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Exploring the word

24 May 2015 - Solemnity of Pentecost, Cycle B

Weather reports are notoriously unreliable. When it comes to the feast of Pentecost, however, we know just what to expect. A strong driving wind and an excellent probability of fire! At least, that’s what happened on the original Pentecost. But what might we expect this year, in 2015? A lot of parishes to which I’ve belonged over a lifetime have encouraged their parishioners to wear red in order to participate in the liturgical spirit of the feast. So I wear red. But what I’d rather see in the bulletin is a reminder to dress warmly, and in non-flammable attire. Anticipate headwinds, and be prepared to take to the streets with a Rosetta-Stone skill set. We don’t read this in the bulletin, because we don’t expect any such event to occur. The church’s Pentecost is over and done with. Wherever the Holy Spirit might be blowing, it won’t be on the corner of Main and Matilda (my parish address) this year. Those of us old enough to recall the 1960s may remember what happened at Pittsburgh’s Duquesne University in 1967. Some Catholic professors and their students prayed for baptism in the Holy Spirit—and got it. Prophecy, faith healing, and tongue-speaking were suddenly no longer Bible-era-specific events in Catholic circles but could be found in the basement of most college Newman Centers. The Vatican has been affirming of the movement: Pope Paul VI and John Paul II were quite optimistic, and Pope Benedict XVI more cautiously so. Today some 160 million Catholics participate in the Charismatic Renewal in 230 countries. Considering that the Vatican counts the church population at close to 1.23 billion, maybe that makes Renewal adherents a fringe group. But a good-sized fringe. Still we might wonder—as Saint Paul wondered, so we’re in good company—if that kind of Pentecostal experience is what it means, or all that it means, to live in the Spirit. Paul got a little exasperated with folks who used tongue-speaking as the demarcation point of authentic Christian experience. He was likewise insistent that prophecy was merely one of many important offices within the church. He included administration as an equally valuable office, which should make parish secretaries everywhere rejoice. He also lumped together healing and “mighty deeds” with more pedestrian-sounding gifts like teaching—which brings cheer to catechists. Paul really breaks open what it means to “drink of the one Spirit” (1 Cor 12:13) when he presents “the more excellent way”—that is, love (12:31ff). If Pentecost has a fire, it’s the passion of love that ignited people like Paul to cast their futures on the mission of the church altogether. I don’t want to put a literal damper on the Charismatic spirit in the church. But if our assemblies caught fire with burning love this Pentecost, we’d want for nothing more. Related scripture links God’s breath creates the world: Gen. 1:2, 2:7 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me: Isa. 61:1-3; Luke 4:18-19 I will place a new spirit within them: Ezek. 11:19-20 Gifts and fruits: Isa. 11:2-3; Gal. 5:22-23

Authors Alice Camille

Pentecost Holy Spirit

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The inner word

24 May 2015 - Solemnity of Pentecost, Cycle B

In the Pentecost Day reading from the First Letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paul notes the different kinds of abilities and forms of service each member of the Christian community has. His point, however, is that all these gifts come from one place, “the same God,” and that they all exist for one purpose: the benefit of the community. Paul may have been responding to some people in the church of Corinth who were using their talents to advance themselves past others. Whatever the situation, Paul presents Christians then and now with a challenge: to recognize and cultivate the gifts you have and use them to do the most possible good for all.

Community gifts Pentecost

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Homily themes

24 May 2015 - Solemnity of Pentecost, Cycle B

We hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty acts of God. While the “tongues of fire” have inspired numerous works art, some good, some not so good, behind the visual effects is the blueprint for the early church, which the other readings in addition to Acts carry forward. The Spirit literally bursts forth from the disciples in a storm of speech the whole world could understand, with a multitude of gifts and a spirit of forgiveness that overcomes all obstacles, all for the single purpose of proclaiming the Good News of Jesus. Jesus always kept his promises, both the one to send his Spirit and the one to send his disciples out to testify to him. The Spirit would guide them and those they would bring to faith to live in the Spirit and do the works of the Spirit, and to a fuller understanding of Jesus the revealer of God.

Pentecost Holy Spirit

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Solemnity of Pentecost, Cycle B

24 May 2015

SUNDAY SUMMARY Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11 It was a very windy day in Jerusalem. Indoors. Spirit arrives! Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34 The Spirit of the Lord makes the whole world new again. Galatians 5:16-25 or 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13 Lists of sorry worldly works contrast with lovely spiritual fruits. John 15:26-27; 16:12-15 or John 20:19-23 The Risen Lord brings two gifts: peace and the authority to forgive sins.

Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11 Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34 Galatians 5:16-25 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13 John 15:26-27; 16:12-15 John 20:19-23 Pentecost Sunday

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Exploring the word

08 Jun 2014 - Solemnity of Pentecost, Cycle A

Eastertime officially ends today. But the celebration never ends, because the good news of Jesus remains just as good. So the church calendar doesn't simply run off the rails once it passes out of the three obvious seasons: Advent, Lent, and Easter. It keeps moving forward into what used to be essentially the Season of Pentecost—a.k.a. the “season of the church.” It's the longest of all the seasons, including the time between Christmas and Lent and flowing forward from Pentecost through the feast of Christ the King at the end of November. Maybe it needs to be the longest season because it takes a lot of time and effort, and not a few mistakes, to fully embrace the call to be the church in the world. Now the church isn't normally considered among the world's great superpowers. The Vatican doesn't have a nuclear arsenal, and while the Jesuits might be the pope's army, they aren't packing heat (at least, not to my knowledge!). Nations don't quake in their boots when the pope makes a statement. Politicians running for office probably don't worry about being beaten up by altar servers in a dark alley. In general the authority of the church is gentle, soft, and invitational. It's wielded by means of the pens of scholars, the typefaces of publishers, the homilies of pastors, the ministries of the sacraments, and works of charity and justice. The church asks and tells, seeks and finds, sometimes affirms through canonization and sometimes denounces through excommunication. But leaders in the church aren't expected to behave like thugs who push and punish to get their ambitions realized and enrich their own coffers. Among the two modes of force, coercive and persuasive, the gospel method is always the latter. So when the church spills out into the world's streets, its testimony is strong and still tender. The message is couched in terms of love, compassion, unity, reconciliation, peace, justice, joy, and hope. Are these powerful words? You bet they are. Are they more powerful than guns and bombs and death threats? Yes, when you believe in a power that is stronger than death, stronger even than hell. When Jesus arrives behind the locked doors of the upper room on Easter Sunday night, he brings the ultimate weapon with which to arm his followers to engage the battle ahead: the authority to forgive sins. Nothing ever invented can defeat this power. It breaks down walls erected within marriages, between parents and children, or one neighbor and another. Forgiveness can reunite a divided nation, or bring nations together at the table of good will. Forgiveness dissolves barriers between heaven and earth—and it can breach the boundary of death itself. Maybe the church is a superpower after all. Related scripture links Power of dominion: Gen. 1:28 Equality with God: Phil. 2:5-11 Lay it down: John 15:13; Luke 23:34 Died for the forgiveness of sins: Matt. 26:28 Catechism links Power: CCC 268-274 Authority: CCC 1897-1917; 1930; 2234-2246 Forgiveness: CCC 587-589; 601-618

Authors Alice Camille

Forgiveness Pentecost

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In other words

08 Jun 2014 - Solemnity of Pentecost, Cycle A

Later on that day, the disciples had gathered together, but, fearful of the Jews, had locked all the doors in the house. Jesus entered, stood among them, and said, “Peace to you.” Then he showed them his hands and side. The disciples, seeing the Master with their own eyes, were exuberant. Jesus repeated his greeting: “Peace to you. Just as the Father sent me, I send you.” Then he took a deep breath and breathed into them. “Receive the Holy Spirit,” he said. “If you forgive someone’s sins, they’re gone for good. If you don’t forgive sins, what are you going to do with them?” (from John 20). From New Message 4 Next Week (actapublications.com/newmessage4nextweek) based on The Message: Catholic/Ecumenical Edition by Eugene Peterson (ACTA Publications, 2014).

Miracle Pentecost Holy Spirit

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Sign & sacrament

08 Jun 2014 - Solemnity of Pentecost, Cycle A

One of the strangest things Jesus ever did after the Resurrection, from our fastidiously clean, middle-class American perspective, was to breathe on his disciples. It’s something we just don’t do—unless, of course, we are trying to save a life. Linguistically, we translate as “breath” both the Hebrew word ruah and the Greek word pneuma. In both languages the same word has several meanings: breath, wind, spirit. However we strive to picture it—fire hovering above us or breath whispered into us—the Spirit of God is absolutely necessary for life but cannot be pinned down. It inspires; it rushes upon us; it cannot be contained—any more than can our love, our forgiveness, our compassion, our joy.

Pentecost

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Solemnity of Pentecost, Cycle A

08 Jun 2014

SUNDAY SUMMARY Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11 The promised Spirit arrives, and it becomes time for believers to give their witness. Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34 The Spirit of God renews the earth and, if withdrawn, nothing lives. 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13 The Spirit gives us the power to declare Jesus is Lord--and the gifts to prove it. John 20:19-23 The Spirit lends the church the greatest authority of all: forgiveness of sin.

Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13 John 20:19-23 Pentecost Sunday Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11

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Exploring the word

01 Jun 2014 - Seventh Sunday of Easter, Cycle A

The church has celebrated World Communications Day on the Sunday before Pentecost since 1967. Blame it on the Second Vatican Council’s document Gaudium et Spes: If the church is to be relevant to the modern world, it has to join the conversation! Pope Paul VI appreciated that the world is increasingly a global society, thanks to print media, radio, television, motion pictures—and now the internet. Each year since the pope in residence has issued a message to the media and to media consumers, intended to serve as a moral checklist in engaging these influential resources. Most people, already stuffed to the gills with media options, ignore the occasion and the message. This year Pope Francis reminds us this information glut can mean that more is turning into less. Some retreat to opinion ghettos to continue their self-talk with the already-convinced. You may erect a Facebook fortress and declare your truths to the universe with fingers firmly planted in both ears. The media highway, the pope says, is a two-way street. If we are to bring the world together in unity and familiarity, we have to listen as well as declaim. The digital world is a "network not of wires but of people," Francis insists. Even if social networks shrink everyone into a OneWorld reality, we will remain a multi-plexity of individuals with distinct perspectives that require respectful engagement. What that means in practical terms is: Change the channel once in a while. Don't read, watch, and ingest only those news sources that make you comfortable or confirm your druthers. Listen to the opposition. Dialogue with a family member who begs to differ. Bring down the tone of the rhetoric. Find out why others don't share your opinions. It probably isn't because they're the spawn of Satan. It could be that life experiences have led them to different conclusions. The pope notes that communication involves silence as much as words. There has to be space between the ideas for the words to be digested, turned over, and evaluated. One of the joys of modern communication is also its biggest problem: It all happens so fast. Human beings need time to think, and there's precious little reflecting going on between the finger and the "send" key. Two great biblical pauses occur in the stories for this Sunday. The apostles, after encountering the risen Lord and watching him ascend to heaven, don't go straight to a blog site to upload their photos and tell-all. Instead they barricade themselves for a marathon session of prayer. In the same way, when the hour of Jesus finally arrives, he doesn't barrel out into the night to confront his detractors and engage the battle. He sets himself to the quietest and most peaceful work of all: prayer. Only in the silence does the swirl of information find its proper context. Related scripture links Jesus on prayer: Matt. 6:5-13; 7:7-11; Luke 11:1-13; 18:10-14; John 15:7; 16:26 Pray unceasingly: 1 Thess. 5:17; Phil. 4:6; Eph. 6:18-20; Col. 4:2; Heb. 7:25 Catechism links Prayer: CCC 2558-2589; 2598-2619; 2623-2643; 2650-2660; 2742-2745; 2746-2751

Authors Alice Camille

Pentecost Technology listening

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The inner word

19 May 2013 - Solemnity of Pentecost, Cycle C

In one of the gospel readings for the Solemnity of Pentecost, Jesus promises his disciples he will send his Spirit to them to “teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.” “Teach” and “remind” go together in this passage. What is learned is what Christ has already taught and which the Spirit will remind us of. And what did he teach—what are the “commandments” by which we show our love for him? “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27). If you and every Christian followed these commands today in the truly sacrificial way Jesus did, we would be on the verge of the kingdom of God tomorrow.

Commandments Teaching kingdom Pentecost Holy Spirit

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