May 24, 2015

Pentecost Sunday B

Acts 2: 1-11; 1 Corinthians 12: 3-7, 12-13; (or) Galatians 5: 16-25; John 20: 19-23 (or) John 15: 26-27; 16: 12-15

The Holy Spirit down through the ages certainly is the ‘lost’ person of the Trinity. Even when we look at the history of art we have representations of the Father as ‘The Ancient of Days’, as an old man with that long white beard. Jesus is depicted as youngest, with a medium length beard and hair down to the shoulders. Depending on where the artist is from, we see Jesus with blue eyes, brownish hair; very few of the artists depict Jesus as Jewish with Middle East features. We see Jesus as an infant in Mary’s arms, as a boy with Joseph helping in the carpenter shop, we see him preaching, touching and healing people, we see the tortured sorrowful face on the cross and we see the glorious risen Jesus with the imprint of his tortures. And the Spirit is depicted as a dove at best, maybe as a little flame over the heads of the disciples at Pentecost. That’s about it. I think that this has led to so little attention to the Spirit.

Now Jesus constantly said that He would not leave us orphans. John states in the Last Supper Discourses 15: 26-27 “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?”… And a few verses later John 16, 4-11, “I did not tell you this from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to the One who sent Me, and not one of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts. 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.”

It is good for each of us to reflect on the Spirit in our lives…to see how the Spirit has been present…to see how the Spirit has gifted us…to see how the Spirit has led people to us so that we could be conduits of God’s love…to realize that it is not us who are doing the work but God who is working through us. Paul helps us tremendously in this in his letter to the Galatians.

What comes from me…what comes from inside of me that hurts and is non-caring…Paul says this is “…obvious: immorality, impurity, lust, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, factions, occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies and the like. I warn you as I warned you before that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” When these come in whatever degree, it’s like they take over my body and I just react and I really don’t like this but I take some sort of inner rotten pleasure in what I am doing or thinking. Sin corrupts…is a good way to put it. These can so absorb me that I am just turning myself over to the pleasures of the devil. These temptations will remain with us until the day we die…the devil never wants to give up on us…but wants to claim us as his own. His subtlety is good in this because we beat ourselves up and sometimes tend to give up and not realize that the Spirit is with us always leading us closer to God’s love and mercy. The devil never wants us to hear this, let alone believe it.

Then Paul tells us what the Spirit does: the Spirit gifts us and we can see these gifts: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear (awe) of the Lord. We see them most clearly in their fruits that blossom in us because of the constant interacting of the Spirit in each of us. So what are these fruits…where do I see that the Spirit is working in me? When I react in or show love; when I let this love shine out in me and joy is all around me and people see that I am a joyful person; when that happens there is an inner peace about me that only comes from the Spirit; my overall demeanor is one of patience, I just don’t seem to get riled up and disturbed as I used to. These fruits continue and I not only notice kindness in my treatment and interactions with others but also a spirit of generosity which helps me to realize that everything I have is a gift and gifts are not to be hoarded or kept to myself but are to be shared and when I do so I can feel the Spirit alive within me. Then I am faithful in believing in this God of love who cares for me and has so much confidence in me to share His love that the Spirit imbues me with gentleness which always brings out a calmness and a self-control in myself and how I react and how I live. Living in the Spirit is living in God’s love. Living with the gifts of the Spirit is sharing God’s love through me as His conduit. Living in love shows me that it is all because of the gifts of the Spirit which I can see through the fruits of the Spirit…the actual concrete ways that God is working in and through me each day to be Him. This is always present. I have to take time and reflect and see that this is God’s plan: God working through each person to let them know they are loved and are needed to be love…so that those they are in contact with can see that they are loved and needed to love others.

Connections, a newsletter of ideas, resources and information for homilists and preachers share this today, “…the Spirit of God is a lens in which we recognize the presence of God’s love in the midst of our homes and hearths, our communities and villages. The presence of that Spirit which we celebrate today enables us to recognize what is good, what is right, what is ethical, what is of true and of lasting worth that guides us on our lives’ journeys to God. The Spirit of God calls us to recognize and celebrate our connectedness to God and to one another; it gives voice to the things we believe but hesitate to articulate; it gives us the courage and grace to work for the dreams we are sometimes too cynical or fearful to hope for. May the Spirit of God, the creative ’breath’ of the Holy One, always blow within our heats to enliven us with His love, transforming us in constant hoe and illuminating for us the possibilities of bringing the promise of Jesus’ resurrection into our homes and hearts.”

So I reflect on:

• What evidence do I see of the Holy Spirit working in my life and those I meet today?
• What does it mean for me to be open to the Spirit?
• Grace is the Holy Spirit working and helping me each and every day. Do I want help or do I think I can do it on my own? This is the temptation of the devil!
• How can I better cooperate with the operation of the Spirit?

The great theologian and scholar, Fr. Hans Kung, who wrote a book called Why I Am Still a Christian, suggests that “an occasional or annual plea ‘Come, Holy Spirit’ is not sufficient. Tending the fire and grasping the wind of the Spirit requires daily effort, struggle, and commitment. Before the power of the Spirit can truly take hold, all contrary spirits must be exorcised. God out, you unholy spirit. God out, you who separate, divide, and delay. Go out of our hearts, and make room for the Holy Spirit, who is both tender and strong, who reconciles and unites.”