The Word: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/060825-Day.cfm
John 14: 15-16, 23b- 26
I readily confess that one of my favorite American
history stories is that of the Oregon Trail and specifically of the intrepid
explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark: "Lewis and Clark"
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 and back again (1804 -1806) 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 they never imagined would be so numerous
and difficult, along with the guidance of a young native American woman 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 diverse 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 and ascension of Jesus with 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 gifts 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. These gifts are not for parish use
only of course. Such talents are for home, school, work places, daily living,
etc. 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 quiet 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 look around at the many
gathered on any weekend for Mass. There may be nothing more expressive of our
unity with diversity, the “catholic” nature of Christianity than to travel to
other countries of the world, 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. 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!
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