Mark Katrick faith column: In this re-energizing season after Pentecost, relax and enjoy

It’s the Season After Pentecost, the most wonderful time of the church and the calendar year (at least in my humble opinion).

From the gentlest breezes to the gustiest downdrafts, the winds of the Holy Spirit are active, involved and energizing our daily lives. And the peak daylight hours mean the light of Christ within and without is shining brighter than ever.

Breakfast comes extra early to the Katrick household these days. The kitties have me up at the crack of dawn for their breakfast of wet food. I join them with a bowl of oatmeal, a sprinkle of wheat germ, a dribble of milk and top it off with some of that famous Vermont Maple Syrup, brought back from one of my many travels there. And yes, I’ve been known to lick the bowl too (but not my paws).

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Winter is finally passed, spring has come on strong and summer is just around the corner. New life is arriving from all directions.

With the screen door open, we feast on the front porch. All the while our spirits are fed by a cacophony of bird songs in full orchestra. Oranges, pinks and reds are being painted at dawn by our Creator’s brushstrokes.

All that’s left to do, whether you have four legs or two, is to breathe in the breath of God and breathe out peace and tranquility.

It may seem a trivial matter, but after my oatmeal, I have a container of cottage cheese, followed by a container of applesauce. A retired nurse I know calls it, “the perfect breakfast.” For one reason or the other, I have the hardest time opening the packages and separating the containers.

Perhaps it’s because I’m getting older and my fingers and hands don’t work as well. Or maybe I am running late and having breakfast on the fly.

Or maybe, just maybe, I’m being impatient. Have you noticed that people are in too much of a hurry these days? Just keep it to the speed limit or slightly above, and you’ll see what I mean. Hurrying really doesn’t save you all that much time. And it only adds stress to our already overstressed lives.

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Yet it’s during this most wonderful time of the church and calendar year, when the winds of the Holy Spirit are active and energizing and only the light of Christ outshines the daylight hours, something changes. I can feel a parcel of that new life beginning to emerge within me. I’m finding that opening packages and separating containers is far less daunting a task. And I’m being more patient, allowing myself the time to get where I need to be.

Could the season be the reason? Only you and I can answer that question. But consider with me that we can sit on our front or back porches in any season, that some birds stay and sing during the winter and that sunrises and sunsets are spectacular all year round. All we have to do is be more aware of these moments in time and live into them.

And the divine artist will be waiting for us to sit back, breathe in the breath of God, and breathe out “oohs” and “awes.”

Mark Katrick is a pastor and spiritual guide.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Newark faith column: In season after Pentecost, reflect on God's gifts