Solemnity of the Feast of Pentecost; June 5, 2022

Acts 2:1-11.  Ps 104.  1 Cor 12:3-7,12-13.  Jn 14:15-16,23-26

Deacon Jim McFadden

            Today, we reflect and re-live the liturgy of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit sent by the Risen Christ upon the Church.  I say “re-live” this event because when we listen to the story of Pentecost with open, trusting hearts, the coming of the Holy Spirit can happen again in our day. Indeed, if that does not happen, then our Catholic faith can become  a barren, joyless moralism.

            Pentecost has arrived and notice how the Apostles behave.  After 50 days of uncertainty, something big is going to happened.  To be sure, they had seen the Risen Christ, even shared a meal with him; yet, these events could not overcome their doubts and fears, so they met behind closed doors to sort things out: where do they go from here?  Jesus had given them his Mission the previous week, but are they ready to proclaim the Risen Lord?  Then the Holy Spirit comes upon them and from this moment onward, everything will be different.  Their worries disappear.  They’re no longer afraid.  Before they were preoccupied of saving their own lives; now, they’ll go out to preach the Good News to all the nations with a zeal that could not be suppressed.  At the same time, the Holy Spirit did not make things easier for them; he didn’t work attention-getting miracles; he didn’t take away their difficulties and the opposition of the religious establishment.  Rather, the Holy Spirit brought to them a dynamism, a spiritual dynamite that will bring all nations together in the Risen Christ.

            How did this happen?  Deep down the lives of the Apostles needed to be radically changed.  It was not enough to see the Risen Christ; it’s not enough to proclaim “Praise Jesus.”  What’s necessary is to welcome the Risen Christ into our hearts.  It’s not enough to say that Jesus is risen, that he is alive unless we, too, live as risen ones.  It is the Holy Spirit that makes Jesus live within us.  While Jesus is no longer physically present to us, he remains within us through the Holy Spirit. And, that Spirit brings peace—“Peace be with you!” (Jn 20:19) Jesus said.  It’s a peace that does not free us from problems and hardships, but in our problems there is a presence in which we can get through anything because we are not alone!  Brothers and sisters, Catholicism is not a problem-solving enterprise: when one problem goes away, another takes its place.  As a result, we get caught up in the drama of trying to fix our lives and that of others.  Consequently, we get anxious and ill at ease.  Avoiding others who don’t think like us will not bring serenity.  Resolving temporary problems will not bring peace.  What does make a difference is the peace of Jesus, the harmony of the Spirit who gathers all things into his embrace.

            In today’s frenzied pace of life, super-charged by social media and our digital devices, harmony just gets swept aside. Pulled in a thousand different directions,  we run the risk of burn-out.  Then we look for the quick fix, glomming onto to one conspiracy theory after another that explains our problematic world.  Or, we resort  to self-medication through alcohol or pill-popping, or seek one thrill after another.  In the midst of all this restlessness, Jesus comes into our lives through the Holy Spirit and says, “Peace be with you!” Amidst the stormy tribulations of our life, Jesus throws  us an anchor of hope.  As St. Paul says in his letter to the Romans,  the Spirit keeps us from falling back into fear, for he makes us realize that we are beloved children of our heavenly Father (Rom 8:15).

            The Holy Spirit is the Consoler, who brings the tender love of God within our hearts.  Without the Spirit, brothers and sisters, our Catholic life just unravels, lacking the love that holds everything together.  Without the Spirit, Jesus just remains a historical figure from the past; with the Holy Spirit  the risen Christ is our contemporary who is alive and present in our time and in our place.  Without the Spirit, Scripture is a dead letter; it’s like reading Homer’s Odyssey.  But, with the Spirit, the Bible comes alive because it is the Word of God, a word of life.  The living God speaks to us through the inspired Word of God.  Christianity without the Spirit is joyless moralism; with the Spirit, our faith is life itself.

            People of God at St. John the Baptist parish, being filled with the Holy Spirit is not just a promise from Jesus; it’s an experience you can have.  Imagine the divine life of the Trinity—divine life itself—filling your heart.  Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit so that we can share the Good News, be transformed into God who is love.  I think you can truly experience the power of Pentecost when you know, by the grace of God, that you are specially loved by God right here and now!  This was God’s aim all along. Since God is love, it is the loving energy, the Holy Spirit that connects the Father and Son.  That may be the reason why Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit—so that we could participate in this eternal, Trinitarian love.  Peace be with you!  Amen.