PENTECOST SUNDAY

31 MAY 2020

          On Easter Sunday, we heard this Gospel.  The risen Christ breaks through the locked doors of the upper room, where his disciples are huddled in fear.  They are afraid of the Jewish authorities who killed their leader.  Would those authorities now come for them?  But, they might also be afraid of a particular Jew, who had been their leader.  If he is truly raised from the dead, as Mary Magdalene alleges, he would surely be upset with them for abandoning him in his darkest hour.  But he breaks through those locked doors, shows them the wounds on his glorified body, and gives them the gift of peace.  He forgives them for their cowardly behavior.  His gift of peace is a gift that the world cannot give.

            On this, the last day of the Easter Season, we hear the same Gospel.  On Pentecost, we focus on the risen Lord giving them another gift.  In breathing on them, he gives them the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Centuries before, the prophet Elijah had encountered God in a tiny whispering sound on Mount Sinai.  With God’s strength, he mustered the courage to continue his prophetic mission in the face of opposition and death threats.  Now the risen Christ breathes on his disciples and empowers them to grant that same mercy and forgiveness to everyone else.

            In the Acts of the Apostles, Saint Luke gives a different account of the gift of the Holy Spirit.  He recalls an earlier encounter between God and the Israelites at Mount Sinai in their journey from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land.  Under the leadership of Moses, the people experienced God in dramatic signs:  an earthquake, thunder, lightning, and a mighty wind.  Similar dramatic signs accompany the giving of the Holy Spirit to the Apostles gathered in the upper room.  Driven quite literally out of their comfort zone, they proclaim the Good News of Salvation to their Jewish brothers and sisters on the fiftieth day after the Feast of Passover.  Even though the large crowd includes people from many different cultures who speak many different languages, they understand the message clearly.

            Today is the birthday of the Church.  As members of Christ’s body, we open ourselves to new ways in which the Holy Spirit is given to us.  Sometimes the Holy Spirit nudges us to move out of our comfort zones and be more intentional about being effective evangelists.  So many times, the Holy Spirit gently gives us the courage to undertake tasks that we think are beyond our abilities.  At other times, the Holy Spirit is much more forceful in pushing us to be reconciled with alienated family members.  The Holy Spirit can fire us with the zeal to tear down the walls of hatred or racism that we have built around ourselves. 

            Whether we experience the Holy Spirit as a gentle breath or powerful gusts of wind with tongues of fire, the Holy Spirit is given to us as members of the Body of Christ.  Just as there were many different gifts of the Holy Spirit in the Church at Corinth, so there are many different and varied gifts in our parish community.  In that community, the variety of gifts caused many divisions and arguments.  Some argued that their gifts were better than others, making them superior members of the Christian community.  Instead of allowing the gifts of the Holy Spirit bring them closer together, they used the gifts to further emphasize their differences.

            Just as Saint Paul reminded the Corinthians that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are given for the common good, so he says the same for us.  We are gingerly emerging from our isolation to realize how important this community is for all of us.  We need to discern through our prayer the individual gifts which the Holy Spirit has given to each of us.  We need to trust that the Holy Spirit will give us the courage to place those gifts at the service of this parish community to help us recover from the time spent apart.

THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD

24 MAY 2020

          Jesus began his public ministry in Galilee.  In Galilee he taught his earliest followers how to become disciples.  Over time, he taught them how to listen to him.  By listening, they began to learn how to live.  He taught them how to pray.  Most importantly he taught them how to do what is pleasing to the Father.  Not only did he teach disciples how to live in a totally different way, but he formed them most powerfully through his own example.  After he had given himself completely to them in his sacrificial death, he instructed the women who had encountered him in the resurrection to tell his brothers to return to Galilee, where they will see him again.

            That is exactly what they have done.  Today, they gather on a mountain in Galilee.  Mountains had always been incredibly important in the process of Jesus teaching his followers how to be disciples.  He had often gone to a mountain to pray to the Father.  He was tempted on a high mountain in the desert before his public ministry.  He gave his most famous sermon on a mountain.  He had been transfigured on a mountain, and his final agony was at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem.  On this mountain, the risen Christ encounters the eleven, as he had promised.  Like the Magi at the beginning of the Gospel of Saint Matthew, they worship him.  But interestingly, Saint Matthew reports that they continued to doubt.  Like the Magi, they do not completely understand the mystery before them and with many questions.

            But those doubts and questions do not stop the risen Christ.  Even though he had instructed them throughout his public ministry to go first to their fellow Jews, he now sends them to make disciples of all nations.  After baptizing those drawn to Christ, these witnesses of the resurrection would do for the new converts what Jesus had done to them.  They would teach them how to listen to the risen Lord in his Word.  They would teach them how to live and how to pray.  They would teach them how to do what is pleasing to the Father.  At the beginning of his Gospel, Matthew had declared that Jesus Christ is Emmanuel, which means that God is with us.  As he gives this great commission at the end of the Gospel, he assures them that he continues to be Emmanuel.  He continues to be with us always, until the end of the age.

            The great Mystery of the Ascension is that the risen Lord is more with us now than he was ever with his disciples during his earthly ministry.  He is present to us in the Sacramental life of the Church.  He promises to be with us, whenever two or more of us gather in his name.  During this last forty days of the Easter Season, he has led us in reflecting on the Mystery of his resurrection.  We have come to believe that the words of the witnesses are true. 

            As we wait to celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost next Sunday, we pray for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  Through Baptism, we have become his disciples.  We have listened to him speaking to us in his Word.  He has taught us how to live, and we have learned to pray in new ways, especially in the confinement of these pandemic months.  As we allow the Holy Spirit to help us learn how to do what is pleasing to the Father, we too can be effective evangelists in our day and in our world, even in the midst of our doubts and hesitations.  The Lord entrusts this mission to us, just as he entrusted this mission to the earliest witnesses of the resurrection.

SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

17 MAY 2020

          The First Letter of Saint Peter provides a catechesis on Baptism.  It includes teaching, homilies, and hymns used in the ancient celebration of this Sacrament.  Not directed to a specific congregation, this letter is intended for the Church in general.  By the time this letter was written in the name of Saint Peter, disciples of Jesus Christ found themselves living in many different cultures.  These cultures provided no support for the faith of believers.  In many cases, disciples were persecuted, causing them much suffering.

            Today’s selection tells disciples how to respond to this suffering.  Instead of responding with anger and vengeance, disciples should respond with kindness and compassion.  If others are baffled by their response, disciples can give the reason for their hope in enduring suffering.  Their hope is rooted in the love of Jesus Christ, who suffered greatly himself, even unto death.  In their suffering, they share in the suffering of Jesus Christ.  In suffering, they also hope confidently to share in his resurrection.

            Sadly, disciples continue to be persecuted in various parts of the world today.  Persecuted disciples can take courage from the words of the Letter of Saint Peter and know that many disciples who have gone before them are interceding for them.  In our country, we are fortunate that we have the freedom to practice our faith.  Even so, we share in the suffering of Jesus Christ when others question us or cannot understand the choices we make in being faithful to our baptismal promises.  We can be criticized for our insistence on the sanctity of human life from conception through natural death.  We can be mocked for trusting when God seems absent. The Letter of Saint Peter advises us to respond to criticism and skepticism by giving reasons for our hope.  We can do so, not with defensiveness and anger, but with gentleness and reverence.

            In one way or another, all of us have been sharing in the suffering of Jesus Christ during these last few months.   All of us have been isolated.  Some have been infected by this virus.  Others have lost their jobs and worry about supporting their families.  As we begin to emerge from our isolation, we are faced with divisions and challenges about the best way to begin our return to a communal life.  It is fine to express our anger and frustration in healthy ways.  But the Letter of Saint Peter challenges us to remember our baptismal promises and avoid responding with bitterness and vengeance.  We can reaffirm our faith in the power of the Resurrection, which we have been celebrating these last five weeks.  We can also recognize the ways we have experienced the Resurrection already, in the time spent with our families, with more time to pray, and growing in the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ.

            We can react positively, because the Holy Spirit is working in our midst.  The Holy Spirit was with the Greek speaking disciples when they fled Jerusalem after Stephen was martyred.  They recognized in their pain and suffering a new opportunity to spread the good news of Jesus Christ.  Philip cooperated with the Holy Spirit and brought the Gospel to the people of Samaria, long enemies of the Jewish people.  Peter and John confirmed their unity with the mother Church of Jerusalem by giving the Holy Spirit.  The Church grew, even in the midst of great suffering.

            As we continue to hear the farewell address of Jesus at the Last Supper, we are reminded that he has given that same Holy Spirit to us.  The Holy Spirit advises us, comforts us, and mediates for us.  The Holy Spirit strengthens us to keep the commandments of Jesus to love as he loves us.  The Holy Spirit can guide us through these times and make us more faithful and fruitful disciples. 

FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

10 MAY 2020

          For those adults, teens, and children being formed through the Rites of Christian Initiation, the Easter Season becomes a time of Mystagogia.  This Greek word means that they reflect on the Mysteries they have received at the Easter Vigil.  However, the Easter Season has a different focus for them this year.  Even though all of our Catechumens were well formed, we could not baptize, confirm, or admit them to the Eucharistic table.  And the same goes for Candidates for Full Communion who could not renew their baptismal promises and be received into full communion with the Catholic Church and be confirmed and admitted to the Eucharist.  Instead, this Easter Season has become for them a 50 day final preparation for the Sacraments, which they will receive at Saint Pius at the Vigil of Pentecost at the end of the Easter Season.

            The First Letter of Saint Peter helps them to understand what happens when they will be baptized.  They become living stones being formed by the Lord into a spiritual house.  Their sacrifices will be joined to that perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  Unlike the rock of Sinai which God’s people were forbidden to touch, Jesus has become the cornerstone, rejected by the builders, who invites us into loving and close union with him.  Through the Sacraments of Initiation, they will become a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own.  They will truly allow the light of Christ to shine through them in the darkness of this world.

            The first reading from the Acts of the Apostles helps the rest of us who have been members of the family of the Church to reflect on the Mysteries which we share.  We know from our own experience that conflicts and difficulties arise for any family.  On this Mother’s Day, we honor so our mothers who have helped us to navigate conflicts within our human families.  My Mom was a master at handling conflicts in our family.  There have been and always will be conflicts in the family of the Church, both universal and in our parish.  We can learn from their response to the diversity which caused a conflict.  The first disciples of the risen Christ were Jews who spoke Hebrew.  As the Good News spread, Greek speaking Hellenists became incorporated into the Body of Christ.  They complained, because their widows were being neglected.  To solve the problem, the twelve invoked the power of the Holy Spirit, chose seven men from the Hellenists, and laid hands on them.  These first deacons were assigned the specific task of caring for the widows.  To resolve the conflict, both sides had to listen to one another.  They had to die to their focus on their own needs.  They had to trust that the Lord would be present in their sincere desire to serve the needs of the wider Church.  The conflict ended, not in more division, but in the widening of humble service and the spreading of the Gospel.

            As we face the conflicts within our parish and within our Church today, we can take comfort in the presence of the Holy Spirit and pray for our bishops in union with Pope Francis, those successors of the Apostles who lead us today.  What Jesus says to his disciples at the Last Supper he says to us:  “Do not let your hearts be troubled.  You have faith in God; have faith also in me.”  Thomas and the other Apostles would soon learn that the way to the Father would be through the sacrificial death of his Son.  As we face the task of dying to ourselves and opening our hearts to resolving our own conflicts, Jesus gives us the same assurance he gives to Philip.  If we have known the presence of the risen Christ, then we have known the Father.  Our struggles to deal with conflicts and even our own deaths will not separate us from that union.  Death has no power to destroy living stones, as the stones of the ancient temple were destroyed by the Romans.  Jesus has gone before us to prepare a place for us.  We can confidently follow.

FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

3 MAY 2020

          On the fourth Sunday of Lent, We heard from the Gospel of Saint John about the healing of the man born blind.  As the man sees for the first time with his physical eyes, he also begins to see with his eyes of faith.  He first sees that Jesus is a good man.  Then he sees that Jesus is a prophet.  Finally, he sees that Jesus is the Christ, whom he worships.  But, as this man sees more clearly, the religious leaders become blinder and throw him out of the Synagogue. 

            On this fourth Sunday of Easter, Jesus continues to criticize the religious authorities who remain blind to him and reject anyone who sees the truth about him.  To make his point, Jesus uses the image of a shepherd.  Shepherds were known for the care given to their flocks.  They walked ahead of the flock in taking them to pasture.  The sheep knew the voice of the shepherd, and the shepherd knew each of his flock.  At night, shepherds led their flocks into sheepfolds, which were indentions in the rocky hillsides.  Because these sheepfolds did not have gates, the shepherd became the gate by lying across the opening.  If a thief or robber tried to enter, the shepherd would be awakened.  Some literally laid down their lives for their sheep.

            Those who heard this parable in the ancient world understood its message immediately.  In praying Psalm 23, they trusted that God is their shepherd.  They also knew that God anointed humans to be shepherds in his name.  Too often, some of these human shepherds cared more for themselves than for their flock.  False messiahs who claimed to be shepherds led their people to battles with occupying forces, bringing death and destruction.  Now, Jesus refers to the Pharisees as thieves and robbers who have rejected him to protect their own interests and positions.

            Even if we do not have regular contact with the business of being a shepherd, Jesus speaks directly to us today.  As the top image on our triumphal arch of our church indicates, the Lord is truly our shepherd.  He knows each of us by name, and he draws us to himself.  As our eyes move to the crucifix above the Altar, we are reminded that the Good Shepherd has laid down his life for our salvation.  As we see on the image on the front of the Altar, he is the Lamb of God who feeds us with his very body and blood.  This is the Good News of Salvation.

            When Peter announces this Good News to the gathered assembly in the first reading, they are cut to the heart and ask what they should do.  His response is clear:  repent and be baptized.  Once we hear this message, our response must be the same.  Many of us have already been baptized and are incorporated into the Body of Christ.  But, we have not always lived our baptismal promises.  We need to repent and turn more completely to the Lord.

            That requires humility.  We may not be as dumb as sheep, but we can be fooled by those who climb over the sheepfold like thieves and robbers instead of entering through the gate.  Thieves and robbers can convince us that our welfare lies with the rising and falling of the Stock Market alone.  Thieves and robbers can lead us to believe that our careers or promotions become more important than attention given to our loved ones.  Thieves and robbers tell us on social media that our freedoms are more important than the lives of vulnerable people.

            The First Letter of Saint Peter urges us to be patient when we suffer for doing what is good.  We are all suffering under the weight of this pandemic.  In suffering, we participate in the sacrificial death of the Good Shepherd.  The Good Shepherd not only redeems us by laying down his life.  He is the model for laying down our lives.  Teachers and students are laying down their lives in their struggle to continue their education.  First Communicants and their families are doing that by sacrificing this important day.  In this time, the Good Shepherd leads us to take a good look at what we think is important in our lives and turn more completely to him.