I Am Seeing RED!!! Red of the Holy Spirit for Pentecost

The normally subdued wood tones of the quiet church were different today. The organist was not playing yet. No one was singing. Not a sound could be heard as we entered the church. Even the wheels of my Grandfather’s walker were silent for once.

People were kneeling, praying quietly with heads bowed in reverence or upturned gazing up at the image of the man the Pharisees and conforming crowds placed on the Cross over 2000 years ago.

At first glance, it may have appeared as any other Sunday, and yet it wasn’t.

I could feel the vibrancy in the air. The anticipation. The energy. The power. The SPIRIT.

And then I saw RED!

I looked around the church and noticed what was visibly different – Red!

RED was everywhere!

And I started to smile the smile of Knowing.

Something BIG was going on here.

That Red seemed to be everywhere.

Red cloth streamers adorned the Cross.

Red banners draped both sides of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Red flowers decorated the altar.

And when the Monsignor came out, He was dressed in a shimmering Red garment.

RED!

Today was Pentecost Sunday

And I am seeing RED!

I was raised Catholic and attended both Catholic high school and Catholic college, but there is still so much I need to learn.

Like for instance, I’ve been told red is the color of power, like when a politician wants to appear strong, he wears a red tie,

but I never knew, never associated Red with the power of the holy Spirit!

And yet there it was, all over the church, undeniable redness, undeniable power.

And I think I felt it before I’d really noticed the Red.

Red, the color of Strength, the power of the holy Spirit.

The color of the member of the Trinity I know the least about in many ways.

And the color of the member of the Trinity, I often feel the closest to.

I wonder if, without the tragedy of divorce, I would have ever understood the power of Red.

No, I don’t wonder that at all. I already know.

Before, I was content with what I knew. I thought I knew enough.

I, like many people, used the excuse, “I had x number of years of Catholic schooling so I know about __________________.”

But now, I realize I know so little, and I have a burning desire to learn more, to live more fully, to forgive without retaliation, to Love all mankind, to trust and obey and hope in and LOVE all three members of the Trinity more fully.

I understand the Red of the holy Spirit because He truly Lives within me although I fight against knowing I am not worthy of that honor.

And when I saw that red in the church today, I again felt His Power.

Thank you Lord, for the gift of the holy Spirit.

From now on, I will never see Red the same way again.

Please join me tomorrow for my weak explanation of who the holy Spirit is and on Wednesday for my vision of the descent of the Holy Spirit as seen in my favorite of all the mysteries of the most holy Rosary, the Third Glorious Mystery, the Mystery of Pentecost.

To learn more about Pentecost, please check out ETWN’s post here.
To read about Pentecost from the perspective of a Catholic convert, please check out what Cristina has to say at Fill My Prayer Closet.
And to read some quotes about the Fest of Pentecost, please check out Debbie Gaudino’s site Saints 365.