spirit of truth, which would comfort them and remind them of all that he had
told them. When the spirit came, they went out and preached so
convincingly that 3000 were said to have been baptised on the day. From
then on, the Good News spread all over the world and cannot be stopped
even today, neither by persecution nor indifference. Where the Holy Spirit
touches people the sad will be comforted and the anxious will be inspired.
Whitsun reminds us that God is still at work today.
There is a new longing for this Spirit these days. New centres of evangelism
are being opened all over the world, like that one in the city of Essen in
Germany, where a young woman pastor has invited those seeking spiritual
conversations to a former manufacturing plant. She is reminding her
audience that they are all valuable, people with dignity which should become
manifest in their lives. And they would welcome everybody to listen with
them, to celebrate with them, to find healing in their lives.
There are places where a different spirit is at work. Many of us have sat in
meetings where everybody pursues their own interests and advantages,
sometimes speeches are quite aggressive. If it comes to solidarity with
those less well of, those on benefit have become discredited, poverty in
other countries is less urgent than our own, even when the UN have set
‘Millennium targets’. Those have become victims of the financial crisis in the
richer countries, and that was caused by greed: what a bad spirit! In the long
history of mankind greed, lies and violence are dominating, which have their
root in the fear of death, according to some philosophers.
The good spirit is a force which comes from the depth of the heart, and also
from the heart of communities. It can bring about a way of life which is
concerned with love without fear. Is this still a human spirit? Or is it the force
which created this world. The Psalmists and Prophets of Israel dreamed of
this spirit which can renew the face of the earth.
The Polish Pope John Paul II, whom the Catholic Church has declared a
Saint, was standing in 1979 on the Victory Square in Warsaw celebrating
Mass. It was said that a million Poles had come to listen to him, who had
suffered from the yoke of communism. And the Pope called to the Lord- over
the heads of those congregated – to send His Spirit and to renew this earth,
pointing to the ground with his finger.
This was a moment of great encouragement for a people who tried to make
their country more just and peaceful. ‘Solidarnosc’ was not only the name of
a trade union but a programme to make the country more loving.
We all need such a programme of justice, peace and joy.
Brigitte Williams
StOM Page 16