Will Pentecost Bring Peace?

Is it Utopian thinking that leads us to pray that God's will be done on "earth as it is in heaven?" To my knowledge, the Utopian experiments excluded women and our children in decision making. Women who have born and reared children have had to learn to wait and wonder, the gift of gestation. The traditional male wants to force society to mold into their visions during their own reign on earth. Both attempt to keep the power to pass down to their own progeny, at the exclusion of justice and harmony. I believe that the Light of the Holy Spirit is the gift of this spiritual era, and that we must look for this common thread in all creation.

For my parents, Utopia didn't include their nine children; only through going to their individual mountains of quiet worship could they hear the word of their God. My father even wrote a children's story in which God was always being "bothered" by the little noisy angels in heaven. How can it be that there is no sacred scripture that includes the spiritual awaking of being held in a loving husband's arms or the feeling of complete peace watching a loving parent soothe a fussy baby?

I feel fortunate that I was exposed so deeply and for so long to the pre-Vatican II Roman Catholic religion, which I believe was a truly Judeo-Christian religion. As an adult, I feel equally fortunate to have been intimately exposed to Jewish faith-in-action, Protestant faith-in-action, Pentecostal faith-in-action, and a bit of Muslim faith-in-action. I have also seen a Holiness in the lives of many who profess no faith other than a belief in the potential of humans to be something more that our animal selves.

There are many interpretations of what we consider sacred scripture. My belief is that we must look for the eternal truths in the writings (scriptures) over all time. I believe that the Light of Divinity that some call God, some I AM, radiates in all creation until it turns against or attempts to control this Light. This Light is what I believe is The Holy Spirit, sometimes called the soul. This Holy Spirit must be nurtured to continue living and growing in us. We look to others who, likewise, follow and nurture this Spirit in themselves and in others.

The Pentecostal movement has opened new doors to receiving and honoring the gifts of this Spirit. I know that many find this connection to the Spirit through Christianity; others find it through other sacred paths. I simply don't believe that all who are born to other paths are unable to nurture and share this Holy Spirit. I have had many alternative openings to this Spirit through people on other faith paths and journeys. This dialog is an attempt to increase my understanding of the Eternal Spirit of Goodness and Light in all of creation, not to discount any particular path.