Pentecost: Breathe in New Life-Exhale the Peace of Christ!
(05-23-2010)
Pentecost: Breathe in New Life-Exhale the Peace of Christ!
Cycles of life are a reflection of the Spirit of God, the breath of God in us. We celebrate so many of those life cycles in our parish this weekend. We celebrate Pentecost with the foundation of the Church in the gift of the Holy Spirit—Jesus giving his life’s breath to the disciples. This weekend marks new life in our Diocese as the Bishop laid hands on three young men, called about the power of the Trinity, anointed the men with Sacred Chrism, and imparted the Sacrament of Ordination. The ordination is God’s gift to our Church and Diocese in the rich heritage and the beautiful diversity being united in the Holy Spirit as the newly ordained priests venture into a full life of service to you the people of God. Such a journey for these young men began long ago as they heard God and the Holy Spirit and the love of Christ call out to them. Claiming their God given gifts, inhaling the beauty of God alive in them, took patience and trust in God and has been an extraordinary journey in faith for two have left families in Mexico to be a part of the American Catholic Church, one was born in Poland and now claims our country, all are bilingual and will be serving the needs of both cultures. One of the many powerful lines the Bishop offers in prayer for those ordained is “May God who has begun this good work in you now bring it to fulfillment.”
The work of the Holy Spirit—the light of Christ burns brightly in each of us. Making all one in Peace is the mission of the Holy Spirit as we hear: Jesus said, SHALOM "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." And when he had said this, Jesus breathed on them and said to them "Receive the Holy Spirit.”
Have we forgotten that we have the Holy Spirit in us? Do we see one another as gift, as a vessel for the Holy Spirit—as sacred and holy? Do family members see sacredness in each other? Do families see one another as holy in everyday life—speak words that are of loving respect?
The gift of the Spirit is at work in us as we eliminate evil deeds within families—sanctity of life begins at home with the ending of bickering and petty wars between relatives, ending hatred and jealousy, ending violence—in all its forms—must begin at home if we are to see peace and holiness throughout the world.
As we live the Holy Spirit in our daily lives we begin to see the life of all in our family as sacred and holy--we respect, protect and value the basics that give us life as sacred and holy—the air, water, the soil on this planet. We do not see life as disposable or take it for granted when we see God’s breath in all creation as sacred and with reverence.
Our breath, our very first inhale, began with God’s breathing into us. We all entered life into this world in the same way, but in different expressions of God’s creation. God formed us all with identical elements that come together as human—yet with creative diversity. Another of the many lessons derived from the Holy Spirit and evident in our Pentecost readings is that diversity is unity in God.
The words in our reading today: “began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim”; are a lesson for us—God’s creative rich diversity is not bound to one language, one race, culture or creed for that matter. All are to hear the voice of God –and find hope and love in His diversity of the human family.
We are many, we are one—one family of God—sharing in and caring for the abundance that springs forth from the only planet—the only form of life we know. Yet, we easily forget our sameness as we focus on external differences and not the beauty that comes from the breath and Spirit of God. How easily we ignore and waste and destroy the diversity of creation as so many species are killed off by us each year—plant, animal, birds, and human life.
When we breathe in Jesus we turn to him see his presence in our families, our workplace, our church, in his many faces and races, and in all creation. When we live in His Holy Spirit we work to welcome all people as children of God, we rejoice in the sanctity of all life, and we conserve the many gifts from our planet so that God’s legacy and heritage will live on for generations to come--the gift of Pentecost the gift in each one of us. It is difficult and challenging at times, but we also know what happens when we go against the will of God’s creative diversity—just look around!
We celebrate how God has gathered us together, here in this parish, this time in history, to rejoice in our God-created differences. We come together to pray for one another sharing God’s Word and Eucharist-- His Real Presence—offers us hope, gives us a chance to remember what God has done for us in Jesus Christ—united in prayer.
Think about all the cultures in this Valley that have come to this sacred block—any one of the three churches praying in the many languages for the same things—help, peace in families, wellness, hope, and love. We need one another--- for not one of us has all the gifts needed to minister or to address the needs of our church and school and the world around us. We come together in the diversity God intended --cultural and racial differences come together as an amalgam called St. John the Baptist Catholic Church and School.
The strength of our parish is not in the buildings or grounds, but in its people, sharing talents in many ways reflecting the Spirit of our patron saint who heralded the reign of Jesus Christ—and the Baptism by the Holy Spirit. When we are filled with the breath-Spirit of Christ our exhale is words of welcome and words of peace. Here we are embracing Pentecost and its meaning the founding of the Church for all people—all races and cultures and in many tongues that God has made. May God who has begun this great work in our faith family bring it to fulfillment for generations to come! Fr. Gordon
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