PENTECOST SUNDAY
4 JUNE 2017
Saint Paul knew that the Church in Corinth
was a community torn apart by conflict.
One of the many issues separating them involved the gifts of the Holy
Spirit. Some members of the community bragged
that their gift of speaking in tongues was superior to any of the other gifts
given to anyone else. In writing to the
Corinthians, Saint Paul argues that this is not true. He points out that there is only one Lord,
the source of unity. If the members of
the community embrace the centrality of that one Lord, then they will
understand that there are different gifts given to many different people to be
given in the service of the Church. Most
importantly, the only way to recognize the one Lord is through the working of
the Holy Spirit.
Today, we recall the giving of the
Holy Spirit to the Church. We hear two
very different accounts of how the Holy Spirit was given. In the Acts of the Apostles, Saint Luke
describes the Day of Pentecost, fifty days after the Passover. Just as the original Covenant was given at
Mount Sinai in the midst of fire and strong winds, so the Holy Spirit is given
to the Apostles, who are the new twelve tribes of Israel. This gift of the Holy Spirit transforms the
polarization at the Tower of Babel, when the languages of peoples were
confused. Filled with the Holy Spirit,
the twelve proclaim that the mighty acts of God, raising Jesus from the dead
and as Lord.
Saint John tells a different story
in the Gospel, which we heard on Easter Sunday.
According to John, the risen Christ breaks through the locked doors of
their fear and gives them three gifts.
He gives them the gift of peace, that abiding presence of God which the
world cannot give. He breathes on them
and gives them the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Instead of lecturing them about their cowardice in running away in his
darkest hour, he gives them the gift of forgiveness.
As different as these accounts may
be, they convey the same message. The
Holy Spirit is not given to an isolated individual, but to a community of
believers. Within each community, there
are many different believers with many different gifts to share. The Holy Spirit drives the recipients out of
their comfort zones to proclaim the message that the risen Christ is Lord, and
that embracing his Lordship will bring a profound unity.
That same Holy Spirit is given to us
today. Like the Apostles, we have
encountered the risen Lord during this Easter Season. For fifty days, we have reflected on the
mystery of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
We have experienced his real presence in the Sacramental life of the
Church. Through the Sacraments of Initiation, we have introduced believers into
a more intimate relationship with Christ.
Now the Holy Spirit drives us out of the Easter Season to proclaim Jesus
Christ as Lord.
The Holy Spirit gives us much hope in our fractured and polarized world. The Holy Spirit opens our hearts to a peace
that comes from knowing that Jesus is Lord.
The Holy Spirit blows through those barriers which we use to isolate
ourselves from those with whom we might disagree. The Holy Spirit melts away the icy distances
we make from those who are different from us.
The Holy Spirit empowers us to discern our individual gifts and gives us
the courage to place those gifts at the service of this parish. The Holy Spirit gives us the gift of
forgiveness, not to pretend that our sins and bad choices were acceptable, but
to turn our gaze to the future, enabling us to be healed of the wounds caused
by our sins. The Holy Spirit blows us
out of this church to proclaim the Lordship of Jesus Christ and share those
gifts with others.
No comments:
Post a Comment