May 19, 2013 Pentecost

Bulletin:  May 19, 2013  Pentecost C

Acts 2:1-11; 1 Corinthians 12: 3-7, 12-13; John 20:19-23

Today is Pentecost; how glorious that is.  This is the day that the Lord again did what He said He would.  John shares this in his gospel:  “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it.  But you know it, because it remains with you, and will be in you (Jn 14: 16-17)…”I will not leave you orphans, I will come to you.”  (Jn 14:18)…”I have told you this while I am with you, the Advocate, the holy Spirit that the Father will send in My name—He will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you. .”  (Jn 14: 25-26)  “When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father, He will testify to me.   And you also testify, because you have been with Me from the beginning.” (Jn 15:26-27)…“But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go.  For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you.  But if I go, I will send Him to you.  And when He comes He will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation:  sin, because they do not believe in Me; righteousness, because I am going to the Father, and you will no longer see Me; condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.” (Jn 16: 7-11)

These quotes mean so much to me because they tell me that I’m not alone in being Jesus to others and that is also exactly what I must try each day to be.  This last quote from John sets the stage:  since Jesus rose and is with the Father, He has left His followers, those who believe in Him,  to carry on the mission of bringing all people to the Father so that every person created can obtain heaven.  It is not me working but the Spirit giving me and each person the help to carry this out.  And Jesus said the world is sin when it follows the onslaughts of Satan.   But the Father has given us the Spirit to show that it’s not on my power or any person’s power to be a person of love, it is only through the grace and help of the Spirit. And the ruler of the world, Satan, has not won; Jesus has. Now is the end times; the times of preparing myself, each person for heaven by responding to the grace the Spirit gives to be leaders and examples of love. 

Now how does the Spirit do this?   Really, any way the Spirit wants to do it; but from Isaiah 11:1-2 is a listing of the Spirit’s gifts:  wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and ‘fear’ (awe) of the Lord.  So many know these; they have been engraved in our minds since Confirmation and earlier. Sometimes I just don’t reflect on them enough.   One way I have thought of them recently is from the angle of ‘charisms’.  I go to the Catechism of the Catholic Church to clarify this; “The Holy Spirit is the ‘principle of every vital and truly saving action in each part of the Body.’  He works in many ways to build up the whole Body in charity:  by God’s Word ‘which is able to build you up’; by Baptism, through which He forms Christ’s Body; by the sacraments, which give growth and healing to Christ’s members; by the grace of the apostles, which holds first place among His gifts’, by the virtues, which make us act according to what is good; finally, by the many special graces (called ‘charisms’), by which He makes the faithful ‘fit and ready to undertake various tasks and offices for the renewal and building up of the Church.’”  (# 798)  Nothing is accidental to the Lord; there are no coincidences; everything is according to God’s plan.  So I was created at this time to be in this place for two purposes:  one—this is the way that I can best get to heaven and two—this is the time and place through God’s grace and the Spirit’s gifts that I can touch others so they can get to heaven too.  Do I know who they are?  Maybe!  Do I know that I am touching them in a unique way so that they see God in me and through this respond to God’s call?  Probably not!  This is God’s plan; do I let God be in me and fill me so that I can be open to responding?  This is my daily task and struggle. 

The Catechism of the Catholic Church helps again, “Whether extraordinary or simple and humble, charisms are graces of the Holy Spirit which directly or indirectly benefit the Church, ordered as they are to her building up, to the good of men, and to the needs of the world. (799)  Charisms are to be accepted with gratitude (italics are mine) by the person who receives them and by all members of the Church as well. They are a wonderfully rich grace for the apostolic vitality and for the holiness of the entire Body of Christ, provided they really are genuine gifts of the Holy Spirit and are used in full conformity with the authentic promptings of this same Spirit, that is, in keeping with charity, the true measure of all charisms.’”  Can I do things on my own?  No!  It is the Spirit and the direction of the Church and its teachings that are my guide and help. 

I find it always valuable to look at my life and to see how the Spirit has been active and how the Spirit has led me closer to the Lord and my eternal home. I do this by looking at the Fruits of the Holy Spirit.  A fruit is a product of plant growth.  So the Spirit’s fruits are a result of His work within me.  So when I encounter any of these ‘fruits’ I become aware that it is the Spirit working in me and it’s not me but God.  The Catechism beautifully describes this, “The fruits of the Spirit are perfections that the Holy Spirit forms in us as the first fruits of eternal glory.  The tradition of the Church lists twelve of them:  charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity.”   So I put this all together and reflect on:

·       On this fest of Pentecost which name for the Holy Spirit best describes the role the Spirit has played in my life? 

·       What gift of the Spirit would I ask for, not only for me, but for the good of those I love? 

·       In the Gospel Jesus commissions the apostles to go out into the world and practice forgiveness.  How do I share in this undertaking?

·       I look at the kind of peace that Jesus promises; it isn’t an absence of conflict and war, but a peace that comes from doing the will of the Father.  How am I doing?

·       Do I pray for an awareness of the Spirit working within me?

·       Do I take time each evening to look back at the day and to see where the Spirit was leading me?  How I responded?  Is forgiveness or gratitude necessary?  Where do I need the Spirit tomorrow? 

From Living the Word:  “Come, Holy Spirit; bring peace, mercy, forgiveness, justice, and wisdom to our world and its leaders.  Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Your love.  Come, Holy Spirit, make Your home in me that I might bring Your light in