Gifts of the Spirit

Today at prayer we spoke of the gifts of the Spirit since the coming Sunday is Pentecost, so I asked what gifts the participants felt the Spirit had given to them. “Judy” said that one evening she was walking past a church and noticed a woman huddled in the door way to keep warm. She had been there day after day, so Judy said that she had paid her bills and had $30.00 left over. She gave all the money to the woman. A year later, Judy was walking down the street, and this woman started yelling after her and flagging her down. She came up to her and said, “Here is $20.00. I have an apartment now and I am so grateful for what you did for me.” Judy didn’t want the money back, but she gracefully accepted it to give this woman a chance to give back. 

One of the men in the room responded to Judy saying, “I don’t know what it is like to save a person’s life. It must feel really good.”

Another man, “Al,” spoke of playing the harmonica. I knew that he played it, but I never heard him play. So, I asked if he would bring it next week to play a tune for us. He happened to have a small one with him, so I asked if he’d play “Amazing Grace” or “How Great Thou Art.” He played both and got a standing ovation. He then admitted that he had played with a harmonica band that went from city to city including Chicago and New York. Sometimes it takes years for the gifts of our guests to surface!  What a wonderful and lively spring day it has been!

Author: Br. Bob Malloy 
Capuchin Soup Kitchen Pastoral Director