Dear Preachers:
With the feast of Pentecost we come to
the end of the 50 days of Easter. From this point on we will
witness, in our New Testament readings, the life the Spirit
engenders in the church. We can call this day the "birthday of the
church." It’s clear from the inconsistent behavior of the disciples
during Jesus’ ministry and their disintegration when he was arrested
and killed that, without some intervention on God’s part, there
would be no church to spread the good news of Jesus Christ – hence
the importance and necessity of Pentecost.
After Jesus’ resurrection and
appearances to his disciples, he knows they will need a transforming
spirit if they are to be his witnesses. So, at the end of Luke’s
gospel (24:47) and, previously in Acts (1:8), Jesus instructs the
disciples to wait for the power that will come upon them with the
arrival of the Holy Spirit.
St. Luke fixes the beginning of the
church on the Jewish feast of Pentecost and places the event in
Jerusalem. It’s the fiftieth ("pentecoste" – Greek) day, known as
the Feast of Weeks, celebrated 50 days after Passover and the end of
the wheat harvest. Some celebrated the feast as a time to recall the
giving of the Law on Sinai. So, it was seen as a time of fulfillment
and the beginning of a renewal in Israel’s history.
With Pentecost’s occurrence in
Jerusalem, Luke shows the continuation of salvation history which
God had begun among the Jews. Isaiah promised (2:2-4) all peoples
would come to Jerusalem where God would establish God’s reign on
earth. Hence, the listing of the nations in today’s account (vv
9-11). Like so much in biblical literature, the list has symbolic
meaning as it moves from East to West and ends in Rome. On Pentecost
and in Jerusalem, the time and place are right for God to begin a
new age which would spread to the "ends of the earth" – symbolized
by Rome. It begins, as the prophets had promised, with an outpouring
of the Holy Spirit.
Pentecost comes each year at this time
and some parishes celebrate it with scriptures read and hymns sung
in different languages. Some will even have a festival of ethnic
foods, especially of those people who have recently arrived to this
country. These are wonderful celebrations of the church’s diversity
and concrete reminders of what those who heard the Spirit-filled
disciples said, "Are not all these people who are speaking
Galileans? Then how does each of us hear in his native language?"
I was reminded recently what a powerful
example a diverse church can be. During a recent parish retreat we
were giving, a newly baptized man told me about the reason he felt a
call to join the church. He had visited the parish for a Sunday
Mass. An African-American family was seated on his right and
Vietnamese immigrants on his left. He said, "I decided to join the
church because I saw the variety of its members and sensed they
would be open to me too. So I enrolled in the RCIA and was baptized
two years ago."
In some environments, like work,
school, and politics, such differences create walls, separating
people, especially a minority group. To be honest, such divisions
and prejudices exist in our parishes: old timers hang on to customs
and schedules and resist what newcomers can offer from their
perspective and faith practices. We are reminded that the feast of
Pentecost wasn’t a once-only outburst of sounds and sights a long
time ago; but continues to challenge how we see ourselves as church
and how we practice that faith together.
While parish celebrations on Pentecost
try to express the wonderful diversity the Spirit brings to the
community, the celebrations themselves can become domesticated and
tame. "It’s what we do every Pentecost," said with a sigh and a
yawn. In contrast, the Spirit does not bring predictability and
routine, but comes in flame and wind. Some may not want to deal with
the unpredictable and scary in their faith life. "There is enough
change in our lives," they protest, "I want my religion comfortable
and consoling – no flames, no wind, please!" Institutions are
particularly prone to resist shifts and adaptations.
The world isn’t comfortable with
dreamers and visionaries. We tend to dismiss them or prescribe
medications to "calm them down." Pentecost reminds us we never can
be sure how, or in whom, the Spirit will work. The feast cautions us
to keep ears and eyes open lest we miss what new life the Spirit is
breathing into our lives. Perhaps the Spirit has something to say to
us through: the member of the parish council who argues against the
majority opinion; the homeless man who complains how he is treated
at our parish food pantry; the teenager who says the Sunday evening
youth Mass is boring; the retired priest, who fills in on Sundays
and keeps referring to "the spirit of Vatican II"; the music
director who urges the choir to branch out in its selection of
hymns; the neighboring Lutheran minister who asks our parish to
participate in sheltering the homeless; the right-to-life group that
wants to vigil to end abortions, or the death penalty, etc.
The Spirit doesn’t come just to those
in authority or power since, "all in one place gathered together."
The Spirit is an equalizer, so the old reckonings are invalid; you
never know who the current bearer or spokesperson of the Spirit is.
We tend to think the most educated should have the deciding word,
after all, they are the "smart ones." As valuable as education and
rational thinking are, still the Spirit can’t be boxed in, but seems
to work more in mystery than formulas and logic. We can invoke the
Spirit, but we can’t harness or tame the Spirit’s gifts. The Bible
is quite clear that God’s Spirit cannot be controlled by humans.
Even though we have celebrations in our
parishes this day, to show the diversity of our church, still,
Pentecost should shake us up. That is, if we let the mighty wind
fill the sails of our spirit and the flames burn away the barnacles
of resistance.
When we go to a baseball game and the
crowd around us cheers for the home team, their cheering is
contagious and we soon find ourselves joining in with everyone. That
can be how it is for us in joyful worship on Pentecost. God’s
Spirit, witnessed in the devotion and enthusiasm of those around us,
can be contagious. God hasn’t stopped breathing God’s self into the
gathered community, in-spiring us, as Peter and his companions were
when they were caught up on the first Pentecost in Jerusalem.
They weren’t drunk on alcohol, as the
crowds first suspected, they were drunk on the Spirit. Is it no
wonder that such enthusiastic faith was so contagious in Jerusalem
and drew so many to the Spirit-formed community?
Click here for a link to this Sunday’s
readings:
What lights your fire when I write
about the social teachings of the Church? Think about it for a
moment because I am serious. Week after week I write about different
teachings that are based on the life of Jesus or highlight
ministries of Christian love and service that are making a
difference. But, I honestly sometimes wonder if the Holy Spirit is
sparking interest or are we just putting out the flame before it has
a chance to ignite us to move? When I talk about the Church teaching
that we are the Body of Christ—do you really believe that you are an
active part of that Body? Do you know that nationally less than 7%
of the members of any Catholic parish provide for 80% of the time,
talent, and treasure? (statistics provided by The Dynamic
Catholic Institute) . Where are the rest of you guys?
This week I am going to talk about an
issue that our US Catholic Bishops have given priority. Are you an
immigrant to this country or a descendant of an immigrant? I think
most of us can say "yes" to that question. Would you be willing to
act on behalf of the stranger as Jesus did? In June 2004, the United
States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Migration and
The Catholic Legal Immigration Network, INC. (CLINIC) Board of
Directors resolved to make comprehensive immigration reform, with
special emphasis on legalization, a major public policy priority
within the Church. As part of the Church's response, a diverse group
of Catholic organizations with national networks have decided to
join the U.S. Catholic bishops' Justice for Immigrants: A Journey
of Hope campaign designed to unite and mobilize a growing
network. The JFI campaign's primary objectives are:
- To educate the public, especially
the Catholic community, including Catholic public officials,
about Church teaching on migration and immigrants;
- To create political will for
positive immigration reform;
- To enact legislative and
administrative reforms based on the principles articulated by
the bishops; and
- To organize Catholic networks to
assist qualified immigrants obtain the benefits of the reforms.
http://www.usccb.org/about/migration-policy/justice-for-immigrants.cfm
Sacred Heart is one of the pilot
parishes. Over the coming months, we will get to know this issue and
each other better. Light your fire. Say "Yes" by joining our JFI
group at: