Pentecost Sunday - May 31, 2020

Pentecost Sunday - May 31, 2020

Reflection

Not many notice it but the New Testament has two accounts of how the Holy Spirit was given to the disciples at Pentecost. In our first reading, Luke writes that the Spirit burst into the room where the disciples were gathered. There appeared to them the tongues of fire which rested on each one of them. In the Gospel, John writes that Jesus himself burst into the room where the disciples locked themselves in out of fear. Jesus quelled their fears with the greeting "Peace be with you." And, in order to recall the events of creation, John writes that Jesus breathed on them.

The Holy Spirit is breath and fire.

He is breath because he is the Lord of life. In the events of creation, the Spirit was moving and breathing over the primordial waters in order to bring forth creation in the midst of chaos. In the creation of man, God breathed on the clay that Adam may have life. In the same way, Jesus breathes on the community of disciples that they may have new life.

Everything consumed by the fire of the Spirit is changed and renewed. The Christians who were hiding inside the house now boldly speaks in public. They speak in powerful language that the division of language is healed. The visiting nationalities in Jerusalem could understand them! Sin, in the biblical mind, is division. Jesus, in the Gospel of John, gives the Spirit in order to forgive sin, that is, to unite.

St. Paul poetically describes the action of the Spirit in the lives of the believers. Inspired and set fire by the Spirit many of them were moved to preach and do the works of the Gospel. There was the outpouring of spiritual gifts. The Spirit moves the members because they are part of the one body. The flame and breath of life is animating the body of Christ, the Church. He does this without discrimination but instead forges unity in the manifold beauty of the ministries.

The Spirit is the renewal of all creation. He renews each individual with his gifts. He animates and unites the community in love.

Ascension Sunday - May 24, 2020

Ascension Sunday - May 24, 2020

Reflection

The Lord retakes what is eternally his. This is the act of the Ascension which we celebrate this Sunday. The Son who humbled himself by descending from heaven to become man now assumes again that glory by ascending back to the Father. His descent by incarnation finds full circle in his ascent into heaven. But the Son that came down from heaven has brought with him something back up that changes everything.

The early Christians are keen to point it out. As Jesus went up to heaven, he brought with him our humanity, but at the same time left us his Divinity. In Jesus was accomplished the wonderful exchange of gifts - God took humanity to heaven, and men received the Spirit on earth.

Paul, in the second reading, paints a glorious picture of Jesus, seated on the throne in heaven with everything subjected to him. He speaks of Jesus as the King because he wants Christians to look up in order to see the hope that awaits them. In their baptism, Christians will receive the inheritance of Christ. The glory that is rightfully the Son's is now gained by Christians as Jesus' brothers and sisters.

Luke, on the other hand, writes in the Acts of the Apostles the episode of the Ascension, to foretell the main program of the whole book of Acts - that by the power of the Spirit, the disciples are tasked and will accomplish spreading the Word to the ends of the world. The Spirit and divinity that Jesus gave his disciples will consume all the earth.

The vision of God is being accomplished by Jesus in the Church. God who is sovereign in the heavens now retakes his sovereignty on the earth - a sovereignty denied by sin. He works through the Spirit working in the disciples, who as the psalms would sing of, are like the mighty soldiers of God conquering the world.

This conquest is not a conquest by the sword. It is a conquest of witnessing. The world will see in the disciples the great works God is accomplishing in them. Our readings are filled with words like power, might, and glory. These are the visible results of a victorious Spirit who conquers all and is in all. The angels speak to us today to wake us up from our trance in the sight of these visions: this glory is ours to achieve when we go and witness to our baptism to all the ends of the earth!

6th Sunday of Easter - May 17, 2020

6th Sunday of Easter - May 17, 2020

Reflection

This Sunday's Gospel comes from a very profound and rich monologue of Jesus during his last meal with the disciples. The monologue focuses on one of the deepest themes in the Gospel of John - that of remaining or abiding. Just as Jesus abides in the Father, he now asks his disciples to abide in him.

To abide means to accept or act in accordance with. But the original Greek term meno, leans closer to dwelling and unity. It speaks of the privilege place of Jesus in the Father's heart - he is the Beloved and the Father is the lover. Now he extends this relationship to us.

To make this possible, he promises an advocate who will guide us towards a closer unity in the Son and the Father. The Spirit that binds the Father and the Son in love now opens himself to include the disciples.

The presence of the Spirit is easily known. A person filled with the Spirit is able to do wonders. He replicates the works of Jesus. He is exudes hope and joy. He defeats evil, sin and suffering. Our first reading demonstrates this in the works of Philip. And to confirm that Philip's works are really coming from Jesus and the Spirit, the Apostles came to the converted community and gave them the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit is an agent of unity. He unites the disciple to Christ. He unites the disciples to one another. Here we see the value of the Sacrament of Confirmation where the Christian is bound closely to the Christian community and the leadership of the Church through the power of the Spirit. In him there is one God, one Shepherd, and one Church.

What makes possible the entry of the Spirit into one's heart? It is through faith in Jesus as the Apostle Peter points out in the second reading. To sanctify the Jesus in one's heart means allowing Christ to take over one's heart totally. It is faith in Jesus that allows us to be empowered by the Spirit and gives us the grace to do wonders before all people. Continuing the line of thought from the psalms, the joy done by God from of old, has been renewed in Christ, and now is perpetuated by his disciples.

Let our prayer be this Sunday: Lord, through us filled with the Spirit, let all the earth cry out to God with joy!