Power of the Spirit

First published in 2022 as “Receive the Spirit,” a homily I wrote for Pentecost Sunday.

Happy birthday, brothers and sisters! Today we celebrate Pentecost, 50 days after Easter, the “birthday of the Church.”  On that day something amazing happened. Something that encouraged the early followers of Christ so that they no longer hid in fear but instead boldly proclaimed the Good News of Christ so that all who would listen could be saved.

We hear in the Gospel today that after His Resurrection, Jesus stood in the midst of the Apostles who were hiding from the Jews behind locked doors. There Jesus said to the Apostles, “Peace be with you.” Not words of disappointment or questions about why they ran and left when He was arrested, but simply “Peace be with you.” Not only this but He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” and sends them forth just as Jesus Himself was sent by the Father. Peace and Holy Spirit are what Jesus gave to the Apostles, and that is what Jesus seeks to fill our hearts with today.

In the first reading we can see what this Holy Spirit does. We hear in the Acts of the Apostles how tongues of fire descended upon the disciples and that they were filled with the Holy Spirit, causing something very interesting to happen. There were people present from many different places and who spoke different languages, yet they understood one another. The Holy Spirit brings down all barriers and heals all divisions, and He enables people to go and proclaim boldly the Gospel message.

Have you ever been to another country and went to Mass? Maybe you didn’t understand exactly what was said or what the homily was about, but you knew what was happening, right? It was the Mass. It was the same Jesus. The same Holy Spirit. And the language of this Spirit is something that goes beyond our grammar and syntax, it’s a language of love, a language that speaks to the heart. A language that speaks to where we most need healing, peace, comfort, and rest. It is the language that says “I love you.” It is the language between God and His children. St. Paul reminds us that we have received the Spirit of adoption, and we call God, “Abba, Father.”

Brothers and sisters, we are so loved by God. It was not enough for Jesus to suffer and die on the Cross where He gave up his life and spirit for us on Good Friday. It was also not enough for Jesus to rise from the dead on Easter Sunday. He loved us so much that even after ascending into heaven, 10 days ago, He sends us His Spirit as He has promised so that we might no longer live in fear or doubt or shame or guilt, but rather live in the freedom of the children of God, which we have been made. There is nothing more that can keep us from God. Jesus descended into hell, and broke through the gates of hell triumphantly, and the Holy Spirit broke down the language barriers and the gates that kept our hearts locked. Let us live in the Spirit, let us live in God’s love. Brothers and sisters, Jesus gave us His Spirit so that we might know that we are forever loved and held in the hands of His Almighty Father. Today Jesus says to us, “Peace be with you! Receive my spirit!” Will we be open to and allow the transformative power of God’s love to work within our hearts to cast out all the worries and anxieties that may be weighing on our hearts today? He wants to. Let us let Him. What are those things, brothers and sisters that are heavy on our hearts today? Let us take a moment to bring them to the Father now.

In a short while, the same Jesus who asked the Father to send down His Spirit upon the Apostles on that first Pentecost Sunday will once again be made present to us on this very altar, so that all who chooses to receive may be filled with the peace and the love the Jesus brings.

So indeed, Happy Birthday, brothers and sisters, for today, the Spirit of God has come down upon us, renewing us, strengthening us, inviting us to a new life once again, a life that never ends, a life that is in Christ Jesus, Our Risen Lord.    

For another reflection on Pentecost Sunday, see “Say What?”

Jesus Did Not Leave

“And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:20b

In many parts of the country, the Church celebrates the Ascension of Our Lord on the Seventh Sunday of Easter. Usually on Ascension Thursday or in many places the Sunday following the Ascension, we celebrate the day Jesus ascended into Heaven, returning to the Father to prepare a place for us all in His Father’s house. It is important to note that Jesus ascended into Heaven and yes, He returned to the Father, but He did not leave us.

After His Resurrection, Jesus stayed on earth for another 40 days, appearing to His disciples, perhaps preparing them for His ascension by reminding them of all He had taught them and encouraging them to keep the faith. When the 40 days came to an end, He ascended into Heaven but assured the disciples that, “I am with you always” even until the end of the world. So, did Jesus contradict Himself when He said this? His actions certainly did not match His words. How can He say He is with us always when He is literally going up into the sky? But we know that there can be no contradiction. There must be something deeper. There must be a more profound reality and truth here.

If Jesus said He remains with us always then He must mean it. Perhaps not in the same way He has been with the disciples, but a presence nonetheless. Jesus had promised to send the Holy Spirit (and, we celebrate this on Pentecost Sunday, next week!). The Holy Spirit is who remains with us and who makes Jesus present to us. For Catholics, at the Mass, it is the Holy Spirit who makes Jesus present in the Eucharist. For the baptized, we have received the Holy Spirit, and so Jesus remains with us always. So, when Jesus ascended into Heaven, He did not leave us, in fact, He remained with us in a way that is most personal — in our hearts, in our beings, and in our minds. Jesus is present in the Sacraments and so whenever we receive the Sacraments we experience a personal encounter with the Lord.

We can also understand this on a more human level. When we are away from our loved ones, we know they are still present in our lives. We can call them and write to them. Physical distance does not diminish their presence in our lives. Even when loved ones pass from this world, their presence does not diminish. If we truly believe in eternal life and in the Communion of Saints, then our deceased loved ones are present to us in a much realer way than ever before. We pray for them and they pray for us. We are bound together in faith and by the Holy Spirit. So, the same Jesus who died on the Cross, is the same Jesus who ascended into Heaven, and He is the same Jesus who remains with us today. Never doubt that Jesus is with you. Close your eyes and call out to Him. He is there. Go frequent the Sacraments — He is there. Kneel before the Blessed Sacrament — He is there. Look at your family and friends — He is there.

No, when Jesus ascended into Heaven He did not leave us, He chose to remain with us in a way that He could not before. He is here with us, right here, right now.

Never Alone

“I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
In a little while the world will no longer see me,
but you will see me, because I live and you will live.”

John 14:18-19

“I will not leave you orphans.” The very first time that I can recall hearing this verse from John’s Gospel was a few days after our father passed away. At the time I was in college and my spiritual life consisted only of going to Sunday Mass, so I really do not know how I stumbled across those words from Scripture. It must have been the Holy Spirit. I was filled with emotions — grief, sadness, confusion, and somehow this verse made its way into my heart “I will not leave you orphans.”

Sometimes in our lives we experience the loss of a loved one. Other times we may also experience the loss of a friendship or the loss of trust or some other betrayal that leaves us confused and questioning why. Maybe after several years of investing in a company or group, they suddenly no longer feel you are a fit for them. Sometimes those whom you trust most will be the ones who let you down or betray you. Jesus knew this firsthand. Perhaps that is why He assured His disciples, “I will not leave you orphans.” Jesus was rejected by His own people and was later betrayed by His very own friend. He knew what it feels like to be left behind. Yet, He knew that even in those most desperate moments He was not alone, for the Father was with Him. In the same, the Lord tells us that we too are never alone, even when we may feel that way.

Even when those whom we trust most betray us, even when those whom we love choose to walk away from us, even when we seem to have been left in the dust, and even when we feel all alone, Jesus says to us, “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” Perhaps a parent’s love or a mother’s love is similar. They may not always be physically there, but deep down, when you sit in the silence and listen to the beating of your heart, you know that your parents are with you. “I will not leave you orphans.” May we always remember that even as we walk through the loneliest times of our lives, we are not alone. Jesus says, “I will come to you.”

Happy Mother’s Day.