The Empowering Spirit (Pentecost Sunday)

I recall an anecdote about the Holy Spirit: A Christian missionary was struggling to explain to a new-found Japanese friend the mystery of the Trinity, hoping to lead him to embrace the Christian life. After long hours of exchange, the Japanese was nodding... He declared, “The Father... makes sense!” He paused and continued to nod and finally pronounced, “The Son... makes sense!” Then he took a long while and, with a quizzical look, said, “What does not make sense...” He paused and quite tentatively continued as if whispering, “...is the dove.”

Among the persons of the Trinity, the representation of the Holy Spirit is the least clear to many of us. Of course, the nature of the third person, as Spirit, poses a great difficulty for representation. Thus, in contrast to the personal images of the Father and Jesus Christ, we are forced to represent the Holy Spirit through impersonal symbols like fire, wind, breath, water, and the “favoured” dove. This difficulty might contribute to the uncertainty, if not ignorance, among many of us Christians about recognizing the activity of the Spirit in our lives.

The Solemnity of Pentecost may be an opportunity for us to “get to know” the dove or the tongues of fire a little deeper and hence to allow his power to operate in our lives. Today’s readings, first, second and the Gospel, lend themselves to our need to recognize the work of the Holy Spirit. The readings, as I will endeavour to show, reveal the Holy Spirit as the principle of empowerment. The Spirit empowers us from deep within, enabling us to live out our Christian calling—as prophet, king, and priest.

The Holy Spirit and our Prophetic Mission. The first reading (Acts 2:1-11), where we are told of the Spirit’s descent upon the Apostles in the form of tongues of fire, recounts how the Holy Spirit emboldened the Apostles to speak of “the mighty acts of God” to all peoples. Hiding because of fear, the nervous apostles were empowered by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to go out of hiding and confidently proclaim the greatness of God revealed in the person of Christ. The Spirit enabled them to be the prophets that Jesus had called them to become.

The Spirit empowers us to proclaim the truth about God’s work in our lives. There’s something about the charismatic groups that I have brushed elbows with. Their bold testimonies of the work of God in their lives amaze me. In contrast, most Catholics, I observe, are timid about their spiritual lives in general. Many are shy to proclaim what God has done in their lives; or more to the point, many are perhaps not even cognizant of the work of God.

Am I timid, shy, or fearful in proclaiming God’s mighty acts in my life? Let me ask the Holy Spirit to embolden me and turn me into a joyful and fearless herald of the Good News to my family, friends, and to the society.

The Holy Spirit and our Kingly Mission. The call to serve is essential to the concept of Christian kingship. Service or ministry is a gift of the Spirit. The second reading (1 Cor. 12: 3-7, 12-13) shows how St. Paul recognized the diversity of gifts and charisms flowing from the same Spirit. These gifts and charisms are meant to unify and strengthen the one body of Christ, the community of believers , the Church. The Holy Spirit then, with his manifold gifts, empowers us to serve in many and varied capacities.

The parish life is a beautiful illustration of this truth. When a pastor is attuned to the gifts of the Spirit in the community, his leadership brings out the best in all its members even among the poor who become dependable committed community leaders. The parish becomes a community of servant-leaders. Oftentimes I would have goose bumps listening to these small communities singing their hearts out, “Parianong lungsod, harianong lungsod... awit pasalamat tibuok nasud.” Oftentimes, the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit in the community is just too palpable to miss.

What gifts and charisms am I endowed with? This is the Holy Spirit’s way of enabling me to serve the community. In what way do I fulfil my kingly mission? In short, in what way do I serve?

The Holy Spirit and our Priestly Mission. Prayer and forgiveness are at the heart of the priestly mission. Both can only be done authentically in the Spirit. The second reading reminds us: “No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:13). Our prayers, if they are to be authentic, have to be inspired by the Spirit. How often we feel that our prayers and liturgical celebrations are mere recitations of formulas and mechanical sequence of gestures born out of habit! Transformative prayers and touching liturgies are way beyond human habits. They are the fruits of the inspiration of the Spirit. They are the expressions of a human heart whose longing is intensified by the Spirit.

Forgiveness too, they say, is a divine activity. But the Spirit empowers the human to forgive. This is crystal clear in today’s gospel (Jn. 20: 19-23): “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them...” It is from here that the Church’s ministry of reconciliation flows. It is from here that I can forgive, to my amazement, an otherwise unforgiveable offense committed against me and the community. It is because of the Spirit that a hardened heart can gradually listen, understand, and finally forgive.

So, as we celebrate Pentecost today, let us recognize the work of the Holy Spirit in us and allow him to empower us to become Christ’s true disciples. Let us allow the Spirit to turn us into bold prophets announcing with joy the greatness of the Lord, into humble kings who serve one another untiringly, into prayerful priests who are agents of peace and forgiveness in this increasingly broken world.

I Am With You Always (Ascension Sunday A)

Little Tonton was spending the weekend with his grandmother after a particularly trying week in kindergarten. His grandmother decided to take him to the park on Saturday morning. The weather was good and everything was beautiful.

His grandmother remarked, "Doesn't it look like an artist painted this scenery? Did you know God painted this just for you?"

Tonton said, "Yes, God did it and he did it left handed."

This confused his grandmother a bit, and she asked him, "What makes you say God did this with his left hand?"

"Well," said Tonton, "we learned at Sunday School last week that Jesus sits on God's right hand!"

Today is the Solemnity of the Lord’s Ascension.Indeed, we always profess that Jesus “ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.”

The gospel of Matthew, particularly today's reading (Mt. 28: 16-20), does not give an account of Jesus’ departure. What he does assert is that Jesus has been given “all power in heaven and on earth” (v. 18). Second, Jesus shares this authority to his disciples by commissioning them to make disciples of all nations through baptism; and third, Jesus assures his disciples of his presence at all times and until the end (v. 19-20).

Jesus' Victory. In the light of Matthew’s account, our belief in the ascension of our Lord is not so much about the “how” of this event as it is about the fact that the risen Jesus has now returned to the very life of God and hence, shares the omnipotence of the Father. This assures us that our humanity, in the person of Jesus, the God-Man, has now fulfilled its destiny, that is, to share in the very life of God. In Jesus, the human being has now been incorporated into the being of God. The ascension event is, therefore, the ultimate victory of Jesus, demolishing the distance wrought by sin between God and the human.

Jesus’ victory is ours too. We can now look forward to the day that we shall live in the very heart of God’s being... in perfect intimacy... forever and ever.

Our Mission. While looking forward to that day of salvation, we are commissioned by the Lord to make disciples of all nations. There is just so much good news here that we ought to announce. The Lord wants us to share this good news to all peoples by making them his disciples. We are to be his witnesses to the ends of the world. We are to invite people to participate in the victory that is stored for us by the Lord. Hence, the ascension event is not just about Jesus’ departure; more importantly on our part, it signals the passing on unto us of his mission of proclaiming God’s love to the world. In other words, we are sent to let people know that, in Jesus, the unifying love of God has triumphed over the alienating effect of sin; in Jesus, the human being is now reconciled with the loving God.

Let us then continue to tell the world of God’s love... even if it continues to reject God’s invitation.

The Lord's Intimate Presence. Again, the Ascension of our Lord is not really about his departure. On the contrary, it is the assurance that the risen Jesus is ever more present in us in the most intimate way. “I am with you always” (v. 20). The Ascension is not a moment of feeling orphaned. Our belief in this event instructs us not to keep on looking at the sky as if to hope for a last glance of the disappearing Lord; instead, it makes us train our senses into experiencing the intimate indwelling of God in us here and now.

Celebrating the solemnity of the Ascension of our Lord is an invitation for all of us, his disciples, to be ever more sensitive to the presence of God in every moment of our lives.

Lord, I thank you for assuring me that you’re with me always. Let my life be a proclamation of your love to those who feel empty, alone, and unloved.

If You Love Me (6th Sunday Easter A)

A Filipino-Chinese businessman was dying. On his deathbed he called for his wife. “I’m here, Honey.” He called for his eldest son. “I’m here, Dad.” He called for his daughter. “Hey, Dad, I’m right here.” He called for his youngest son. “Hi Dad.” The businessman’s face was flushed with anger.  “Why are you all here? You good for nothing! Who is taking care of our business?”

This scenario might force some chuckles out of us. This is not how we expect leave-taking to happen.  We expect tear-jerking farewell messages from someone who is about to leave us behind, or more so, someone who is about to die. A farewell message is expected to be made up of words of love and tenderness.  It is touching as it is essentially a reminder that, after everything had been said and done, life is measured by how much it has been shared in loving. Farewell messages are an appeal to cherish the love that has been shared among family and friends.  Also, a leave-taking message is about words of assurance, a promise that everything is going to be fine, an encouragement to those left behind to move on in life with confidence.

Today’s gospel reading (Jn 14:15-21) is still part of the farewell discourse of Jesus at the last supper. But as it is proclaimed in our liturgy at this point in time within the Easter season, it is preparing us for our commemoration of Jesus’ departure on his ‘Ascension’ and giving us assurance as we anticipate the celebration of Pentecost.  Indeed, Jesus’ farewell message is both words of love and assurance.

As words of love, Jesus’ farewell message reminds his disciples of the love they have experienced and shared among themselves and with Jesus. Jesus desires that they cherish the love they have shared together in his company by keeping his commandments. “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” And what is the commandment of Jesus? Just a chapter before this gospel reading, Jesus is portrayed giving his commandment: “This is my commandment: Love one another as I have loved you” (Jn 13:34).

In his farewell message, Jesus is very clear about his desire for his disciples: that they may continue to be a community of friends or of brothers bound together by the bond of love they have shared among themselves and with Jesus.  The model of love they ought to have for one another is the love of Jesus. In the second reading (1 Pet 3:15-18), Peter exhorts the disciples of Jesus to remember how Jesus loved them: “Remember how Christ died, once, and for all, for our sins. He, the just one, died for the unjust, in order to lead us to God.” In a word, Jesus’ love is self-sacrificing.  This same self-sacrificing love is to be the kind of love the disciples ought to have for one another.

Do we see this kind of love among our Christian communities of today? To love as Jesus loved means to give our lives for the sake of others, leaving behind our comfort zones in order to help our neighbors in need; to build a better world committing our lives to the pursuit of justice and peace, to stand by the truth even when it feels like we're being crucified.  This is what Christian love means. Pope Francis has been very strong in reminding the whole Church of this essential vocation to love, to reach out to the peripheries and break free from her self-absorption: “I prefer a Church that is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security” (EG, 49).

As words of assurance, the farewell discourse of Jesus is also about boosting the disciples’ confidence.  Obeying the commandments of the Lord may not be that easy and simple for the sinful and easily discouraged followers of Jesus. Hence, Jesus assures them with these words: “I will not leave you orphans…” He promises them that the Father will give them another helper to be with them forever—the Spirit of truth who will dwell in them.

The same assurance is for us too today.  Our liturgy invites us to a humble acceptance of our limitation: If we rely only on our own strength, intelligence, and will, we will never be able to fulfill the commandment of Jesus, not always, not every day. Lest we end up as a frustrated people, we have to realize we are never meant to do it alone.  Jesus knows we need a helper. We need the empowering presence of the Spirit within us. That's why, through the Church, Jesus instituted the sacrament of confirmation, the sacrament of supernatural strengthening.

In the first reading from the Book of Acts 8:5-8, 14-17, Philip, the Deacon, preaches in Samaria and succeeds in baptizing a huge number of converts. In baptism, they have become Christ's followers. But when the news reaches the Apostles in Jerusalem, Peter and John went to Samaria in order to call down the Holy Spirit upon them by laying their hands on them.  This gesture is administering the sacrament of confirmation.

In confirmation, we receive the gift promised by Jesus, the Spirit. The Spirit indwelling in us is our inner source of supernatural light and strength to live out the great commandment of Christian charity. Do we tap

into this inner strength? Do we allow the Spirit within us to embolden us in carrying out our vocation to love in the same manner that Jesus loved?

Hence, this Sunday we are invited to seek the grace to live by the power of this Spirit dwelling in us so that, as we cherish the love of Jesus by showing him our loving obedience, we bravely fulfill his commandment of loving one another as he has loved us.

  

Jesus, the Way (5th Sunday Easter A)

In the film Blood Diamond, Solomon Vandy, a fisherman, is captured by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels when they invade their small village. Separated from his family, Solomon is forced to work in the diamond fields.  He becomes a very significant character in the story when he finds a large diamond of rare pink coloring in the RUF diamond fields. He hides it in the field just as the government troops launch an attack. He is captured along with the captain of the rebels and taken to prison. In jail, the Captain, who has seen Solomon hide the precious diamond, rants about the hidden treasure and is overheard by Archer, a diamond smuggler who is in deep trouble. Archer becomes desperate to hunt down the stone for it can mean his redemption.  But he has not the slightest idea where the stone is. There is only one way to find the large hidden diamond: Solomon.  He is the only way. So he arranges for Solomon's release from prison and offers to help him find his family in exchange for the diamond. Then they set out on an arduous overnight trek back to the mining camp. And all along Archer cannot do anything but follow the lead of Solomon for he is the only way to the precious diamond, his redemption.

In the Gospel reading of today (Jn 14:1-12), Jesus is like Solomon who alone knows where the treasure is.  Jesus says to us, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (v. 6).  This gospel reading from John is a portion of the Farewell Discourse at the Last Supper. Jesus addresses the concerns of his disciples as He announces to them his departure, that is, his death. But in the liturgical context of the Easter Season, our gospel today, as well as the first and second readings, is an invitation for us to reflect on the eventual 'departure' of Jesus in the 'Ascension' and the future of his disciples as Easter people. What are we to do after his departure?  

Trusting and Following the Way.  The departure of someone very significant to us can be very unsettling. It can leave us insecure and afraid for what is to come. Jesus addresses this anxiety by these reassuring words:  “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” These words are clearly an invitation to trust in God as Jesus indeed continues: “Trust in God still, and trust in me” (v. 1).  Trusting in God means facing the realities of our life as Easter people believing that whatever happens, God will not allow us to crumble and be crushed. Trusting is giving our best and allowing God to take care of the rest.  

We are not to worry a lot too because we know our way to the Father. Jesus has shown us the way. He is the way to the Father because He is in himself the truth, i.e. the revelation of the Father, and the life, i.e. the full knowledge of the Father, and gives the life of the Father to those who come to him.

Our earthly existence is always characterized by a restless search for what is true and meaningful. It is a journey towards the fulfillment of our destiny. In this search for truth and this journey we call life, we need Jesus. Jesus is our way. In the midst of this arduous trek, which is filled with so much difficulties, sufferings, discouragements, and stress, we just have to follow Jesus.  Without Him, we do not have the slightest idea where we are heading to.

In short, we are taught by Jesus what living the Christian life is really all about-- it is living with Jesus in faith. It is to make the Truth and the Life - the Father Himself - really ours by following Jesus who is the Way.

Growing in Identity and Ministry as a People. As the Easter season progresses, our attention is drawn beyond the intimate encounters with the Risen Jesus to the activity and organizational growth of the early Christians. In the first reading (Acts 6:1-7), we see the early Christian community effectively addressing the changing needs of a growing community by expanding its leadership structure adding specialized ministries to that of the Twelve. The community chose seven reputable men filled with wisdom and the Holy Spirit and the Apostles prayed over them for a special Church ministry. The seven chosen ones would 'serve at table' and handle the charitable works especially for the Greek-speaking Jews who were complaining that their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of goods.  Many say this is the beginning of the ministry of the diaconate in the Church.

We see here, therefore, the growth in the way the community in Jerusalem would serve one another while giving priority to the Apostles’ main mission of spreading the Word of God.  Also, we see here the gradual shaping of the spiritual edifice which the second reading from the 1st Letter of Peter 2:4-9 speaks of. Here, Peter depicts our identity as Easter people and encourages us to be aware of our responsibility as 'living stones,' with Christ as cornerstone, to form a 'spiritual building.' The rich images that we hear in this reading present our dignity as “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own” who announces his praises.

It means that through our sacrament of Baptism, like the Israelite people of old, we become a holy nation, a people set apart. We become God’s own people called to proclaim the mighty acts of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.

We are an Easter people. As such, we face the realities and challenges of our personal and communal lives with fundamental trust in God’s victory. We need not allow our hearts to be troubled, for, as an Easter people, we have known the Way to the Father. With the Risen Lord as our companion in our search and journey in life, we will never be lost for He is our way. The trek may be arduous and dark but the Lord leads us by the hand. We only need to cling to him and never ever let go when the journey gets rough and tough.

Besides, we journey as a people, the people of God, or as the spiritual edifice whose cornerstone is Jesus.  How can we ever be lost? With all these assurances of our belonging to Jesus—the Way, the Truth, and the Life—how can our hearts ever be troubled?