This is the holy day that brings to a close the Easter Season; the day we celebrate the presence of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit that drove those 11 scared men out of that locked upper room into the streets of Jerusalem, preaching to all the world in each person's language (Acts 2:1-11) is still driving the Church throughout the world today. That same Holy Spirit is inspring the Church to proclaim today in every language the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is the reversal of the curse of the Tower of Babel. A people once divided has now become one again.
Isn't this what we pray for in every Eucharistic Prayer? In the Spirit and in the sharing of the one bread and one cup, that we may all be one.
Evangelization takes on a level of reconciliation then. This is the gift of the Holy Spirit as it is given in John's gospel, "He breathed on them, saying, "Receive the Holy Spirit, whose sins you forgive are forgiven; whose sins you retain are retained." The Holy Spirit is given to the Church for evangelization and reconciliation. In unity and fellowship, we proclaim the message of Christ. As a matter fact, the unity of our fellowship, the love we show one another, can be as powerful a witness as anything we preach. "See how they love one another," was the comment that so many pagans made in the time of Tertullian, the 3rd century bishop.
The Holy Spirit was given to equip the Church to empower the Church to complete it's mission of making disciples of all the world. But the Holy Spirit is also given to each of us individually. It is a restoration of that gift of creation. Adam did not become a living man until the Holy Spirit was breathed into him at that moment of creation (Genesis 2:7). That original unity with God, for which we were created in the first place, is restored.
We have the Spirit of God living within us when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord. These aren't just words. God has invited us into a living relationship with him so intimate that he comes to dwell within our very being. The Holy Spirit lives within us, and guides us (John 14:26). My favorite image of the Holy Spirit within us is that the Holy Spirit is like a tuning fork, and we are the instruments. The Holy Spirit resonates within us at all times. When we make time in prayer to listen to the Holy Spirit, there is harmony in our lives, serenity, "the peace that surpasses understanding" (Phillipians 4:7). When we are not in union with the Spirit of God that indwells our hearts, there is dissonance, a troubled conscience, fear, hatred, anger, hopelessness.
Being in union with the Spirit means the original unity for which we were created is restored, but it also means the original unity we were to have with each other is restored as well. This is what Paul refers to in using the image of the body (1 Corinthians 12: 12, 13). We are all one in the Spirit, "So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any incentive of love, ANY PARTICIPATION IN THE SPIRIT, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the love, being in full accord and of one mind" (Phillipians 2:1, 2). Imagine an orchestra in which every person's instrument is out of tune and every individual member is playing his own song.
If each of us makes a point to listen to that Holy Spirit, while each of us may have a different instrument and be playing different notes, we will all be in tune with each other and the differences between us will create an amazing harmony in the world. "Let us make a joyful noice unto the Lord" (Psalm 95:1, Psalm 100:1). Or, as Paul puts it, let us be one body with many parts.
The Holy Spirit makes it possible to have peace when there is suffering, love when there is hatred, courage when there is fear, hope when there is darkness, and forgiveness when there is betrayal. The Holy Spirit is the Presence of God in the world, in our Church, and in our hearts.
"Come, Holy Spirit. Fill the hearts of your faithful. Enkindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit, Lord, and we shal be created. And you will renew the face of the earth.
"O God, who buy the light of the Holy Spirit instructs the hearts of the faithful, grant that by that same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in His consolations, through Christ our Lord."
AMEN!!!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Sunday, May 09, 2010
The Holy Spirit's Coming: Let's Get Ready
The Church is nearing the feast of Pentecost. We can tell because the readings for each Sunday are becoming more explicit in their mention of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is preparing to leave his disciples to return to his father. This great discourse in John's gospel that we've been meditating on for the last several weeks is leading us now to focus our reflection on the presence of the Holy Spirit.
In today's gospel, we hear the promise of Jesus to his 11 disciples (Judas had left by now). "The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I told you" (John 14:26). This promise takes on two layers of reality in the Church, or two levels of interaction. First, we cannot forget the context in which Jesus is saying these words. He is speaking directly to the 11 here, not to the entire community of disciples. These are his final words to those who would be leading his Church once he ascends to the Father.
These 11 were given this teaching authority. It's throughout the gospels. Jesus gave the authority to teach to these disciples whom he called (Mark 3:13-19). He sent them out over and over again as his representatives, in his person (In Persona Christi). They are the ones especially endowed with the gift to teach his message without error. These readings that we are hearing are the foundation for the teaching of the infallibility of the Pope and College of Bishops. The Apostles were given the authority to teach infallibly the message of our Lord. We see this acted out in a very real way in the first reading today from the Acts of the Apostles. The reading today is an edited version of the story we've been hearing in the daily readings for Mass throughout this week.
The argument arose in the early Church about whether the Gentile converts had to be circumcised and follow the Mosaic law in order to be Christian. As you can imagine, the Gentiles weren't crazy about this idea! The Apostles came together, and through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, gave the teaching that Gentile Christians only had to abstain from illicit marriage, not eat meat that had been sacrficed to idols, and avoid eating meat with blood in it.
The authority of the apostles was handed on to those who would come after them. There is passage after passage in the letters of Paul and James and Peter that describe the passing on of full Apostolic Authority to the Successors of the Apostles, including the authority to teach infallibly. This infallibility must be properly understood, however.
It's actually a misnomer to call it the "Infallibility of the Pope and College of Bishops." It is not the pope and college of bishops who are infallible. It is the teaching they offer that is infallible. The teaching is what is without error, not the teachers. The second thing to remember is that this gift of infallibility is contained to teachings of faith and morality. This why the Galileo debaucle happened. The pope and bishops attempted to impose their teaching on a matter of science. That's outside of their realm of infallibility, and it was proven. We see, however, throughout the history of the Church, that no matter how corrupt the pope or hierarchy may have been, we've never seen them pronounce a teaching of heresy. This is how we account for terrible things like the priest sex abuse scandal. The movement of these priests was not a matter of faith or morality, but an administrative decision. The pope and college of bishops can be in error adminstratively and scientifically. When acting in concert with one another, however, as the Successors of the Apostles, their teachings in matters of faith and morality are infallible.
This is the first level of this gospel reading: the authority of the Apostles (and their Successors) to teach infallibly.
The second layer is this: the promise and gift of the Holy Spirit is given to each of us individually, to guide us in our own private lives. You are temple of the Holy Spirit. Ultimately the presence of the Holy Spirit is a return to the original order of creation, when the Spirit of God was breathed into the first man, and brought him to life. More on this on Pentecost Sunday.
The Holy Spirit is coming! Actually, the Holy Spirit is already with us. We're going to begin a series over the next few Sundays reflecting on the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It is very important, however, not to lose the importance of the role of the Holy Spirit in the Church. We follow the teachings of faith and morality of the Pope and the College of Bishops. Preparing for the Holy Spirit's presence in our personal lives means also recognizing the power of the Holy Spirit in those who lead us in faith.
In today's gospel, we hear the promise of Jesus to his 11 disciples (Judas had left by now). "The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I told you" (John 14:26). This promise takes on two layers of reality in the Church, or two levels of interaction. First, we cannot forget the context in which Jesus is saying these words. He is speaking directly to the 11 here, not to the entire community of disciples. These are his final words to those who would be leading his Church once he ascends to the Father.
These 11 were given this teaching authority. It's throughout the gospels. Jesus gave the authority to teach to these disciples whom he called (Mark 3:13-19). He sent them out over and over again as his representatives, in his person (In Persona Christi). They are the ones especially endowed with the gift to teach his message without error. These readings that we are hearing are the foundation for the teaching of the infallibility of the Pope and College of Bishops. The Apostles were given the authority to teach infallibly the message of our Lord. We see this acted out in a very real way in the first reading today from the Acts of the Apostles. The reading today is an edited version of the story we've been hearing in the daily readings for Mass throughout this week.
The argument arose in the early Church about whether the Gentile converts had to be circumcised and follow the Mosaic law in order to be Christian. As you can imagine, the Gentiles weren't crazy about this idea! The Apostles came together, and through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, gave the teaching that Gentile Christians only had to abstain from illicit marriage, not eat meat that had been sacrficed to idols, and avoid eating meat with blood in it.
The authority of the apostles was handed on to those who would come after them. There is passage after passage in the letters of Paul and James and Peter that describe the passing on of full Apostolic Authority to the Successors of the Apostles, including the authority to teach infallibly. This infallibility must be properly understood, however.
It's actually a misnomer to call it the "Infallibility of the Pope and College of Bishops." It is not the pope and college of bishops who are infallible. It is the teaching they offer that is infallible. The teaching is what is without error, not the teachers. The second thing to remember is that this gift of infallibility is contained to teachings of faith and morality. This why the Galileo debaucle happened. The pope and bishops attempted to impose their teaching on a matter of science. That's outside of their realm of infallibility, and it was proven. We see, however, throughout the history of the Church, that no matter how corrupt the pope or hierarchy may have been, we've never seen them pronounce a teaching of heresy. This is how we account for terrible things like the priest sex abuse scandal. The movement of these priests was not a matter of faith or morality, but an administrative decision. The pope and college of bishops can be in error adminstratively and scientifically. When acting in concert with one another, however, as the Successors of the Apostles, their teachings in matters of faith and morality are infallible.
This is the first level of this gospel reading: the authority of the Apostles (and their Successors) to teach infallibly.
The second layer is this: the promise and gift of the Holy Spirit is given to each of us individually, to guide us in our own private lives. You are temple of the Holy Spirit. Ultimately the presence of the Holy Spirit is a return to the original order of creation, when the Spirit of God was breathed into the first man, and brought him to life. More on this on Pentecost Sunday.
The Holy Spirit is coming! Actually, the Holy Spirit is already with us. We're going to begin a series over the next few Sundays reflecting on the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It is very important, however, not to lose the importance of the role of the Holy Spirit in the Church. We follow the teachings of faith and morality of the Pope and the College of Bishops. Preparing for the Holy Spirit's presence in our personal lives means also recognizing the power of the Holy Spirit in those who lead us in faith.
Saturday, May 01, 2010
Suffering in the Kingdom of God
The Dalai Lama, in his book The Art of Happiness makes a very interesting comment. He says so many people, when suffering comes, ask the question, “Why me?” A better question, the Dalai Lama says, would be to ask, “Why not me? What great thing have I done that I deserve not to suffer?”
Here’s the fact: Jesus Christ, the only human being that has ever existed who was perfect by his own merit, suffered…and died…on a cross. What makes me think, when suffering comes, that I deserve anything less than He? St. Paul “strengthened the spirits of the disciples and exhorted them to persevere in the faith, saying ‘It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22).
Suffering comes to us. In this life, it is unavoidable. We suffer because of that original sin, which is passed on to us, and separates us from God. That original sin is the source of all suffering. So many times people ask, “If God is all-powerful, why does he allow suffering?” And, frankly, it’s offensive to me when people ascribe to God the cause of suffering. That happens in a lot of ways. The fact is that we suffer because we are separated from God, and that was not by God’s doing. Humanity as a whole chose to be separated from God, a choice that is symbolized in the story of Adam and Eve and that forbidden fruit. We, as a whole, have chosen not to obey God’s word of life to us. Suffering is the consequence of that separation from Him.
Here’s the good news. Our God did not and does not leave us in our suffering. Instead, through Jesus Christ’s suffering and death, God transformed what was the consequence of our separation from Him into the doorway through which we are united to him eternally in bliss. “I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them as their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the old order has passed away.’ The One who sat on the throne, said, ‘Behold, I make all things new’” (Revelation 21: 3-5).
“It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” Why? First of all, because it’s unavoidable. Suffering comes whether we want it to or not. It’s the consequence of humanity’s choice to separate ourselves from God. Some might think, “I’ve never wanted to be separated from God.” Honestly, which one of us has never sinned?
But secondly, because it is through suffering that we are united to Jesus on the cross. When we unite our pain and suffering to the suffering of Christ, then we go through the suffering and deaths that we experience in life and are raised with him. “The saying is sure: If we have died with him, we shall also live with him” (2 Timothy 2:11).
How do we do that? The 100 billion dollar question, isn’t it? I know saying the answer is a lot hard than doing the answer,
We unite our suffering to the suffering of Christ first by the grace of acceptance. We accept that in this life, we are going to suffer. I think that a lot of sin that we commit is committed because we are trying to avoid suffering in some way. We lie because we see the suffering the consequences of telling the truth. We gossip because if we don’t, we might suffer by not being included with the ones who doing the gossiping. We hold on to resentments because we have suffered, and it makes us feel a little bit better to hate the ones who have caused us pain. I think it’s natural to avoid suffering. Some suffering cannot be avoided. I think the hardship of being faithful is a source of a lot of our unfaithfulness. When we make the commitment to prayer, how often do we hit the snooze button? How often have we missed church on vacation because making time to worship with the community would interfere with our good time? There's a grace that comes with spiritual maturity: the grace of acceptance of suffering, the grace of meeting life's on life's terms, not on ours.
In this, I’m not saying that if we get sick, we should say, “Oh, well, I can’t avoid it so I’m just going to lay here at let the sickness get worse.” That would be dumb.
When we get a headache, we can say, “I’m going to take aspirin to get rid of this, but until it goes away, I’m going to accept it and not let it make me grumpy towards my family.” My grandfather was recently diagnosed with cancer. His attitude is one of total acceptance, even while undergoing treatment. “This isn’t going to kill me,” he said, “and if it does, my number’s up. What can I do?” He’s undergoing treatment for it, and understands that the treatment is going to hurt. He has accepted this, too. If only we can accept that we are going to suffer, I think the suffering gets a little easier to bear because we stop fighting the suffering.
After we accept in grace that suffering exists, we can make a conscious decision to love in our suffering as Christ loved. Like I said, I may take aspirin to get rid of a headache, or chemo to try and get rid of cancer. While I’m waiting for my suffering to end, I will act in love toward those around me, rather than taking my suffering out on them. I will love as Christ loved on the cross, when he prayed for those who nailed him there.
And we can say a prayer in our suffering. “Lord, I really want our home to sell, so that I can provide a more appropriate place for my growing family. It’s not. Help me to endure with patience this situation over which I have no power, and unite it to your suffering for the good of my family.” Our suffering can become a prayer in itself, when we consciously make it so.
Our suffering, which was originally the result of our separation from God, can be the doorway by which we are more fully united with Him in His Kingdom. I know “the saying is sure: if we have died with him; we also shall live with him.” And “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the old order has passed away.” He has made all things, including our suffering, new.
Here’s the fact: Jesus Christ, the only human being that has ever existed who was perfect by his own merit, suffered…and died…on a cross. What makes me think, when suffering comes, that I deserve anything less than He? St. Paul “strengthened the spirits of the disciples and exhorted them to persevere in the faith, saying ‘It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22).
Suffering comes to us. In this life, it is unavoidable. We suffer because of that original sin, which is passed on to us, and separates us from God. That original sin is the source of all suffering. So many times people ask, “If God is all-powerful, why does he allow suffering?” And, frankly, it’s offensive to me when people ascribe to God the cause of suffering. That happens in a lot of ways. The fact is that we suffer because we are separated from God, and that was not by God’s doing. Humanity as a whole chose to be separated from God, a choice that is symbolized in the story of Adam and Eve and that forbidden fruit. We, as a whole, have chosen not to obey God’s word of life to us. Suffering is the consequence of that separation from Him.
Here’s the good news. Our God did not and does not leave us in our suffering. Instead, through Jesus Christ’s suffering and death, God transformed what was the consequence of our separation from Him into the doorway through which we are united to him eternally in bliss. “I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them as their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the old order has passed away.’ The One who sat on the throne, said, ‘Behold, I make all things new’” (Revelation 21: 3-5).
“It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” Why? First of all, because it’s unavoidable. Suffering comes whether we want it to or not. It’s the consequence of humanity’s choice to separate ourselves from God. Some might think, “I’ve never wanted to be separated from God.” Honestly, which one of us has never sinned?
But secondly, because it is through suffering that we are united to Jesus on the cross. When we unite our pain and suffering to the suffering of Christ, then we go through the suffering and deaths that we experience in life and are raised with him. “The saying is sure: If we have died with him, we shall also live with him” (2 Timothy 2:11).
How do we do that? The 100 billion dollar question, isn’t it? I know saying the answer is a lot hard than doing the answer,
We unite our suffering to the suffering of Christ first by the grace of acceptance. We accept that in this life, we are going to suffer. I think that a lot of sin that we commit is committed because we are trying to avoid suffering in some way. We lie because we see the suffering the consequences of telling the truth. We gossip because if we don’t, we might suffer by not being included with the ones who doing the gossiping. We hold on to resentments because we have suffered, and it makes us feel a little bit better to hate the ones who have caused us pain. I think it’s natural to avoid suffering. Some suffering cannot be avoided. I think the hardship of being faithful is a source of a lot of our unfaithfulness. When we make the commitment to prayer, how often do we hit the snooze button? How often have we missed church on vacation because making time to worship with the community would interfere with our good time? There's a grace that comes with spiritual maturity: the grace of acceptance of suffering, the grace of meeting life's on life's terms, not on ours.
In this, I’m not saying that if we get sick, we should say, “Oh, well, I can’t avoid it so I’m just going to lay here at let the sickness get worse.” That would be dumb.
When we get a headache, we can say, “I’m going to take aspirin to get rid of this, but until it goes away, I’m going to accept it and not let it make me grumpy towards my family.” My grandfather was recently diagnosed with cancer. His attitude is one of total acceptance, even while undergoing treatment. “This isn’t going to kill me,” he said, “and if it does, my number’s up. What can I do?” He’s undergoing treatment for it, and understands that the treatment is going to hurt. He has accepted this, too. If only we can accept that we are going to suffer, I think the suffering gets a little easier to bear because we stop fighting the suffering.
After we accept in grace that suffering exists, we can make a conscious decision to love in our suffering as Christ loved. Like I said, I may take aspirin to get rid of a headache, or chemo to try and get rid of cancer. While I’m waiting for my suffering to end, I will act in love toward those around me, rather than taking my suffering out on them. I will love as Christ loved on the cross, when he prayed for those who nailed him there.
And we can say a prayer in our suffering. “Lord, I really want our home to sell, so that I can provide a more appropriate place for my growing family. It’s not. Help me to endure with patience this situation over which I have no power, and unite it to your suffering for the good of my family.” Our suffering can become a prayer in itself, when we consciously make it so.
Our suffering, which was originally the result of our separation from God, can be the doorway by which we are more fully united with Him in His Kingdom. I know “the saying is sure: if we have died with him; we also shall live with him.” And “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the old order has passed away.” He has made all things, including our suffering, new.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
