(El Greco: Pentecost, 1600)
"And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit"
John 20: 19-23
The Word: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/052321-Day.cfm
I readily confess that one of my favorite American history stories is that of the Oregon Trail and specifically of the intrepid explorers known as Lewis and Clark. Living in the northwest of America we are surrounded by this history and it was quite an adventure to say the least.
President Thomas Jefferson, the Louisiana Purchase, two
well prepared and eager explorers and their companions named the courageous
journey to explore the wilds and wonders of the now American west all the way
to the Pacific Ocean was dubbed the “Corps of Discovery.” For two incredible
years they journeyed north from St. Louis, spent a cold and harsh winter
welcomed by the hospitable Mandan Native American tribes in now North Dakota,
then headed out west over mountains that they never imagined would be so
numerous and difficult, along with the guidance of a young native American
named Sacagawea.
It all makes for adventure with little parallel up to
that time. Our Feast of Pentecost this weekend and the birth of the Church with
fire, wind, Spirit and world languages is likewise the beginning of an
adventure filled with drama and danger but with the assurance of Divine
direction after the death and resurrection of Jesus and the Apostles who became
the first “explorers” sent out on a mission. Like Lewis and Clark, that mission
was completely unknown to the Apostles as to where it would lead ultimately but
they went filled with hope and courage.
Jesus words to his disciples were clear about sending
someone, not a memory or a philosophy, or even a set of doctrines so much as
sending his Spirit, his continued presence among us in the third person of the
Blessed Trinity. “I will be with you
always,” we hear Jesus assure his Apostles and that means that HE is present in
our midst through word and sacrament.
The Holy Spirit, the common bond of love between Father and Son, abides
in the Church of Christ shows his presence in the revelation of the sacraments,
especially in baptism and confirmation, and the concrete ministries of the
Church.
The story of the Spirit’s presence through wind, fire,
and diverse languages that we hear of in the first reading from Acts, is one
that caught the Apostles, gathered with Mary, unaware yet hopeful as they
prayed. It reminds us that the Christian
message of salvation in Jesus Christ, the Kerygma as it is called, is meant for
a much wider community than the small one gathered in Jerusalem that day. The diverse languages of ancient people
spoken by the Apostles unifies the varied crowd gathered outside the room as
they all heard of “the mighty acts of God” in one common, united message of
hope and salvation in Christ. And so the mission of the Church and the Church
itself is born.
In the beautiful second reading from Corinthians this
Pentecost Sunday, among other varied choices, we hear: “There are different
kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of
service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who
produces all of them in everyone . . .”
These words of Paul reflect the earliest of Christian
communities that Paul had established.
It gives us a window into what Christian communities may have been like,
yet certainly not without tension. Yet, aren’t we very much the same. In the
experience of their diverse forms of spiritual gifts, varied forms of service,
and different works Paul and these enriched communities saw for themselves how
and where the Holy Spirit had become concretely obvious to their communities
and beyond.
Some may be obvious like music, liturgical ministries,
teaching, and charitable works, administrative abilities, a kind of charismatic
personality that easily convinces people of a particular position and others
more behind the scenes like washing dishes, cleaning altar linens, arranging
flowers in typical parish life but all are part of a whole and all are needed
to build up the Body of Christ, the Church, and to carry that mission beyond
our own individual worlds. To know this
and to see that as our common point of focus and source of life is to live in
the Spirit. We all share one baptism, one faith, and drink from the same
Spirit, where all come together around the altar of sacrifice each Sunday with
Christ our Head and our food for this journey.
Yet, for Paul and for us still today what is the presence
or power that prevents a recipe for chaos that might breed competition,
jealously, greed, and arrogance, create factions and spawn selfishness. Yes,
such realities exist both in the Church and in society. Yet, the way out is our
life in the Spirit.
It is our common belief that what holds us together and
is always a check on our tendency to think of “Me first,” is the power of the
Holy Spirit, the breath or very life of God in Christ among us, that reminds us
that we are sharers in the mission of Jesus, something far beyond our selves,
yet a very active part of it. Whether
our varied works may be small or more noticed they all contribute to the common
good of the community each in their own way.
We can see the connection with ourselves today. All one need do is take a look around at the
many gathered on any weekend for Mass. There may be nothing more expressive of
our unity in diversity, our Catholic nature of Christianity, than to be present
for a public audience with the Holy Father at the Vatican. Or to travel to other countries of the world,
which hopefully will be a part of life soon as the pandemic decreases, to see
and hear there an unfamiliar language and culture but to see that common form
of our Mass which brings us home to one another. To live in the Spirit is to remain connected
to the branches of the vine and to follow one Shepherd whose voice we hear.
And so the Church and its varied members constituting
hundreds of millions all across the globe are all missionary disciples as Pope
Francis has said. We all share in that
common mission given to the Church thousands of years ago at Pentecost. Let the Spirit blow strong in our lives to
bring, as the Gospel from John reminds us, Jesus’ mission of forgiveness and
healing to a world broken by sin. We can
stifle, block, or resist the work of God’s grace in our lives for sure but the
Holy Spirit’s presence is a life force that will forever be present moving and
forming us as the People of God. We are a continued part of the journey of
discovery as the Spirit of the Lord continues to write the story until the Lord
returns again!
"Come Holy Spirit, come!
And from your celestial home
Shed a ray of light divine!
Come, Father of the poor!
Come, source of all our store! . . .
Shine within these hearts of yours,
And our inmost being fill!"
No comments:
Post a Comment