{"id":2792,"date":"2014-07-21T18:09:11","date_gmt":"2014-07-21T18:09:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/buildingontheword.org\/?page_id=2792"},"modified":"2022-01-12T11:04:30","modified_gmt":"2022-01-12T16:04:30","slug":"b-pentecost","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/buildingontheword.org\/homilies\/cycle-b\/b-pentecost\/","title":{"rendered":"B: Pentecost"},"content":{"rendered":"

Faith Is an Explosion of Power<\/strong><\/h2>\n
June 8, 2003<\/h5>\n

John 20:19-23<\/h3>\n

A woman collared one of\u00a0 the salespersons in a large local bookstore with a complaint.\u00a0 She said,\u00a0 \u201cI keep coming in here to buy books on the best seller list, and every time I come in you\u2019re out of stock.\u00a0 I don\u2019t get it.\u00a0 You are a big national chain.\u00a0 Haven\u2019t you heard of computers?\u00a0 They could help you organize your inventory so that books would be accessible.\u201d\u00a0 The clerk, somewhat irritated, said, \u201cI\u2019m sorry, ma\u2019am, that your book is not in stock, but we\u2019re very good at getting books here quickly.\u00a0 Which book are you interested in?\u201d\u00a0 She said, \u201cThe book is called How to Lose Weight and Grow in Beauty<\/i>.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cWell, that\u2019s simple,\u201d said the clerk.\u00a0 \u201cLook, right now I\u2019m writing up for you a book order for one copy of\u00a0 How to Lose Weight and Grow in Beauty<\/i>, and I\u2019m going to mark it \u2018Urgent<\/i>.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Urgency is not a word that we normally associate with religion.\u00a0 Emotional commitment and enthusiasm are not words that we regularly use to describe the way that we practice our faith.\u00a0 Yet on this great day of Pentecost, as we bring the Easter season to its close, our scriptures are filled with urgency, emotion and enthusiasm.\u00a0 The Holy Spirit descends upon the disciples gathered together as a mighty wind and in tongues of fire.\u00a0 Jesus cries out in the temple, \u201cAll you who are thirsty, come to me and drink.\u201d\u00a0 These are not business-as-usual scenes and proclamations.\u00a0 In fact, the whole thrust of the feast of Pentecost is to tell us that if our faith is going to be real and effective, it must be characterized by an urgency, by an emotional commitment, by enthusiasm.<\/p>\n

This can be a difficult challenge for many of us, especially those who have been Catholics for our whole life.\u00a0 Although we have faith and our faith is genuine, our faith can become like an old shoe\u2014comfortable, but not particularly exciting; familiar but not anything that occasions an emotional response.<\/p>\n

We should realize that such a situation is a strange contradiction.\u00a0 Because if we really think about what we believe and let it shape our lives, it should move us to excitement and enthusiasm.\u00a0 We are alive!\u00a0 We believe that we have been saved!\u00a0 We believe in a God who loves us!\u00a0 We hold a promise of eternal life! These are not just small matter-of-fact bits of information that we store in our heads.\u00a0 These are not parts of our life that we want to file next to our shirt size or the color our eyes.\u00a0 These are great eternal truths, issues of life and death, hope and joy, issues that should in fact move us to profound commitment and deep emotion.\u00a0 Faith, real faith, should be something characterized by urgency and enthusiasm.<\/p>\n

So what are we to do if our faith has become ordinary, if our life has become routine?\u00a0 How can we allow the strength of the gospel to shake up our life and move us on a deeper level?\u00a0 There are many approaches one could take, but I am going to suggest two: thankfulness and generosity.<\/p>\n

There is not a person here today who does not have reason to be thankful.\u00a0 No matter who we are or what is happening to us, there are still reasons for gratitude in our life.\u00a0 We must claim those reasons.\u00a0 Who are the people who are loving us?\u00a0 What are the material possessions that give us comfort?\u00a0 How does our health help us to live another day?\u00a0 If we take time to reflect upon the ways that we have been blessed, we can begin to feel a thankfulness within us.\u00a0 That feeling of that thankfulness can change us.\u00a0 It can make us people more likely to get up in the morning and say to ourselves, \u201cI\u2019m fortunate to be alive.\u00a0 This is going to be a good day.\u201d\u00a0 When we live our lives with that feeling of thankfulness, we are directing our lives towards enthusiasm.<\/p>\n

There is not a person in the church here today who does not have opportunities for generosity.\u00a0 Therefore, we should ask ourselves who needs us, and what do I have to give?\u00a0 By the things that I know, by the things I possess, by the things I can do, how can I make someone else\u2019s life better?\u00a0 When we identify these opportunities for generosity, we should act upon them.\u00a0 For giving is in itself an affirmation of life.\u00a0 There is no more satisfying feeling than knowing that we have contributed to the benefit and joy of another.\u00a0 If we live a life of generosity, we will become people who live lives of urgency and joy.<\/p>\n

Faith is not a mental exercise played between the expected confines of\u00a0 the routine.\u00a0 Faith is an explosion of power lived in urgency and enthusiasm.\u00a0 The English word enthusiasm comes from two Greek words which mean \u201cGod dwells within.\u201d\u00a0 So let us, as followers of Jesus, live our lives in thankfulness and generosity, so that we can feel the awesome power of the God who dwells in our hearts.<\/p>\n

The Kiss of the Spirit<\/b><\/h2>\n
June 4, 2006<\/h5>\n

John 15:26-27, 16:12-15<\/h3>\n

We all know the kind of person we want to be, but what happens when we fall short?\u00a0 We all know the kind of life we want to live, but what happens when our real life does not measure up?\u00a0 The short answer to this question is that God adapts. Adapting one\u2019s self for the sake of another is a profound sign of love.<\/p>\n

Tom and Alice were young and deeply in love.\u00a0 They had been married for four years and their friends had given up on waiting for their love to fade. These two had the ability to keep their love fresh and alive.\u00a0 They were easy at showing affection in public, and many people would point to them as an example of a couple who knew how to maintain romance in their relationship.\u00a0 Then tragedy struck.\u00a0 Alice suffered a severe stroke that paralyzed half of her body. She was confined to a wheel chair.\u00a0 Tom became the primary care giver. The two struggled to continue loving each other in these new circumstances.\u00a0One day as Tom entered the room, he found Alice crying. \u201cI\u2019m so discouraged,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cHow can I be a partner with you when I am in this condition?\u00a0 I can\u2019t love you like I did in the past.\u00a0 Even the simplest things are taken from me.\u00a0 When you enter the room I want to smile, but I can\u2019t do it.\u00a0 Only a part of my mouth turns upward, whereas the paralyzed part remains a crooked little frown.\u201d\u00a0 Tom thought for a moment and then knelt down in front of his wife\u2019s wheelchair. He carefully twisted his own mouth until it mirrored hers. Then he gently kissed her.\u00a0 \u201cSee,\u201d he said, \u201cWe still fit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adapting oneself to the needs of the other is a profound sign of love.\u00a0 This is exactly what God does for us.\u00a0 In fact, this is what we celebrate today on the feast of Pentecost.\u00a0 On this feast we celebrate the mystery of how the love of God comes into our lives.\u00a0 Pentecost is the conclusion of the Easter Season.\u00a0 We have already celebrated Jesus\u2019 dying and His rising and His ascension.\u00a0 But all of those powerful acts of salvation are irrelevant if they do not impact our lives.\u00a0 Unless we can carry within us the affects of Jesus\u2019 dying and rising, all the power and grace of that paschal mystery is wasted.\u00a0Today on the feast of Pentecost we celebrate the truth that God has given us God\u2019s own Spirit to unleash the power of Jesus\u2019 resurrection in our lives.\u00a0 Jesus breathes on the disciples in the gospel and says, \u201cReceive the Holy Spirit.\u201d\u00a0 It is God\u2019s own Spirit that allows the effects of the resurrection to match our circumstances.<\/p>\n

It is not by chance that many of the great mystics of the Christian tradition have imagined the Spirit of God as a kiss.\u00a0 God\u2019s Spirit is that place where the love of God touches our lives. The Spirit of God is flexible in that touch.\u00a0 A spirit by definition does not have bodily form.\u00a0 It is not a concrete thing.\u00a0 Therefore, the Spirit of God is fluid and can adjust to our personal conditions.\u00a0 The Spirit of God reshapes herself to meet the contours of our lives.<\/p>\n

The good news of Pentecost is there is no place, no situation in which we find ourselves, into which the Spirit of God cannot come. Are you a sinner?\u00a0 The Spirit of God comes to you in your sinfulness and prompts you to repentance. Are you an addict?\u00a0 The Spirit of God enfolds you in your addiction and steels your will to say \u201cno.\u201d\u00a0 Have you experienced a loss?\u00a0 The Spirit of God comes to you in your sorrow and plants a seed of hope.\u00a0 Have you lost the zest for living?\u00a0 Is everything ordinary and routine?\u00a0 The Spirit of God comes into your heart and opens your eyes to see the wonder of creation.\u00a0 Are you experiencing divorce or rejection?\u00a0 The Spirit of God holds your heart and makes you patient to believe that love can still be in your future.\u00a0 Are you dying?\u00a0 God\u2019s Spirit comes to you in your fear and opens your heart to live each day and surrender yourself to God.<\/p>\n

There is no place into which the Spirit of God cannot come.\u00a0 There is no circumstance which the Spirit of God cannot invade.\u00a0 The good news of Pentecost is that God takes the power of Jesus\u2019 death and resurrection and adapts it to match the conditions of our lives.\u00a0 This is God\u2019s promise.\u00a0 This is God\u2019s intention.\u00a0 This is God\u2019s gift.\u00a0 To make sure that in every time and place the kiss of the Holy Spirit will always fit our lips.<\/p>\n

The Holy Kiss of God<\/b><\/h2>\n
May 27, 2012<\/h5>\n

1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13<\/h3>\n

Throughout Christian history mystics and spiritual writers have at times referred to the Holy Spirit as \u201cthe Kiss of God.\u201d\u00a0 It is a striking image, because it conveys not only the truth that God is love but it pictures that love in action. It says that the Love of God touches our lives in an intimate way.\u00a0 So believing in the Holy Spirit, is believing that God has touched us personally and deeply.<\/p>\n

What does this touch of God\u2019s Spirit entail?\u00a0 St. Paul is helpful here. He says in today\u2019s second reading, \u201cNo one can say Jesus is Lord except in the Holy Spirit.\u201d\u00a0 This is Paul\u2019s way of saying that our faith is a gift.\u00a0 If we say we believe in Christ, it is not because we are smarter than, or holier than, or better than other people who do not believe.\u00a0 We are able to believe because God has gifted us with the Holy Spirit who allows faith to happen.\u00a0 This is important. We are sitting in this church today because of God\u2019s gift.\u00a0 Sometimes we think, \u201cI come to church, I am a believer because that is the way I was brought up, or because I want to do what\u2019s right, or because I have an inclination toward the spiritual.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0All these things can be true, but the fundamental reason that we are here is because God has given the Spirit to us which allows us to believe. We have been kissed by God.<\/p>\n

And the Spirit comes bearing other gifts.\u00a0 Again, Paul is helpful.\u00a0 He says, \u201cThe manifestation of the Spirit is given to each individual for some benefit.\u201d\u00a0 When the Spirit gives us faith, the Spirit also brings individual gifts which we can use. This is important because sometimes we may be tempted to think that we have no gifts and nothing to offer.\u00a0 Usually when we say \u201cI don\u2019t have any gifts,\u201d\u00a0 we are really saying, \u201cI don\u2019t have his gift or her gift.\u201d\u00a0 But we do have our gift. Paul is insistent.\u00a0 If we have faith, we also have been given something that we can offer.\u00a0 It might be our intelligence, our ability to connect with people, our talent for speaking and explaining things, our openness to listen, or our skill in getting things done.\u00a0 There is no ungifted person.\u00a0 Every person in this church today has a gift. It is our responsibility to own that gift and to use it.<\/p>\n

This leads us to the last point.\u00a0 We are called to use the gift we have been given not only for our benefit, but to build the Kingdom of God.\u00a0 We are called to use our abilities not only to earn a living, and make ourselves comfortable (although there is nothing wrong with that), but also to serve God\u2019s purposes. We are called to be sure that our gift is used to serve our family, our church, and our world. We must make a difference in the life of others.<\/p>\n

So, we are sitting in church on this Pentecost weekend because God has given us the Spirit who allows us to believe. At the same time each of us has been given a gift to use for the sake of God\u2019s Kingdom.\u00a0 Now, then, is the time to own our gift and use it.\u00a0 Or to put it another way: Since God has kissed us, it is time for us to kiss back.<\/p>\n

Engagement with the World<\/strong><\/h2>\n
May 20, 2018<\/h5>\n

Psalm 104<\/h3>\n

Sometimes we imagine that faith in Jesus Christ is a personal matter, a way of coping with the difficulties of living and assuring eternal life. No small part of today\u2019s feast of Pentecost is intended to remind us that this personal approach is incomplete. Now of course, our faith helps us deal with life\u2019s challenges, with sickness, failure, betrayal, and death. But disciples of Jesus know that their ultimate call is to participate in the transformation of the world.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s responsorial psalm sets the tone for the feast: \u201cLord, send forth your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.\u201d Now God\u2019s spirit certainly comforts us in our pain and guides us through our doubt. But God\u2019s spirit is also a fire, intending to burn out and destroy everything in our world that is opposed to God\u2019s will.<\/p>\n

And the scope of the spirit is universal. Look at the number of places Luke mentions in today\u2019s first reading. Pentecost takes place in Jerusalem, but it affects people from Egypt, Libya, Rome, and twelve other places. Clearly the role of the spirit is not some local concern, but a universal one. God\u2019s spirit intends to renew the face of the earth.<\/p>\n

Our call then, as followers of Jesus, is to become engaged in the issues of our world. To work for justice wherever injustice is found. When the risen Christ appears to the apostles in today\u2019s gospel, they are huddled in a locked room. Jesus comes to tell them they must leave that room behind. He says, \u201cAs the Father sent me, so do I send you.\u201d Jesus calls upon disciples to leave the security of the locked room and work for justice in our world.<\/p>\n

So disciples of Jesus are meant to be agents of change in our world. What issues, what causes are we called to undertake? There are many choices, and we are free to choose those opportunities that match our experience and our gifts. Pope Francis has spoken eloquently upon the threat to the environment of the earth. What can I do to somehow lessen the waste that is so much a part of our American culture? How can I use my political leverage to ensure policies that will be more protective of our planet? Catholic teaching is clear that every person has the right to immigrate to another country in a just way. How can I lend my voice to the voice of others who are seeking to establish a just and generous immigration policy for our country? Human life in our society is threatened by abortion, poverty and neglect of the elderly. What can I do in my own community to see that human life is protected from the forces that threaten to destroy it?<\/p>\n

In our own parish, we provide opportunities for action. Two weeks ago, you heard an appeal to participate in our Adult Learning Center, to help the clients there achieve a high school diploma and build a better future. This weekend, our Pastoral Council again invites you to participate in Neighbor-to-Neighbor meal, which strives to lessen hunger and loneliness. There are many options we can choose. Choose one and act.<\/p>\n

Faith in Jesus is more than a comfort and a promise of salvation. Faith calls us to become engaged in the issues of our world. We pray, \u201cLord send forth your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.\u201d It is only reasonable then to conclude that God\u2019s work of renewal will move through us.<\/p>\n

The Spirit for the Future<\/strong><\/h2>\n
May 23, 2021<\/h5>\n

John 7: 37-39<\/h3>\n

There is a frightening line in today\u2019s gospel. Jesus says to his disciples, \u201cI have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.\u201d Ouch! This sentence tells us that Jesus knows our future and that there are many parts of our future that are not good. All of us will have to face in our future some kind of tragedy, some kind of suffering, some kind of loss. Jesus knows what those trials will be, but he does not tell us because we are not able to bear it now. Now we can imagine what are trials might be by looking at the experience of other people. Perhaps you know a couple who have lost a teenage daughter or son in a car accident. Maybe someone in your family has been diagnosed with cancer. Maybe you watched a parent die a slow and painful death. With each one of these stories the recognition comes to us that in a month, in a year, or maybe in ten years that trial might be mine.<\/p>\n

Now the good news in today\u2019s gospel is that it does not end with Jesus\u2019 frightening statement. Immediately after he points to the future, he promises the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth who will guide us. The Holy Spirit is given to us so that we might have the strength to face the trials that are to come. The Holy Spirit is God\u2019s presence within us giving us the courage in times of tragedy and patience when we must suffer.<\/p>\n

Now those gifts are not necessarily given to us today, but we believe that the Holy Spirit will provide them when they are needed. How many times have you looked at other people who are suffering and said to yourself, \u201cI could never face that trial. I would never have the strength to carry that burden.\u201d What you say is true enough, there are trials in life that go beyond the human power to address, but the Holy Spirit is our super-human power. We believe that when the trials of the future emerge, the Spirit will give us the strength we need.<\/p>\n

So, all in all, it\u2019s probably better that we don\u2019t know the future. As Jesus says, \u201cIt might be too much for us to bear.\u201d But even though we do not know what is to come, we do know who will be with us when it arrives. We have the Spirit of God who can give is courage, patience, and hope no matter what trial we have to face.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Faith Is an Explosion of Power June 8, 2003 John 20:19-23 A woman collared one of\u00a0 the salespersons in a large local bookstore with a complaint.\u00a0 She said,\u00a0 \u201cI keep coming in here to buy books on the best seller list, and every time I come in you\u2019re out of stock.\u00a0 I don\u2019t get it.\u00a0 … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5879,"featured_media":0,"parent":585,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buildingontheword.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2792"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buildingontheword.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buildingontheword.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buildingontheword.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5879"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buildingontheword.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2792"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/buildingontheword.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2792\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5603,"href":"https:\/\/buildingontheword.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2792\/revisions\/5603"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buildingontheword.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/585"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buildingontheword.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}