June 1, 2025: Get Out of the Spirit's Way

the Ascension of the Lord

You know, over the past few years I would often fret about building a new worship space . . . e.g. how will we pay for it? What’s it going to look like? Will it be OK to have a new church out in the City of Baldwin? Well, my good friend (Bishop Dan Felton of Duluth) would often console me with, “If the Holy Spirit wants this to happen, it will happen.”  

And let me tell you, it’s a funny thing to “get out of the way” and let the Holy Spirit take over. Most often—if I’m being honest—I want to tell the Holy Spirit what to do. But wonderful things happen when we cling so tightly, and simply get out of the way, the Holy Spirit shows us what is possible—often far beyond anything we could have imagined. It happened at the Vatican with the election of Pope Leo . . . when we dropped the list of top contenders and just let the Holy Spirit do it’s wonder then we received the right man for the role. 

Well, back on Monday, May 19, I had that same Bishop (Dan Felton) and our own Bishop (Pat Neary) over to my home to visit and to look at this new church. Both were very impressed. However, by having them over they needed to eat. And, if you didn’t know this . . . I can’t cook. I hate cooking. I have many gifts, but cooking is NOT one of them. So, I’m fretting about making supper for them. As I’m preparing the meal, Bishop Dan says, “Kevin your demeanor has changed, you seem nervous.” “I am nervous, I am not enjoying this. Here cut this up.” And then he reminded me again about trusting the Holy Spirit . . . and then as you remember on Monday, May 19 the power went in this area. Yes! With no power, 

So, what did I do? I lit some candles, opened another bottle of wine, served more cheese, some crackers, and yes—raw broccoli. And you know what? They had a great time. They didn’t care what I served. The point was being together. Sometimes the best things happen when we stop trying to control the outcome—when we get out of the way.

In Scripture, we’re reminded that even Jesus had to leave so that the Holy Spirit could come. He says it plainly in John 16:7 (which was the gospel for this past Tuesday) “It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you.” Imagine how hard that was for the disciples. They had just gotten their Teacher back from the dead, and now he’s leaving again? First sorrow, then joy, then sorrow again . . . but this time, it leads to something greater.

Author Vincent Pizzuto, in Contemplating Christ, says, “We can’t understand Jesus’ birth, death, ascension, and Pentecost separately—they are all one great movement of the Spirit. One leads to the next.” And Christ hasn’t gone somewhere—he’s gone everywhere. How? By making space for the Holy Spirit to come.

This is what we celebrate today. That we are one. Just as Bishop John Kinney dreamed of when he merged the parishes of St. Pius X (in Zimmerman) with the parish of St. Edward (in Princeton). And so many things about this building are about the combining of the two churches: The stain glass from Princeton, the processional cross from Zimmerman. The podium from Princeton, the baptismal font from Zimmerman. The altar from Princeton, the ciboriums from the pews of Zimmerman. The piano here from Princeton, the piano in the chapel from Zimmerman. In the chapel, stain glass of the seven sacraments from Princeton, the altar from the pews of Zimmerman. The tabernacle from Princeton, but the stand it sits on is from pews of Zimmerman. And the stations will be the ones that were in the chapel. The larger ones in the main church of Princeton will go in phase II, the granite stations from Zimmerman will go outside as walking stations. 

But the idea in not to single out each item, but to celebrate how we have come together in one building. And we continue becoming one—as we keep letting go. Letting go of how things used to be. Letting go of our way and trusting the Spirit’s way. Maybe that’s the final piece of this holy endeavor. That each of us, in our own way, continues to step aside and let the Spirit move. Think of the area in your own life that you are struggling with, maybe you need to set aside what you want and let the Holy Spirit direct the outcome. Just like the disciples did in letting Jesus go as he ascended. Just like I had to let go of supper plans on May 19.

So today, as we celebrate this new church, let us also celebrate a new beginning.

Let us open the doors of our hearts as wide as we’ve opened the doors of this building.

Let us stop clinging to what was, and step boldly into what can be.

As Pope Leo said on May 11 “Do not be afraid! Accept the invitation of the Church and of Christ the Lord!” 

Let us get out of the way—so that the Spirit can lead the way.

And may listen to the Spirit telling you, “Trust. Let go. Behold, I have something entirely new and incredible for you. ”