NB. Being of gimpy knee and puny countenance, I am unable to preside or preach at a Mass today. So, here's a decent-enough rerun.
Pentecost Sunday (C)
Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP
St. Dominic Church, NOLA
The
Lord our God keeps His word! Through His prophets He promised the gift
of a Messiah who would suffer as a servant for sinners and die at the
hands of his enemies for the sake of the world. The long-awaited Messiah
came among us as a child: born of a virgin; raised on the Law; and
anointed by the Holy Spirit at the River Jordan. During his three- year
ministry, he reveals the power of God by healing the diseased and
injured; raising the dead to new life; feeding thousands with food
enough for only a few; liberating souls held captive by unclean spirits;
and teaching the word of spirit and truth to anyone who would listen.
He is opposed at every turn by jealousy, greed, ambition, and ignorance;
and, finally, he is betrayed by one he calls a friend. Falsely accused,
illegally tried, he is found guilty by a mob and executed by the
Empire. But he makes a promise to his disciples: “. . .the Holy Spirit
whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything. . .”
The Lord our God keeps His word! To his disciples he promises the gift
of an Advocate, the Holy Spirit, to renew the body and soul of his
Church.
The
Lord our God kept His promise to send among us a Savior to suffer and
die for our sins. That Savior, Jesus the Christ, promised that the
Father would also send among us an Advocate, the Holy Spirit, to teach
us and to remind us of everything he had said and done. Gathered
together in the Upper Room—terrified, despairing, anxious—the disciples
wait to be discovered. Do they remember the Lord's promise? His warning?
Do they have any idea what's about to happen to them? “Suddenly there
came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind. . .Then there
appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on
each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. . .”
One Holy Spirit roars into the Upper Room. Divides. Then descends all
at once upon each one of the disciples. Not a different spirit to each.
But One Spirit to each, all at once. The same Holy Spirit given to every
disciple. And though each disciple receives the same Spirit, each one
manifests a different gift. When all of these different gifts are
brought together with one heart and mind and the freely given in service
to preaching and teaching of the Good News, the Church is born. The
Lord our God keeps His promises; He keeps His word.
Before
he begins his Passion, Jesus says to the disciples: “Whoever loves me
will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him
and make our dwelling with him.” Whoever loves Christ will make good on
his promises. And whoever makes good on Christ's promises will be loved
by the Father. Jesus says “we will make our dwelling” with those who
keep the Word. We. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Feast of
Pentecost—the birth of the Church—celebrates the day, the moment when
the Holy Spirit came to dwell with us and remain with us. With the
Spirit among us we are not only capable of keeping Christ's word, we are
do so with all the strength and integrity of the Blessed Trinity.
Through our varied gifts we—each one of us—manifests the Spirit for the
glory of God, drawing in and teaching anyone who longs for God's mercy.
Our gifts are made purer, stronger, holier in their work for the
kingdom, and we are made more perfect in love by sharing God's love. The
Holy Spirit is sent to be our Advocate, the one who defends us against
the dark accusations of the world. But we are not permitted to simply
hide away in a room and shake ourselves silly in fear of the world. The
Spirit enlivens, empowers, ignites, and He pushes us out in the world as
witnesses to the freely given mercy of God.
Think
about it. What do the disciples do the moment the Holy Spirit endows
them with His gifts? “[They] began to speak in different tongues, as the
Spirit enabled them to proclaim.” Different languages? Yes. Though all
of the disciples were Galileans they were understood by Parthians,
Medes, Elamites, Mesopotamians, Judeans, Cappadocians, Asians,
Egyptians, Libyans, Romans, Cretans, and Arabs. They were also
understood by “both Jews and converts to Judaism.” In other words, not
only were they speaking different languages, they were speaking in a way
that anyone who heard them could understand what they were saying. How
is this possible? They were given the gift of being able to speak to the
deepest longing of every human creature, the desire of every man,
woman, and child to love and be loved by their Creator. The gift of the
Church—then and now—is to be the Body and Word of Christ, the living
sacrament of God's mercy to all of creation. With the Holy Spirit, the
Church—all of us—speaks the language of divine love when we are united
in heart and mind in the service of the Gospel. We keep His word, and He
dwells among us. His spiritual gifts are boundless.
His
gifts are boundless. But are we ready to receive them and put them to
their proper use? Paul tells us in his letter to the Corinthians, “There
are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit. . .To each
individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.”
For some benefit—the benefit of the one who receives the gift and all
those for whom the gift will be used. The Holy Spirit does not give
private gifts, gifts to be used for one's personal benefit. All gifts of
the Holy Spirit are given for the benefit of the whole Church and her
mission. “As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts
of the body, though many, are one body. . .For in one Spirit we were all
baptized into one body. . .we were all given to drink of one Spirit.”
One Holy Spirit given to and received by many different parts to make up
on Body in Christ. This means that whatever spiritual gifts I might
possess, that you might possess, belong to the whole body not just me or
you. And b/c our gifts belong to the whole body, our use of them
influences the whole body. Good, evil, indifferent. How we use these
gifts colors the Church, leaves a mark on the Body of Christ. How we use
these gifts determines whether or not we are keeping Christ's word,
fulfilling his promise.
We
sang along with the Psalmist, “Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew
the face of the earth.” If we are to be servants of this renewal, we
must also sing, “Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the body and soul
of your Church.” And if we are to be servants of this renewal, we must
eagerly step forward and offer ourselves in service to the Gospel. Pope
Francis urges us not to become a “baby-sitter” Church. We could add: do
not become a museum, a social club, a
something-to-do-before-the-Saints-game. If we truly believe that the
Holy Spirit is among us, if we truly believe that Christ our Lord is
here with us right now, how can we even think about not leaving this
place and shouting about the mighty acts of God. How do I think of
anything else if I truly believe that the Creator-God of the universe
loves me? How do I wake up in the morning and not immediately give Him
thanks for the gift of life and my freedom from sin? The renewal of the
Church will not come from Rome or D.C. or the archbishop's office. It
will come from the pews of St Dominic, Our Lady of the Rosary, from the
parish; from your homes, your schools. But it must start with the
family. With you. Use the gifts you have been given to renew the body
and soul of the Church. Fidelity, strength, perseverance, humility, and
above all: love, divine love. You have them all. Put them to work for
Christ, keeping his word. Put them to work for the Church, and dwell
forever as a mighty act of God.
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