This week, we celebrate the great feast of Pentecost. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit isn’t something that just happened in the distant past but continues to be relevant and available for all our lives. The Spirit of Pentecost landed in a room full of fear and disappointment, to a frightened and bewildered people. Pentecost brings transformation, from darkness into light, from despair into hope. God’s spirit is always one which sets us free. That same spirit anoints us with creativity, spirituality and deep hope.
For Christians, Pentecost celebrates the gift of the Holy Spirit to the Apostles, Mary, and the first followers of Jesus, who were gathered together in the upper room. It also marks the beginning of the Church: That day, empowered by the new gift of the Holy Spirit, the first followers of Jesus left the upper room to bring the Good News to the people gathered in Jerusalem. Through their words and witness, the first of generations of people became believers in Jesus Christ and were baptised into his Church.
The following well known story fits well into the spirit of what Pentecost is all about.
Anything that you have to control, controls you.
There are many variations to this story, but it’s quite instructive. In South America, Africa and Asia, the natives have devised a very effective method of trapping monkeys. The plan is deceptively simple: the natives take a gourd or some similar object and drill a hole just large enough for a monkey’s hand to pass through; they add some extra weight to the gourd with sand or pebbles, then put a nut or some fruit inside and place the gourd where a monkey will find it.
Here’s what happens: the monkey sticks his hand through the hole to get the food — but with the prize in its grasp, the monkey cannot get its hand back out. The hole is too small for the monkey’s hand to pass through so long as it’s holding the treat, and the gourd is too heavy for the creature to carry. Because the monkey will not let go of its prize, it becomes trapped. The animal gives up its freedom to hold on to a small piece of food.
It seems obvious that all the monkey needs to do is let go of the bait and it can escape. But because it views the treat as its possession and is not willing to let go, the monkey is trapped. It loses its freedom.
It’s easy for us to see how foolish it is to keep holding something that really isn’t worth much. The monkey is making a very poor trade-off: his freedom for a prize that wouldn’t be that difficult to find in a less threatening location. But the animal is blinded by its attachment to the treat.
The monkey is acting out of instinct; it probably doesn’t have the ability to recognize the danger of grasping the bait — or the fact that such behaviour will have a dramatic impact on its future. But humans should be able to avoid falling into such a trap. We should be able to understand the danger of holding on to things that don’t serve us well. We should realise when we’re creating traps for ourselves.
Unfortunately, most of the traps in life are those we create for ourselves. We hold on for dear life to things that don’t serve us well. We hold on to past mistakes; we cling to the privilege of being right; we won’t let go of anger and resentment; we become attached to material things that are of little value; and we often put our attachment to possessions ahead of our own well-being.
If you’re going to find happiness in life, you need to examine what you hold. Take a close look at the attachments in your life. Do you place more importance on things outside of yourself than on things inside you? The more important something is in your life, the more you become attached to it. If what you treasure is outside yourself — that is, other things or other people — then you risk being trapped by those bonds.
You have the ability to choose your treasures in life. You need to examine your life to determine if you’re being trapped by the things you treasure.
If we’re attached to things, we are restricted. Only by letting go can we be free.
Prayer to the Holy Spirit
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful.
And kindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created.
And you will renew the face of the earth.
Lord,
by the light of the Holy Spirit
you have taught the hearts of your faithful.
In the same Spirit
help us to relish what is right
and always rejoice in your consolation.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.