6th Sunday of Easter - Can I hear the Spirit?

"I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you"

John 14: 15-21

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/051026.cfm

Grant, almighty God, 

that we may celebrate with heartfelt devotion these days of joy,

which we hope in honor of the risen Lord,

and that what we relive in remembrance

we may always hold to in what we do.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son, 

who lives nd reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God, for ever and ever.

(from Collect)

At the beginning of the last century, one of the most desirable and attractive technical jobs was to serve as a radio operator on one of the luxury ships that regularly crossed the Atlantic Ocean.  To hold this job you had to understand the operation of the primitive radios that were available at that time. But you also had to master Morse code, which was a technical language of longer and shorter beeps that could be sent over the radio by which the ships could communicate with one another. 

On one occasion, one of the most successful cruise lines advertised a position for a radio operator.  The waiting room for the line’s office where the interviews were taking place was filled to capacity.  Over 50 people were waiting to interview for the job.  They were talking to one another in voices loud enough to make themselves heard over the public address system which every so often would announce that the interviews would soon begin.  In the midst of this activity, a young man entered the room and filled out an application for the job.  He then sat down by himself for a few moments.  Suddenly he stood up and went through a door marked “private.”  A few minutes later he returned with a big smile on his face and announced that he had been hired for the job.  This caused one of the applicants to protest.  “Look,” he said, “we were here hours before you arrived.  Why was it that you went in for your interview before us?”  The young man replied, “Any one of you here could have landed this job, but you weren’t listening.  Over the PA system there was a constant message being sent in Morse code.  The message was this, “We desire to hire a person who is always alert.  So if you hear this message, come immediately into the private office.” This story is a good image of our relationship to the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God is always with us, and yet we must listen to appreciate that presence. 

Same is true with our spiritual life.  While we have no control over what God will do, if we will or desire holiness the way is to take the Lord seriously, participate in a sacramental life, allow him to be the center of our lives, and be open to the Spirit’s grace.  Our way is one of humility, prayer, and selfless service to those in need. Everything else is grace by God’s will.

The Gospel scene today is a kind of farewell, a last testimony to the Apostles before Jesus returns to his Father.  They know he has given them much to ponder and to understand. Here he reassures them that if they truly remain in his love, they will be able to understand more fully and deeply all that he has given them. If they listen for his voice, they will understand the message.

We must believe in our hearts and lives that God always wills our good.  In fact, God is incapable of doing evil, though at times we may wonder why he allows so much of it but always wills us good.  In fact, the definition of love by St. Thomas Aquinas reminds us that love is “to will the good of another.” Jesus promises his Apostles that though he may be leaving their physical sight, he will send another “advocate” to stand by their side.  And by that Spirit, though invisible, we become a constant presence of himself and guide them along the way of truth, beauty and goodness. In essence, it is the way we too must live our life in the Spirit now through our love for Christ and one another and our participation in the sacraments, especially the holy Eucharist.  This is what Jesus desires for those who profess faith in him and how we can encounter the risen Lord.

The Spirit will come to them and abide with them as the Spirit will gradually unfold for them the fullness of who Jesus is and what their mission will demand. That is divine reassurance that though he leaves, he remains with them in the Holy Spirit. This will bring about what every Christian should desire and hope for: that deeper experience of the love of God. But his presence may work silently, gradually, gently like the morse code beneath the PA message in our earlier story.

In speaking of love, Jesus is not referring to affection, emotion, or warm feelings, the usual indicator of love for another.  What he is requesting of his Apostles is their loyalty.  We can rephrase: “If you are loyal to me (love me), you will keep my commandments.”

We might use the example of a married couple who show their deepest love for the other by their loyalty: for better for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, until death. I will remain faithful or loyal to you throughout our marriage and in that way I indicate my true love for you. It is beyond feelings and sharing good times. If a husband stands in defence of his wife or a wife in defence of her husband, that certainly indicates a level of love that is lived out in loyalty. If he or she stands by the bedside of a seriously ill or mentally deficient spouse, such loyalty reveals their true love lived out in deeds of faithfulness.  Same, in the case of disciples of the Lord with far greater results.

Our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles is a wonderful example of this.  The pressure was on for the early Christian communities in Jerusalem and that area since they were increasingly becoming viewed as a threat to Judaism and the Jewish way of life with its multiple legal requirements.

There the Spirit begins to work as the crowds all listened attentively to the message of Philip, as they witnessed exorcisms and healings being worked. As he baptized these new converts, both Peter and John, came to join him as they imposed hands and prayed for the coming of the Spirit upon the new Christians.  In the case, we hear what may sound to us of the origin of the sacrament of Confirmation. These primary Apostles, the first Bishops of the Church and leaders among the believers, like our own Bishop today, are called to lay hands and pray over those to receive the Spirit.

As the early Apostles and the early Christians found themselves with a new direction and a new social order of love, forgiveness, reconciliation, peace and service, they came to understand more deeply the meaning of Jesus’ mission and that of their own in the world.  In the end, this made them unique among the culture around them.  Yet, they remained loyal to the end and countless thousands even went to martyrdom for the sake of the Gospel.

Where there is a will there is a way.  The will to love and be loyal to the way of Christ, will lead us on the path to eternity. The Gospel is timeless and the Spirit is constantly present guiding us to understand that “deposit of faith” as we call it but pay attention to what God is doing in your life. Pay attention to hear the “morse code” which calls us to holiness.