This past weekend, my cell phone battery died and when I connected it to my charger nothing happened. The next morning, after charging all night, the phone would not come on…when connected to the charger the phone would show a minimally charged battery but the phone would not work. I was a bit stressed out since I had a busy weekend planned and did not have time to take the phone in for repair. So, I started out my day by leaving my phone at home…but before I left I called some family and friends from a landline phone to let them know that I would not be able to be reached by cell phone until further notice.
It was kind of nice to be disconnected…I wasn’t receiving notifications from social media sites, news sources, or weather predictions. I was much more attentive to the people I was with and I realized that even though modern technology has brought many conveniences, it seems to also be dividing us as interacting and present beings.
Sunday, which was the feast of Pentecost, was the day of my great nephew’s confirmation. As I was listening to the first reading of the Mass, from the Acts of the Apostles, I thought about my phone predicament. Acts 2:3-4 “Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.”
Perhaps, that first Pentecost, the birthday of the Church, was a precursor to the modern-day phone charger and translator. Those flames of the Spirit served as a signal to charge the hearts of those present and enable them to communicate without limit. May the gifts of the Holy Spirit (Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, Fear of the Lord) and the fruits of the Spirit (Charity, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Generosity, Gentleness, Faithfulness, Modesty, Self-Control, Chastity) be the compass that guides us in our interaction with others and leads us to Christ.
