Pentecost Sunday. June 4, 2006. Our Lady of Grace 5:15, 7:30 and 11:30. Acts 2:1-11. 1 Corinthians 12:3b – 7, 12-13. John 15:26-27, 16: 12-15.
There was a young father who was very much into watching
Monday night football on TV. At the same time he was watching his four
year old daughter while his wife was away with friends. The little girl
was having a hard time going to sleep. She would cry from her bedroom
“Daddy, I’m scared.” After going to her to comfort her
for the third time and quite annoyed that he was missing a very good football
game, the young father had a brilliant idea. He said, “Debbie,
you know that Jesus is here with you and Jesus is stronger even than your
Daddy. You will be all right. Jesus is here.” The little
girl started sobbing as she grabbed on to her father’s tee-shirt.
She said, “Daddy, I know that Jesus is here, but I’m scared and
I need someone here who has skin on.”
When Jesus ascended into heaven his visible presence was taken from his followers and they were very much afraid. The forces of evil that had put Jesus to death were now turned on them. When the Risen Christ was appearing to them they had someone visible to touch and to listen to. Now they were alone, confused and very much afraid. They huddled together in prayer, watching and waiting, as Jesus had told them to do. Then it happened. On the first Pentecost Sunday the sky was opened and a roaring wind filled the place where they were hiding. Tongues of fire fell on each of them and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. These frightened human beings were completely changed. They began speaking all the languages of the ancient Roman world. They lost their fear of those who had crucified Jesus and they went forth to preach the gospel everywhere. They healed the sick, raised the dead and proclaimed God’s truth, even when they were persecuted and put to death. The Holy Spirit did more than hang over them or empower them. The Holy Spirit completely transformed the followers of Jesus making them the Church, the living Body of Jesus Christ.
Because of the miracle of Pentecost when we are in trouble or in need we can say with confidence, “I know that the Holy Spirit is here, but I also need someone with flesh on.” Even though we are sinners, God has made us his living Body and his real presence in the world. The great miracle of Pentecost is the powerful way that God uses you and me to be his living body, in the flesh, here and now, in our day.
The Eucharist is the living presence of Jesus Christ in our midst. By the power of the Holy Spirit bread and wine truly becomes the Body and Blood of Jesus. The miracle of the Eucharist does not end there. The primary purpose of the Eucharist is not to make Christ present in the tabernacle or in the Adoration Chapel – although he is certainly present there. The primary purpose of the Eucharist is to transform you and me into the living Body of Christ. People who will never come to church need to meet Christ through somebody with flesh on.
During World War II a discouraged American soldier walked up to a bombed out Catholic Church in a small German village. He remembered how much comfort he had found in moments of prayer when he had stopped by church as a teen. All he wanted to do was to rest and pray inside for a few moments. When he entered the church he found rubble everywhere. In the middle of the isle someone had put a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus with his head and his hands broken off in the bombing. Someone had placed a large piece of plaster board against the statue with the words. “Now the only eyes I have are yours. The only mouth I have is yours. The only hands I have are yours.” In an instant the young man saw himself in a new way. While the village no longer had a church building in which to celebrate the Eucharist, the living Church was there to help people put their lives back together and to recover from the horrors of war.
The Bible is the Word of God written with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. God has given us the Bible not only to study and to memorize; God gave us the Bible to completely transform our lives. Almost every hotel and motel room I have stayed in has a Gideon Bible in it with a list of passages to read in times of trouble or temptation. But more important than the Bible in the room is the person at the front desk or on the street who asks how we are doing or if they can help in some way. When we are in trouble the Bible may be helpful; yet we need more than the Bible. We need the living Church, people formed by the Bible, people with flesh on to be there for us.
The Holy Spirit creates the living Church - the Body of
Christ that is our companion and guide throughout our lives.
When I was a teenager my public high school chemistry
teacher asked me if I had ever thought of becoming a priest. His example
and his words have been a great blessing to me. This weekend we are
honoring two teachers in our parish school, Mrs. Pat DeMont and Mrs. Judy
Ross. Both have given 28 years to teaching in a