FEAST OF PENTECOST HOMILY--5/23/10--THE GIFT OF POWER AND INTIMACY

 

PENTECOST–5/23/10

by Msgr. Eric R. Barr, STL

READINGS: ACTS 2:1-11; I CORINTHIANS 12:3-7,12-13; JOHN 20:19-23

I. Pentecost

A. It’s all about power and intimacy. It’s all about a faith that matters. It’s all about God in the every day, in every moment of our lives. So if you like your religion vague and irrelevant, if you like your faith private and feel that it cannot impact anything in the public square, if you feel that God is a concept and not personal, then tune me out, turn me off, and turn away.

B. Because Pentecost is about a religion that’s alive. It’s about a Church that has the blood of God coursing through it. It’s about a faith that calls all its members parts of the Body of Christ. And that has consequences in our lives.

C. And that brings me to another thing. Our faith is not private. It is lived amidst our parishioners. Catholicism does not believe that a personal relationship with Christ is enough, because Jesus did not believe it was enough. If he did, there would have been no Pentecost. Pentecost is the birthday of the Church, all of us experiencing God through Sacraments, all of us working to spread the news of Jesus to the world.

II. Power

A. Remember, I said this Feast is about power and intimacy. What did I mean? Well, first of all, I mean that we most often encounter God as the Holy Spirit. Did you know that? Anytime you act in the name of God to witness to your faith, to share your knowledge of God with someone, to seek out the truths of the faith, to act wisely and thoughtfully in your moral life, to counsel another how to live, to place God as number one in your life, to live and worship religiously, God the Holy Spirit is working through you. Know how I know this? Because what I just mentioned are the super powers of the Christian, received when each of us was confirmed. Courage, Knowledge, Understanding, Wisdom, Counsel, Fear of the Lord, Piety–these are the gifts of the Spirit–real power in our lives. When we use those powers, God, in the person of the Holy Spirit acts through us.

B. A boy walks out alone on a beautiful spring day. He's just graduated from eighth grade and he's walking on one of the bike paths. Nobody's around--suddenly he starts thinking about what high school will be like, and what might happen after that. A still small voice right here in his heart whispers--being a doctor would be great--try it, you'll like it.

C. A young woman is torn apart by troubles in her marriage. She loves her husband but they can't communicate. He's unreasonable, won't listen, angry all the time. Desperate, she goes into Church at noontime. She's all alone. She prays to God for an answer, and in the middle of her despair, she suddenly feels a strength inside her and if she could put that new found strength into words they would say, "Be strong, I will stay by your side."

D. A priest needs to do a homily for Sunday, the head of a construction company needs to talk to one of his men who isn't doing his job, a mother needs to speak to her daughter about her teen age drinking--none of them know what to say--and then when the moment comes for each to speak, suddenly the words come for each of them, and they say the right thing, and wonder how the words came out so wonderfully.

E. The boy who heard the voice saying "How about being a doctor?" The woman who felt an outside strength pouring into her; the priest, the construction head, the mom--each of these people just experienced the Holy Spirit. That was God who touched their lives.

F. I don't think I've done too well these past few years in trying to communicate how God is present to us. Still, when I ask your kids if they ever have had an experience of God, most say no. I bet most here in Church would say no, but you're wrong--you have experienced God, God as Holy Spirit, the touch of the divine in your ordinary daily lives. The examples I gave are normal and have probably happened to some of you. The Holy Spirit is how God touches us gently in our daily life. No tounges of fire usually, no loud rushing wind, usually a quiet presence leading us gently to the right decision or helping us walk on the path of goodness.

G. That gives a tremendous energy to our faith. When I stand up here and tell you what we must do to be good Catholics, this is not my opinion, it is the Holy Spirit acting through me. When you go out and right a wrong, hold up the values of life in a world that thinks abortion and euthanasia are okay, that’s not you, that’s the Holy Spirit acting through you. When you help your kid or a loved one through a difficult time and the right words come to your lips, that’s not you, that’s the Holy Spirit working through you.

H. All around the world this happens. Those few apostles who dashed out into the streets and began the Church started a movement that continues today. I’ve had the privilege of being able to travel. Wherever I go, whether it is the highlands of Scotland, the jungles of the Yucatan, the hills of Bosnia, the streets of Old Jerusalem, the teeming cities of Latin America, the hills of Wisconsin, the city of Rome where Peter and Paul preached the faith, everywhere I go, I find the Catholic faith, alive, vibrant, Mass being celebrated in different languages and the faith being expressed in different cultures. There is an energy present, the power of the Holy Spirit. And only those who think the Church is a creation of man will walk away from this faith because of scandal or people’s imperfections. We are of God, and through our frailty, false starts and sometimes sinfulness, God the Holy Spirit works through us to get his will done.

III. Intimacy

A. The other thing this feast shows us is how incredibly intimate our faith is. The Holy Spirit isn’t just about power; God the Holy Spirit speaks to our heart, dwells in our heart, and is accessible to us. That means, if we want to find God we look to our heart not to the sky. It is true that God is all around us, but for those of us who are baptized and confirmed, God dwells in here. But because of our busyness, and our inability to believe this truth of our faith, we think God is far away.

B. If we do not practice silence in our prayer, if we are never still, if we never shut up, then we miss the presence of God. Look at Jesus. He had to get away often to pray. He had to have some down time with his Father. As social as we are, as much as we discover the vibrancy of our faith with others, we still need time alone with God. And the holiest among us are constantly aware that God is by our side. This is the Holy Spirit. Remember what Jesus said, "I must ascend to my Father so I can send my Spirit to be your Advocate and Guide." God walks with us. It’s true. It’s real.

IV. Conclusion

A. In the end, Pentecost tells us that we need to have a sense of our power and a sense that God is intimate with us. Our faith is not just a head trip or an interesting private belief. You did not see the apostles say, "Gosh, we can’t go outside and talk about the faith–that would be imposing our views on the public. Faith should be a private thing." That’s what many Catholics seem to wish the apostles said. Well that’s not the experience of Pentecost. Anyone who will not live their faith in public does not deserve the name of Christian. Anyone who cannot stand up for the core beliefs of our faith should not call themselves Catholic. Anyone who thinks we cannot try to convert people to the truths of our faith is wrong. If that means you can’t be a politician because you won’t get elected because you hold fast to your Catholic beliefs, then so be it. If that means you can’t work for Planned Parenthood because it supports abortion and sexual promiscuity, then so be it. If that means you cannot be a nurse because you would be involved in abortions or even euthanasia, then so be it. If that means you cannot teach because you are forced to teach immorality, then so be it. Now some might think this means we withdraw from the world, but the only ones who think that would be those who do not understand Pentecost. The Holy Spirit gave us power to change the world, and he expects us to do that. If the world is going to force us to go against our faith, then its time to change the world, not retreat into the upper room. It’s time for us to act in power, secure in the knowledge that God is with us. If we can’t, then we betray Pentecost. If we act, then a mighty wind will once again be heard in our time–the breath of the Spirit, the power of God, the glory of Christ will be seen again in this time, in this place, in our lives.

Comments

[Kathleen Behrens]

Msgr. Barr,
Thank you for posting one of the most powerful and dynamic homilies on Pentecost you have ever given.
And I would know because since the Holy Spirit worked through you to forever change my life, I have spent the last ten Pentecosts with you.
This year I didn't make it so I could support one of my closest Catholic friends as she prepared for surgery.
Thank you for sharing your homilies with the world. God knows it needs them.
Keeping you in my prayers as this Year For Priests draws to a close,
Kathleen

[mady jojjef]

I m really thankful to you, as you said about Pentecost is true. it is sprite of catholic.
keep it up..