Celebrating 100 over years in Irondequoit
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Cycle B
Different gifts, the same Giver
Q530: What really happened to the disciples at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-11)?
B218: There seems to be a strong connection in today's gospel (Jn 20:19-23) between receiving the fullness of life from the Holy Spirit and being forgiven. How does that work?
Sometimes it is easier to "make connections" by looking at their "opposites." For example, why do we need to be forgiven, and for what reason? The answer is easy: sin. Sin is the obstacle that keeps the Holy Spirit from being operative in our lives in the fullest sense. Sin is the obstacle that blocks the "Shalom" that Jesus wants to bestow on us.
Recognizing and admitting our sinfulness is the problem. Some of us are stubborn and refuse to accept official Church guidance, official Church teaching, about the objective evil that certain actions contain by their very nature. These are very grave sins - such as abortion, contraception, fornication (including living together without the benefit of marriage), homosexual genital activity, and assisted suicide (mercy killing or euthanasia) - to name just a few. And so these "obstacles" build a hedge around our soul that keeps God's grace from leading us to the fullness of life.
We have no problem trusting a pilot who is bringing us home through a thick fog; he is skilled in making the correct aeronautical judgments to guide us to a safe landing. Then why is it that we hesitate to trust in God's chosen leaders, the successors to the Apostles - the bishops - even when we know they have the benefit of almost twenty centuries of solid and continuing Tradition behind their decisions and teachings? The answer lies in the fog of sin - and the Evil One rejoices when we reject teachings of the bishops.
Know Your Catechism! Jesus told his apostles that the Holy Spirit would guide them to all truth, and their successors exercise this teaching authority (CCC #88, 2034). The "shalom" of Jesus, his peace, can be ours if we admit and confess our sins, do penance, and amend our lives (CCC #1453-56). Come, Holy Spirit, open our minds to help us make a good examination of conscience!
Different gifts, the same Giver
Max Herr, aged 75, retired in March, 1981 after 52 years as the official Vatican clock-winder. Pope John Paul II received this German-born clockmaker and his family in a special audience at the time of his retirement.
There are some 50 pendulum clocks in the Vatican. Since 1929, Herr had made the rounds every Friday winding and resetting them. When they or the many non-pendulum clocks needed repair, he would clean and overhaul them. Six popes had been his friends, and he had many "professional" memories of them. Pope Pius XII used to have him set all the clocks fifteen minutes ahead. Pope Paul VI found ticking clocks a distraction, so he kept only one timepiece in his rooms: a small alarm clock he had used since seminary days. American friends gave John Paul II a grandfather chime clock when he was installed as pope.
Max Herr was certainly not the most important figure in the central offices of the Catholic church. But the role he played in the Vatican, however humble, was expert and indispensable. The popes are called by God to save eternal souls, but they must do their work in a world where time rules. In a sense for 52 years this German clockmaker had kept the whole Church going!
That is what St. Paul meant when he said, "There are different gifts but the same Spirit; there are different ministries but the same Lord." Whether great or small, we should all be happy to use our God-given talents for the benefit of others.
"To each person the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good." (1 Cor. 12:7. Today's second reading).
-Father Robert F. McNamara
Q374: I don't really understand this Pentecost event of being "filled with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:1-11).
A friend (Gary Botha) once told me that Life isn't about understanding the mystery of God. It is about experiencing it. Jesus taught us that when he said the Kingdom of God is "within" us (Lk 17). Baptism brings us one of the most awesome gifts that Jesus promised to us and gave to us, the gift of the Holy Spirit (which we celebrate in a special way every Pentecost). It is the Holy Spirit that leads us to truth, by opening our eyes to ourselves, our world, and Jesus. It is intended by God that we experience his presence right now.
Too often we are worrying about the future, or even the past. When we complicate our life with such undue concerns, it makes it almost impossible to live in the present. Many of us have a favorite way to reduce the stressful demands on us. That usually means waiting for "later," such as going to the beach or mountains to relax. Or maybe you have an occasional hobby such as gardening or visiting museums. All of these are helpful. But we also need ways to relax and experience the presence of God during the immediate demands and stresses of the day.
First of all, we need to focus on God. Do we deliberately look for his fingerprints in all of the things that he has created in nature? Can I see Jesus in my neighbor, and can he see Jesus in me? After all, if we are truly living the Christian life to the fullest, then we should be a mirror image of Jesus. If that mirror-image is not there, what can I do about that? Do I really act like I believe the Spirit of God dwells within me?
KNOW YOUR CATECHISM! It is vital to remember that the believers were all gathered in one place, and as usual were praying; their focus was on the Lord, who had promised them an outpouring of the Holy Spirit (CCC #2623; 1287). This special mystery of God is experienced with the eyes of faith, a gift that enables us to believe in his presence within us.
Q530: What really happened to the disciples at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-11)?
All bible students (that means all of us) recognize that the Holy Scriptures are full of literary devices to help express realities. Metaphors and similes are very commonplace, and Jesus used them constantly in his parables and allegories (e.g., “the kingdom of heaven is like…). We do the same thing with our young children, reading them stories that begin “once upon a time…”. The imagery is vivid, at a child’s level; but the literary form of “story” conveys the underlying principle in a manner in which they can understand. Today we hear the same thing. St. Luke is describing the indescribable Pentecost experience, using similes (“a noise like a strong driving wind…tongues like fire…”).
Too often we lose sight of the truth and purpose of this God-event, because we tend to focus on the exciting symbolism rather than the underlying reality. The point of the awesome happening is not to direct attention to a burning-bush kind of God; rather, it is to demonstrate the spiritual transformation that has taken place among the disciples of Jesus, gathered around Mary in the prayer. They have become empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Empowered for what? First, some background about the Feast of Pentecost. In Judaism, “fire” had become a symbol for Torah (“teaching”) because in the Jewish tradition Torah – i.e., the Holy Scriptures – had been given to Moses on this day of Pentecost on Mt. Sinai. Furthermore, the gift of the Holy Spirit had been promised by God to all, which the prophets characterized as a coming sign of the Messianic age (e.g., Ezekiel 36:27ff). Peter will make that connection explicit in his description of this “pouring out” of the Spirit (Acts 2:33).
So this “empowerment” is precisely to enable the believing disciples to carry this Good News to the world: Jesus the Christ is the fulfillment of that Messianic promise, and the hope of all humankind (beginning with all the “nations” who saw and heard the disciples at this Pentecost event). His Holy Spirit now dwells within them; they are “empowered” for mission.
KNOW YOUR CATECHISM! Through Baptism and Confirmation, and in the presence of the believing community gathered in prayer, we are “indelibly sealed” and “empowered” by the Holy Spirit, who now dwells within us (CCC #698).
