— Spriritual Perspectives —
What Did You Get? What is It?

By Mary Ann Montoya
Special to the Independent

At every celebration, be it a birthday, a graduation, a wedding or an anniversary, one hears those questions: “What did you get? What is it?”

May is filled with celebrations and events. The month is full of end-of-the-year field trips, finals, and graduation ceremonies. It’s usually the end of a phase of life and the beginning of another phase, with a gift to recognize the achievement. There may be birthdays, First Communion, weddings and anniversaries, so gift giving is a must. But Mother’s Day is the queen of the month for gifts.

Mother’s Day has a long history. In researching this holiday, I learned that this special day goes back to spring celebrations in ancient Greece. The day evolved in Europe to honor mothers; then, as Christianity entered society, the celebration was changed to honor “mother church.” The next stage honored both spiritual and human mothers. In the United States, a campaign was waged to establish a day to honor mothers and women in general. It finally bore fruit in 1914 when President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation setting the second Sunday of May as Mother’s Day.

Needless to say, this holiday generates billions of dollars for the economy on the sale of gifts. From cards, flowers, candy, jewelry or household items, the presents come by delivery vans to the door and to dinner via gift bearers, children and grandchildren. Again, everyone is anxious to see the gifts unwrapped. What did you get? What is it?

How many of us mothers have put gifts away for “when company comes?” I remember asking my mother, “What company? Why can’t we be company?” How many of us, sad to say, have found unused gifts when we cleaned out our mother’s house after her death.

I believe many mothers would prefer an uninterrupted half hour to visit with us, lunch on a day when she’s lonely, a ten-minute phone call if you live far away and other ordinary day gifts of love.

This year, we have another special day in the month of May and it also falls on May 11th this year.

In the Roman Catholic calendar, it’s Pentecost Sunday, and like Mother’s Day it doesn’t always fall on the same day every year. The Catholic faith recognizes Pentecost as the birthday of the Church, our mother. At Pentecost, the manifestation of what Jesus taught the apostles and other disciples was made apparent to all present that day.

References to Pentecost are found in the Old Testament, Ezekiel 36:27, Isaiah 44:3 and Joel 3:1-5. (New American Bible) God promises to pour out his Spirit on mankind, and these promises are fulfilled in Acts 1 and 2 of the New Testament. Pentecost found Peter, the leader of the apostles, and others including Mary, the mother of Jesus, in the Upper Room awaiting the coming of the Spirit. After receiving the Holy Spirit as the passages reveal, they were confirmed to proclaim the good news of Jesus and His works with powerful authority. Jews, who were gathered there from every known nation, heard them speaking in their own language. This gift was of the Holy Spirit, it wasn’t through any power of their own that they were able to communicate what God wanted the people to know. Their mission began and they assented to what Jesus commanded: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20. (New American Bible)

In the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the disciples of Jesus were bestowed with many graces/gifts to fulfill scripture from the Old Testament. Our God can’t be outdone in His generosity for his people and His graces/gifts are poured out upon mankind. In opening up themselves to receive the gifts, the first followers of Jesus were equipped to carry out the mission He had given them. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are explained by St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 12 and 13. With the bestowing of the gift comes accountability. St. Paul reminds his hearers that they all belong to the same body and can’t be divided into factions by personal differences. Gifts are for sharing God’s love with each member of the body.

Just three weeks ago, the successor of St. Peter, Pope Benedict XVI, came here to the U.S. on a pastoral trip carrying the summons to continue the work of Jesus Christ in our every day lives. Pentecost is an ongoing journey filled with anticipation of life in the Spirit. Every Christian baptized, confirmed or ordained has received gifts that calls them to renewal of their mission in the Church. We are more than spectators; we are participants in the calling to mission.

Just as Jesus sent out His first disciples, the Spirit emboldens us to go out and share the gospel. Do you know what your gift is, or have you put it away for company? What did you get? What is it?

Mary Ann Montoya is a member of San Rafael Parish in San Rafael, N.M. She serves as a lector, choir member, and a RCIA team member. She can be contacted via email: flordelsol45@yahoo.com

This column is written by area residents, representing different faith communities, who share their ideas about bringing a spiritual perspective into our daily lives and community issues. For information about contributing a guest column, contact Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola at The Independent: (505) 863-6811 ext. 218 or lizreligion01@yahoo.com.