Jesus is on the cross, Father Van Sloun said, “and the way that John concludes the narrative is that Jesus breathed his last. So, as he’s dying, he’s exhaling and putting his breath on us and giving us the gift of the Holy Spirit from the cross, so that it’s absolutely uninterrupted, the gift of the Holy Spirit, from his life to the coming of the Holy Spirit.”
Conley asked Father Van Sloun why Pentecost is considered the “birthday of the Church.” To hear his response and to listen to the full interview, tune into this episode of “Practicing Catholic,” which debuts at 9 p.m. April 15 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM and repeats at 1 p.m. April 16 and 2 p.m. April 17.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show also includes interviews with Archbishop Bernard Hebda of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, who discusses his favorite traditions and tips for engaging fully in the Easter season; and Mickey Nickelson, president of the Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women, who describes the ACCW and its upcoming 89th convention.
Listen to all of the interviews after they have aired at:
