Pentecost, 2015

JOHN 7:37-39
    SEVERAL MONTHS AGO I WAS WALKING DOWN THE HALLS OF A NURSING HOME TO SEE A PATIENT.  I PASSED A ROOM AND  THE LADY INSIDE CAUGHT MY EYE AND I FELT THE URGE TO GO TALK TO HER, SO I INTRODUCED MYSELF AND E BEGAN TO TALK.  AFTER  TELLING HER I WAS A CATHOLIC  DEACON, I ASKED HER IF SHE BELONGED TO A CHURCH.  SHE TOLD ME SHE WAS CATHOLIC, BUT “NOT A VERY GOOD ONE.”  SHE HADN'T GONE TO COMMUNION IN 30 YEARS.  SHE HAD GONE TO SUNDAY MASS USUALLY EVERY WEEK, BUT SHE WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION SHE WAS EXCOMMUNICATED BECAUSE SHE HAD GOTTEN A DIVORCE.  AFTER I SET HER STRAIGHT, SHE MADE HER RECONCILIATION AND RECEIVED COMMUNION, SOMETHING SHE HAD TRULY MISSED.  WAS THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT ACTING THROUGH ME?  PROBABLY.
TODAY WE CELEBRATE THE COMING OF THE SPIRIT UPON THE APOSTLES AND THE BIRTH OF THE CHURCH.  IT'S A GOOD TIME TO ASK, WHY IS THERE A CHURCH AND WHAT IS MY ROLE IN IT?  OBVIOUSLY IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE SPIRIT.  IT WAS ONLY IN THE YEARS AFTER JESUS THAT THEOLOGIANS AND PHILOSOPHERS CAME TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE SPIRIT IS THE THIRD PERSON OF THE TRINITY.  BUT WE HAVE INTIMATIONS OF THE SPIRIT RIGHT FROM THE FIRST BOOK IN THE BIBLE, WHEN IN GENESIS IT SAYS THAT IN THE BEGINNING, THE SPIRIT OF GOD HOVERED OVER THE WATERS.  WE MEET THE SPIRIT IN EZECHIEL'S VISION, WHEN THE DRY BONES ARE BROUGHT TOGETHER AND GIVEN LIFE.  BUT WE REALLY MEET THE SPIRIT IN THE NEW TESTAMENT.  IN FACT THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES HAS BEEN CALLED “THE GOSPEL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.”
SO WHAT IS THIS SPIRIT, GOD HIMSELF AND AT THE SAME TIME POSSESSED BY EACH BAPTIZED CHRISTIAN?  WE HAVE A HINT WHEN WE HEAR THE ANGEL'S MESSAGE TO MARY, “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD WILL OVERSHADOW YOU.”  GOD BECAME MAN BY THE ACTION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE BODY OF MARY.  LATER WE HEAR JESUS BREATHING ON HIS APOSTLES, GIVING THEM HIS SPIRIT, THE SAME SPIRIT THAT IN COOPERATION WITH MARY GAVE GOD A HUMAN NATURE.  AND WE SEE THE EARLY CHRISTIANS TURNING TO THE SPIRIT FOR THEIR DECISIONS; WE SEE SAINT STEPHEN SEEING A VISION OF HEAVEN AS A RESULT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT; AND ON AND ON.  WHEN WE READ ABOUT THOSE EARLY DAYS, IT SEEMS FANTASTIC; WHY DON'T WE SEE THAT HAPPENING IN THIS DAY AND AGE?  WHERE IS THE SPIRIT?  WHERE IS THIS ONE WHO CAN CONCEIVE CHRIST IN MARY, AND IN US AS WELL?  PERHAPS WE DON'T SEE MUCH OF THE SPIRIT BECAUSE WE AREN'T LOOKING AND WE AREN'T LETTING THE SPIRIT WORK IN US.
AS FOR LOOKING, THE PLACE TO BEGIN TO LOOK IS IN THE PAST.  I SUSPECT  THAT EVERYONE HERE CAN POINT TO ONE OR MORE TURNING POINTS IN HIS OR HER LIFE, WHICH WEREN'T NOTICED AT THE TIME, BUT IN RETROSPECT IT WAS CLEARLY GOD AT WORK IN OUR LIFE.   IF WE CAN START BY RECOGNIZING THE BIG MOMENTS, IT BECOMES EASIER TO SEE THE SMALL ONES.  AND WHEN WE GET USED TO SEEING THE SPIRIT AT WORK IN OUR LIVES IN THE PAST, WE START TO NOTICE HIM WORKING IN OUR PRESENT.  I THINK ABOUT THE GREATEST TURNING POINT IN MY LIFE, THE GREATEST BLESSING, WHICH WAS TO MEET MY FUTURE WIFE.  HOW IMPROBABLE ALL OF THIS WAS, THAT GOD WOULD SOMEHOW BRING US TOGETHER; ME, BORN AND RAISED IN MONTANA, HER IN MARYLAND.  AND AS I GET OLD, I BEGIN TO SEE HIM WORKING IN MY LIFE RIGHT NOW; NOW AND THEN I'LL MEET SOMEONE WHERE IT IS OBVIOUS THAT GOD BROUGHT US TOGETHER FOR SOME REASON.  WHEN YOU LEARN TO TRAIN YOUR SIGHT TO SEE THE HOLY SPIRIT, YOU WILL.
AS FOR ALLOWING THE SPIRIT TO WORK IN US, IN ONE OF THE READINGS THIS WEEKEND, WE HEAR SAINT PAUL SAYING “THERE ARE DIFFERENT KINDS OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS, BUT THE SAME SPIRIT.”  AND LATER HE SAYS, “TO EACH INDIVIDUAL THE MANIFESTATION OF THE SPIRIT IS GIVEN FOR SOME BENEFIT”.  ISN'T THAT AMAZING?  PAUL IS SAYING EACH OF US HAS ONE OR MORE GIFTS GIVEN BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE CHURCH, NOT FOR OURSELVES.  DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR GIFT IS?  WE AREN'T TALKING ABOUT THE SO-CALLED GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT – WISDOM, UNDERSTANDING, COUNCEL, KNOWLEDGE, FORTITUDE, PIETY AND FEAR OF THE LORD – THOSE ARE GIVEN FOR MY PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT, SO THAT I CAN BECOME A DISCIPLE.  EVERYONE GETS  THOSE GIFTS INSOFAR AS THEY ARE NEEDED IN THAT PERSON'S LIFE.  THE GIFTS WE ARE TALKING ABOUT ARE ALSO CALLED CHARISMS.
THEY ARE NOT THE SAME AS TALENTS.  HOPEFULLY WE ALL HAVE SOME TALENT.  BUT A TALENT CAN BE USED FOR SELFISH PURPOSES, AND EVEN IF YOU HAVE A TALENT, IT DOESN'T HAVE TO PRODUCE ANYTHING.  YOU CAN BE A GREAT MUSICIAN BUT ONLY PLAY YOUR INSTRUMENT IN A SOUND-PROOF ROOM.  BUT CHARISMS CAN ONLY BE EXERCISED IN THE SETTING WHERE THEY ARE BENEFITING THE CHURCH IN SOME WAY.  ACCORDING TO PEOPLE WHO STUDY THESE THINGS, WHEN YOU ARE EXERCISING A CHARISM, TWO THINGS SHOULD BE OBVIOUS; FIRST, YOU SHOULD BE ENERGIZED BY EXERCISING IT; AFTER ALL, IT COMES FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT, WHO IS LIFE ITSELF.  TO EXERCISE A CHARISM IS BEING IN A GROOVE.  SECOND, YOU SHOULD SEE RESULTS.  IF YOU HAVE A CHARISM FOR TEACHING, PEOPLE YOU TEACH SHOULD LEARN.
NOW IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT PEOPLE CAN DO WHAT A CHARISM DOES WITHOUT HAVING THE CHARISM.  THERE ARE MANY PROFESSIONAL TEACHERS WHO DON'T HAVE THE CHARISM OF TEACHING.  THEY MIGHT HAVE A LOT OF KNOWLEDGE AND A LOT OF DESIRE TO COMMUNICATE THAT KNOWLEDGE, SO THAT THEY GO TO GREAT LENGTHS TO BE EFFECTIVE TEACHERS; BUT THAT ISN'T THE SAME THING AS HAVING A GOD-GIVEN GIFT OF TEACHING.
THE CHARISMS ARE ACTUALLY GIVEN TO PEOPLE SO THAT GOD CAN LOVE OTHER PEOPLE THROUGH THEM.  IF OUR WORLD WAS THE WAY IT SHOULD BE EACH OF US WOULD BE LOVING EACH OTHER THROUGH THE EXERCISE OF OUR CHARISMS.
SO THINGS AREN'T THAT DIFFERENT FROM THE EARLY DAYS OF THE CHURCH.  THE SPIRIT STILL WORKS AMONG HIS PEOPLE.  BUT ONCE WE RECOGNIZE THE SPIRIT IN OUR OWN LIVES AND ONCE WE KNOW THE GIFTS HE HAS GIVEN US FOR THE GOOD OF THE CHURCH AND INDEED ALL OF GOD'S PEOPLE, WE CAN OPEN UP  THE WAY FOR THE SPIRIT TO RUSH UPON US LIKE A MIGHTY WIND, TO INFLAME US WITH DIVINE LOVE, AND TO DO THINGS THROUGH US THAT ARE BEYOND OUR ABILITIES AS HUMAN BEINGS.  AND IF WE LEARN TO DO THAT, THE CHURCH BECOMES WHAT JESUS MEANT IT TO BE – THE PLACE WHERE GOD LOVES HIS PEOPLE.