From Shelly Pick, Director of Counseling
I am a big fan of black jelly beans. I know what you’re thinking…yuck…at least, that is the response I get most often! I happen to like them but what I love the most is that, for years, my dad would give me many bags of jelly beans AFTER Easter because he knew I liked them. It was the thought that mattered and I thought of him each and every time I popped a handful of them into my mouth.
Until a few years ago, I didn’t know black jelly beans are the ONLY leftover candy in the stores after Easter. Dad was doing the stores a favor by buying those bags of candy for me. Where am I going with this analogy? Easter is a holiday where the candy and decorations don’t hang around for long in the secular world. Unlike Christmas, retailers don’t have much left over to sell. However, did you know the Easter season is the second-longest liturgical season? The Church celebrates the Easter Season for 50 days which builds up to the feast of Pentecost. But…what significance does Pentecost have on our lives? It is all about the Holy Spirit and Pentecost celebrates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles. It reminds us that we need to receive the Holy Spirit so we can do the discipleship work that is waiting for each of us.
What does that mean for a person who is alive in 2024? In a world where it has become harder and harder to be a Catholic? For me, it is a reminder to ask the Holy Spirit to join me when I pray, or when I am nervous about something or when I am grateful. Knowing I am not alone gives me courage, and is another thing Pentecost should remind us of. We should seek out others who are like-minded and come together BY the Holy Spirit.
As I write this, I am coming off the Senior Retreat where we had 125-ish students come together, for one last time, to give thanks for their four years at Pius X, to be together for Adoration and Confession and to ask the Holy Spirit to guide them as they move away from the Pius X family and the Pius X bubble that has surrounded them. They will embark into a new world…a world of uncertainty. They were reminded of who they are, where they come from and that we will always be here for them if they need us. Yes, hardships are waiting for them but there will also be moments filled with joy. May they always think, “Come Holy Spirit.” After all, it IS the thought that counts.
