A Pentecost Call to Pay Attention

Blooming garlic scapes

Did you notice the movement of the Spirit on the Feast of Pentecost? Perhaps not, if you were looking for a rushing wind and tongues of fire. We have become conditioned to expecting a grand, dramatic entrance by the Spirit. The experience of the prophet Elijah teaches us otherwise, as described in 1 Kings 19:11-13:

“The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.”

It requires much more effort to be aware of God’s presence in a gentle whisper than in storms, earthquakes, and fires. You would think this would require that we follow Paul’s advice In 1 Thessalonians 5: 17 to “Pray without ceasing.” That certainly doesn’t seem feasible, but consider this statement by Mary Oliver in her poem The Summer Day: “I don’t know exactly what a prayer is. I do know how to pay attention….”

The way to pray always, to constantly be open to experiencing the presence of God, is to pay attention, for as St. Benedict says in his Rule, “We believe that the Divine presence is everywhere.” We just need to train ourselves to look and listen, especially in unexpected places.

Yesterday I noticed the movement of the Spirit in the flick of our cat Joey’s tail, in garlic scapes that are blooming in our herb garden, and in the conviviality of sharing homemade pecan pie at dinner. How about you? Where did you experience the presence of the Spirit on her Feast Day?