Psalm Reflection: Pentecost Sunday - Cycle C

“Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.” - Psalms 104

Bills. Once or twice a month, my dad would sit at the coffee table with his checkbook and a stack of bills, individually writing out each one, much to his chagrin. I remember thinking that there must be so much to keep track of and how arduous it seemed for him to do every month.

Now, all of my bills are on auto-pay. My memberships and subscriptions are all on auto-renewal. I keep close track of our budget to ensure nothing slips through the cracks, but I rejoice in not having to worry about whether or not I remembered to pay a certain bill or not.

So, when I read the Psalm for this Sunday about the Spirit “renewing” the face of the earth, I wondered what that meant. For me, the “renewal” that first came to mind was the uneventful recurrence of charges in my bank account. It was not a word that inspired me to think of transformation or new life; I thought of monotony.

However, as I sat with that word, I felt the Lord draw my attention away from the passive and meaningless renewal of my Costco membership, to a bride and a groom renewing their vows.

My parents renewed their vows in Hawaii when I was in middle school. My sister and I stayed with my aunt and uncle so they could enjoy the trip together, because they had come out of a particularly rough patch in their marriage. This gesture was one of hope, and a recommitment to one another that they needed after weathering such a difficult season.

That is what the Holy Spirit wants for you and for me: a vow renewal with the Lord. The renewal of the Spirit is the love of God poured out onto creation. The Spirit desires to make us new, and when we as the bride of Christ reciprocate that love to Jesus, our bridegroom, we renew the Paradise of Eden in our own hearts and in the world around us.

For the Lord, renewal is a return back to Him. It is an invitation back into Paradise. But, that renewal is only possible if we are willing to recommit ourselves to Him. Jesus showed us the Lord’s desire to commit Himself to us by dying on the cross for our sins. It is now up to us, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to respond. 

How are you responding to God’s love in your daily life? 

Are there ways you can deepen your response?

What areas of your life feel monotonous or “on auto-renewal”? 

How might the Holy Spirit be inviting you to experience true renewal and transformation in those areas?

This Sunday is Pentecost, the birthday of the Church. It is called as such because it was when the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples in the Upper Room and empowered them to carry out the mission Jesus gave them to evangelize all nations.

The proclamation of Jesus as Lord and Savior grew from Twelve Apostles to over 2 billion Christians in the world today. That is all because of the power of the Holy Spirit working through those who were willing to recommit to the Lord, to renew their vows of love and faithfulness to Him, and to be obedient to where He led them. 

If God could do that through a small band of uneducated, disempowered Jews with no political influence or authority at a time of intense religious persecution, imagine what He can do in your life if you let Him.

This Sunday is when the Church was born through the power of the Spirit. Today is the day you can be reborn through that same power. Ask the Lord to send down His Spirit upon you, and you will see Him renew the face of the earth through you.

I am praying for you, please pray for me and my family, and I will see you in the Eucharist.

Matt

This reflection is based on the Responsorial Psalm for this Sunday, June 8th, 2025, Pentecost Sunday - Cycle C: Psalms 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34.