Brief synopsis of the readings: Continuing in Acts we see Phillip, one of Jesus’ first followers, going to Samaria to evangelize. He not only proclaimed Jesus he also freed people from unclean spirits and healed those who were paralyzed. When the rest of the group in Jerusalem heard this they sent Peter and John who went to Samaria and prayed for them and asked that the Holy Spirit come down. These Samaritans had been baptized but now they received the Holy Spirit. In John’s Gospel we read that Jesus spoke to his disciples and told them that if they kept his commandments God would send another “Advocate,” the Spirit of truth who will remain in them. Jesus promised that they would not be left as orphans. “In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me, because I live and you will live.”

Last week we read about the expansion of the leadership from the Twelve to nineteen with the appointment of seven members to assure that the Hellenistic widows were being cared for. As the community of the faithful continued to expand so did those who served and that makes sense. Most organizations begin with some sort of organizational chart, a representation of who fits where, who answers to who, how decisions are made, etc. Our church has a strong hierarchy and everyone knows his or her place.

But there are several places in the Acts of the Apostles where we see something different, something more chaotic and hopefully more divine. In today’s reading we witness Phillip, one of the Twelve, going out to attract the Samaritans, a group that most Jews hated. It’s more than a little surprising that when the leaders in Jerusalem learned of this they also went all in. Perhaps remembering Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, they enthusiastically supported Phillip.

Not only did they support Phillip and the Samaritans, they prayed with this group and asked that these foreigners may receive Holy Spirit and they did. We believe that receiving the Holy Spirit gives us more than an “extra boost” of holiness, it give us strength and the ability to know what God dreams of for us. Those of us who received the Sacrament of Confirmation as teenagers were likely told to memorize the “gifts of the Holy Spirit.” We’ve almost certainly forgotten them and I had to look them up myself: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, fear of the Lord, and piety.

It may not seem radical (and it didn’t when I memorized them) but it really is. Too often organizational charts tell us only to do what we’re told and not question anything. But the reception of the Holy Spirit, given first to the apostles, then to these Samaritans, and eventually to all of us, points in a different direction. These gifts allow us to discern not only God’s plan for us but what we can do to make that happen. Now obviously all discernment happens in community and it would be foolhardy to ignore what others believe but this first reading reminds us that nobody can tell us: “No, the Holy Spirit wants you to do it this way.” Many years ago I was on a parish staff where another staff member and I disagreed on a certain matter. She told me: “You should continue to discern this until you agree with me.” I laughed and told her that while the Holy Spirit can tell her what to do, the Holy Spirit can’t tell her to tell me what to do. She didn’t appreciate my humor.

I still hold to that. When the first apostles receive the Holy Spirit in the 2nd chapter of Acts the Spirit was portrayed as a strong wind and I think there’s great value there. The Spirit moves us and carries us forward. Sailors often describe a good day on the water as “having the wind at my back” because it propels them forward. When we receive a new insight into ourselves or someone else, it moves us to new understandings and we can feel the progress.

Finally, we Catholics believe that when we receive the Holy Spirit in the sacrament of Confirmation we have been fully initiated into the church. Of the seven sacraments we believe that Baptism, Eucharist (Communion) and Confirmation (reception of the Holy Spirit) are sacraments of initiation. When I used to teach confirmation preparation I told my students that once they received this they were “partners in the firm.” Obviously it doesn’t mean we are all senior partners or managing partners but it does mean nobody has the right to tell us that we don’t belong or that we have no voice. And unlike several religions there is no way to banish someone from our faith (before you object, excommunication always allows someone to return through reconciliation but that’s a topic for another day).

Oftentimes things change because ordinary people refuse to be silenced and they speak their truth knowing the wind is at their back. When large swaths of the Christian community insisted that God endorsed slavery and segregation a few brave men and women spoke their truth. It wasn’t easy, it didn’t happen overnight, and it called them to great sacrifice. But they were right, they had the wind at their backs, and it was ultimately the Holy Spirit that gave them the (yes, let’s see that list again) wisdom, understanding, counsel and fortitude. It gave them the insight to read Amos and the other prophets with new determination.

Any faith, any religions, and indeed any organization that does not listen to the “signs of the times” is doomed to failure. Only by a recognition of the Holy Spirit in all of us do we have a path forward. Had the earliest disciples not gone out to Samaria, and then to the Hellenists, and then to the world we wouldn’t be who we are today.

So let us all position ourselves so that the wind is at our back.