But you shall receive the power of the Holy Ghost coming upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the uttermost part of the earth. – Acts 1:8
This passage from Scripture comes moments before Jesus ascends into heaven, his earthly mission completed. He tells his followers that the Holy Spirit is coming. The Holy Spirit will give them the courage and strength to be his witnesses. By virtue of our Baptism and Confirmation, at which time we received the Holy Spirit, we are also called to be Jesus’ witnesses.
What does it mean for our creative lives that the Holy Spirit is with us to help aid us in giving witness to Jesus? Henri Matisse said, “Creativity takes courage.” Faith-filled creativity takes even more courage.
The world at large is often hostile to those who live their Christianity out loud. According to the secular world, it’s okay if you spend an hour in church on Sunday as long as you plan on leaving your faith behind when you leave the parking lot. That is not what Jesus is calling us to do, however, not by a long shot. At the end of every Mass, the final words send us out to spread the good news. People should be able to know that we are Christian by the way we live our lives. The Holy Spirit gives us the courage to do that in a world that doesn’t want to see it.
How does this impact our creativity? It means that we conduct our business dealings with integrity. It means that we should be good stewards of the raw materials we get from the earth. It means that we use our creativity to encourage others rather than tear them down. It means that the words we use, the photos we take, and the social media posts we share should be building up the Kingdom of God. It means that we are willing to be unpopular if going along with the crowd is sinful. Through it all, we can trust that the Holy Spirit will be by our side to give us the strength to swim against the tide.
Prayer
Dear Holy Spirit, please give me the strength today to be a true witness to Jesus and my Catholic faith. Please give me the courage to live my life with integrity so that others may know I am a Christian by the way that I live.
Action
Make an extra effort to be conscious of the words you use today. Speech is one of our most basic creative acts. Every time we speak, we are impacting the world, for good or for ill. Would someone else be able to know you are Christian by the words that you use and the tone of voice in which you speak? Are you using your words to build up the Kingdom of God?
This is an excerpt from The Work of Our Hands. (Amazon affiliate link)
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