Dear Friends,
Happy Birthday! Today we celebrate Pentecost, the birth of the church. For the story of our faith, this is as big of an event as Christmas and Easter. If it wasn’t for the presence of the Holy Spirit not much would have been accomplished.
Jesus knew that his disciples needed more than good examplesand profound teachings. They needed power. Jesus told them to stay in Jerusalem until they received the Holy Spirit. “You will receive power,” said Jesus, “when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. Then you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.”
The Cross is good news about God’s love. The empty tomb is good news about eternal life. Both the Crucifixion and the Resurrection, though remarkable demonstrations of the love and power of God, would be forgotten events in ancient history if the Holy Spirit had not provided the power for the witnesses to go out to all the world and tell the good news.
Jesus knew exactly what his disciples needed. The excitement and enthusiasm felt by the disciples following their encounter with the risen Jesus were mere human emotions, no match for the opposition they would encounter. They needed more than just human enthusiasm, they needed to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Without the Spirit they could not even begin to do the jobof telling others the story.
How did people react to the presence of the Holy Spirit? They were amazed and astonished. Some, feeling like they had to find some kind of a natural explanation, said that these people had had too much to drink! Something extraordinary had happened.The Spirit of God had fallen upon them and by that act had initiated the possibility of God’s power dwelling with thedisciples.
You may know that the Archdiocese has been teaching parishes that we are all to have a Clear Path for the formation of disciples. Our Pastoral Council has been reflecting on this the past few months by going through a book about creating a Clear Path. So, on this Pentecost, it strikes me how important the ancient sequence is. First you have the teachings of Jesus Christ. Then comes the Holy Spirit when the disciples were equipped for serving the Gospel. That same sequence works today. We must know Jesus Christ and what he did by his life, death, and resurrection. Then we are filled with his Holy Spirit before we can ever begin to be equipped and effectively serve. The Spirit provides not only the courage but also the wisdom to know how to tell the message of Jesus. The Spirit provides the disciples with the gifts necessary to accomplish their mission.
Our parish certainly celebrates the presence of the Holy Spirit on our Clear Path as we journey through Alpha, Cabrini Communities, Called & Gifted and more. The Spirit’s power makes it happen. We are enthusiastic witnesses to the presence of God among us, but the Spirit makes us into so much more.With the Spirit we become Church.
Peace,
Fr. Damian