Happy Birthday! Church.
Why? Here’s why?
The disciples had locked the doors of the place where they were for fear of the Jews. Understandably, what happened to Jesus at Calvary gave them a vivid example of man’s horrific inhumanity to man, and so we can say they had solid reason to be afraid.
Like the disciples of Christ, we are living in a dangerous world. Just read or watch or listen to the news. Day after day, innocent people are hurt, bodies are maimed, plans are disrupted, dreams are shattered, hearts are broken. In our world, danger is not always just an illusion… they are real and so we have every good reason to be afraid… like the disciples.
We all have fears. It is a fact of life and how we deal with our fears significantly affects the quality of our lives.
From our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles... the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles and by the power of the Holy Spirit, the apostles overcame their fears…
Meaning - Their circumstances did not change - the dangers were still there and still very real – but - by the power of the Holy Spirit - their fear was gone, or at least it was under control. They were controlling their fear instead of allowing their fears to control them.
These very same men who were hiding behind closed doors before – now, with the Holy Spirit in them, went out to the streets boldly proclaiming the good news in spite of the danger.
The Book of the Acts of the Apostles is sometimes called “The Gospel of the Holy Spirit” because it tells of how the Holy Spirit was at work in the lives of the early Christians.
Jesus said to them, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” That commissioning put things in a totally different light. Before - the disciples’ chief concern had been to survive - survival. That was why they were hiding. They were afraid the Jews would do to them what they had done to Jesus.
The possibility did exist and continued to exist… but after Pentecost - the danger no longer stopped them… In fact, many of them eventually died a martyr’s death…
My brothers and sisters in Christ – If our main focus or goal in this life is just our own personal comfort and survival, - reality check - the fact of life is this – sooner or later - if violence or illness or accident does not get us, old age will. So, there has got to be a bigger and better reason for living than to simply stay alive, and be comfortable…and always seeking pleasure… getting the most out of this life.
That is why we celebrated Memorial Day about two weeks ago – to honor those who gave up comfort and who risked and gave up their lives for a higher purpose than just merely surviving… than just being comfortable in this life.
Jesus offers us a mission worth living for and it is even worth dying for…
We are the Church – and we, the Church – as individuals and as a community – we exist to share in the mission of Christ – to proclaim the Good News of God’s Love, Grace and Mercy…but, of course, God loves us so much that we were not just sent on a mission on our own - by ourselves… God empowers us by the Holy Spirit. God is with us. The Spirit of Christ in us.
That is what Pentecost Sunday is all about. It celebrates the truth of God’s presence with His people. That same Holy Spirit, that came upon the apostles, continues to be with us, His Church.
We already received the Holy Spirit at our own baptism. It is just sadly – unfortunately - because of our sinfulness, we have been blinded, we have lost sight of who we truly are and what we were created to be… called to do… called to be.
That is what Pentecost is all about – seeing Jesus and ourselves in a whole new way… so we will be formed into a people on fire with love for Him, willing to surrender our lives to Him, and eager to bring His good news to this wounded broken sinful world we live in… a world with narrow, shallow understanding of God’s plan… and of His great love for us.
God wants to renew us. This Pentecost Sunday – this is a fresh anointing. God wants people to hear and know and love the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God wants hearts to be converted. God wants lives to be changed. God wants the Spirit of repentance and the Spirit of Hope to come and take over each of us.
Of course - you and I wonder - How can we lead others to Christ? How can we train our children, our teens, our grandchildren, and for some – even our spouse – how can we lead them - to know, love and serve the Lord? What should we say? What should we do? How should we do it?
How can we convince our neighbors, our co-workers, other people at school, or even those in our very own families, that there is nothing greater in this life than to serve the Lord Jesus, nothing greater than to live a life in Christ… in communion with Christ.
The answer is this – as the Lord said: “Receive the Holy Spirit.” … meaning – We already have the Holy Spirit in us – and so we are called to be open and continue to discern and to listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit already in us – and if we stay united with God, if we are in communion with Christ - God will work His wonders through us. We will know what to do, when to do it, how to do it, to whom to do it. Conversion of the heart is the work of the Holy Spirit.
The world, the homes, the families, the co-workers, the problems, the struggles and obstacles in your lives that you were dealing with before you came to Mass – reality check - they will still be there – after Mass - when we leave this place.
Now, the question is this – Is our Communion here - at this Eucharistic celebration… is it a true Communion with Christ and His Body, the Church? Do we really become what we receive? As St. Augustine said: “We become what we partake: the Body of Christ.” When we hear the Word of God, do we become the living Word of God? Do we really become the Body of Christ in the world?
Are we really reminded of who we are?… that we are the People of God - That we are the beloved sons and daughters of God – Temples of the Holy Spirit - and with that realization and awareness… then we will face the world out there with renewed courage and strength by the power of the Holy Spirit and that we will no longer be controlled by our fears…and that we will really go out there fearlessly proclaiming the Good News… by our very lives… you do not have to say a word.
We cannot see the wind – invisible – but we can know its presence and we can see its effect by observing the movement of the leaves and the branches of the trees.
Similarly – Can others see the effect of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives? Meaning - Can others experience God’s love, grace and mercy; can others feel and experience God’s gentleness, kindness, generosity, patience through us, in our dealing with them?
Jesus ascended to heaven – meaning - now it is our turn - but as He promised – He did not leave us as orphans – we are not alone – Jesus gave us His Holy Spirit to guide us and shape us, to transform us into His image… to be other Christs in the world.
St. Teresa of Avila (1515–1582) said it so beautifully:
Christ has no body now on earth but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which Jesus looks with compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which Christ walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which Christ blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are His body.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours and mine. We are the Body of Christ.
My brothers and sisters in Christ… Christ is in us. His Spirit is in us.
In Christ, we are a new creation… Jesus said: “Behold, I make all things new.” … calling us to renew the face of the earth.
Amen. Alleluia.
