Sunday, June 8, 2014

The Joy of Pentecost

Pentecost (metalwork: enamel on copper gilt), unknown goldsmith of Meuse Valley, c. 1190.

Happy birthday, Church!

The solemnity of Pentecost draws to a close the Paschal (Easter) season and, in a sense, brings to completion the saving work of God. Christ -- having become man, having taught us by word and deed, having suffered and died for us to free us from sin, having risen for us to give us new life, having returned to his Father to give us hope of eternal life -- now at last sends forth his Spirit to us as his everlasting gift and advocate and guide. Through the Spirit, God continues to teach us, to animate us by grace and charity, to spur us on to new heights of holiness.

The readings for this feast, when reflected upon, always bring forth great fruit. In the first reading, the Holy Spirit, signified by tongues of fire, descends upon the apostles and grants them the miraculous power to proclaim the Gospel in the native tongues of the diverse crowd gathered in Jerusalem. In the second reading, Paul exhorts the Corinthians to understand that though they are, to external sensibilities, very different from each other -- marked by different backgrounds, different gifts, different responsibilities, different forms of service -- they are, in fact, not divided but rather united, like the various parts of a person, being animated by the Spirit's breath to form the Body of Christ. And in the Gospel, Jesus brings peace to the hearts of the apostles. They had abandoned him in the hour of his passion and now surely were afraid, not only of the power of this Resurrected One but at what just punishment might have been theirs. And yet, Jesus, looking upon them with great love, not only forgives them but gives them his power of forgiveness to share with the world.

In short, each reading evokes a central theme, one very important for our lives as Christians: the newness of the Spirit unites what had been divided. As mere humans, we suffer from division by language or nation, from difference in our forms of work and inequality in our social status, and especially by separation from God by sin -- but as members of the Church, endowed with and united by the Holy Spirit, these differences and separations no longer need to plague us. The Church is the faithful witness of and unique dispenser of the mysteries of Christ's grace, and as her sons and daughters, we are no longer isolated, separated, divided -- neither from God nor from each other -- because we share in the unity of the Spirit.

Like so many feasts of our liturgical year, Pentecost is a day of great joy, great peace, and great hope. In our lives, especially in our lives of faith and morality, at times we encounter great challenge and difficulty. Perhaps we feel in various moments as if we are alone or isolated, as if we have been divided from or even driven from our communities, and especially as if we are divorced from God by sin. On this birthday of the Church, we remember that, through the gifts of the Holy Spirit, given to the Church and to each Christian, we need not flounder in division or wallow in hopelessness. In the Spirit, there is communion for all, there is peace for all.

Let us turn our hearts again to God in thanksgiving for his gift of the Spirit which he gives to us through the Church. Let us work for unity in the Church and in all areas in our life. And let us seek to share, as the disciples were tasked to do, the Good News with all who do not yet know the peace and joy that comes from life in the Holy Spirit.

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As we know, many areas of the world lack unity and peace, often tragically so. Perhaps nowhere has this been more true in recent decades (or centuries, even) than in the Holy Land. Thus it is fitting that Pope Francis chose this day of Pentecost to welcome to the Vatican for a historic meeting and prayer for peace the presidents of Israel and Palestine, Shimon Peres and Mahmoud Abbas. 

Every Christian should be concerned about and invested in the promotion of peace in the Holy Land. In that spirit, I invite us to join in prayer for that cause, especially today. May the Holy Spirit renew the face of all the earth, but especially the Holy Land. If you'd like to read the address of Pope Francis to Presidents Peres and Abbas, you can do so here.
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Finally, on a personal note, thanks to those of you who have sent kind words and wishes the past few weeks. I've settled in here in Washington, DC, for the summer as I pursue studies for a degree in canon law. This will be a long and probably arduous process but I'm already learning a lot and enjoying it as well. Please continue to keep me in your prayers. I'll try to update again soon with a little more about what the study of canon law contributes to the Church as well as some of the interesting sights here in DC.

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