In
this coming Sunday’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we hear about
a very special day and a driving wind from heaven. That wind blew open doors
and changed hearts forever.
On
that day in Jerusalem on the Jewish feast of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit offered
grace and the Apostles said, ‘Yes.’ Out of that ‘yes’ the Church was born. And
from that point forward the Gospel, the good news that God loves each of us
unconditionally and that death is not the end, spread to every corner of the
world in every age — even here to New Jersey.
But
for the fifty days leading up to that day, the Apostles, those special friends
of Jesus, were dealing with issues of loss, abandonment, grief and self-doubt.
They were broken people. They had spent three joyful years with this wonderful
man, this miracle worker — who had made each one of them feel as if he or she
was the most loved person in the world. And then suddenly, one evening after a
lovely dinner, it all ended. Just like that ─ he was taken away from them and
killed. And their hearts were broken in a million little pieces.
After
the Resurrection they experienced scattered moments of confused elation. But on
Ascension Thursday they felt that Jesus had left them forever. So, on that day
in Jerusalem, on the feast of Pentecost, the Apostles, those special friends of
Jesus, were about to give up.
Loss.
Abandonment. Grief. Self-doubt. How many of us can relate to that? A parent, a
child, a friend, a lover ripped from our lives in an instant. But on that day,
that Pentecost, their brokenness was healed. By saying, ‘yes’ to the Holy
Spirit stirring within them, the Apostles were empowered to pick themselves up
off the ground. And as a result we are together in our parish church 2,000
years later.
We,
like the Apostles, are friends of Jesus or we wouldn’t be at Mass. And, like
the Apostles, we are human beings who during our lifetime must deal with issues
of loss, abandonment, grief and self-doubt. We must cope with sickness, death,
disillusionment, war, violence and all the uncertainty that surrounds us. But
when we meet Jesus in Holy Communion, he makes each of us feel like the most
loved person in the world. And as we accept the Eucharist and say, ‘Amen’ we
are really saying, ‘yes’ to God’s grace just like the Apostles did on the day
in Jerusalem.
And
little by little, day by day, that grace transforms us; and through us the
world. It enables us to bring God’s Presence into all the circles of our lives:
to our families and friends; to the workplace and the classroom; the streets,
the highways and every place we go.
That
grace enables us to say ‘yes’ to the gifts of the Holy Spirit that Saint Paul
speaks about in Sunday’s second reading. It enables us to carry on the mission
that Jesus gave to his disciples in Sunday’s gospel. It enables us to do for
future generations what the Apostles did for us.
On
Sunday, when the time for Communion comes around, if we listen with our hearts
as we say our ‘Amen’, we just might hear the sound of a strong driving wind
rushing through our soul. And as we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we, like
the Apostles, will be transformed — once again.
………………………………………………………………………………..
Readers
of this blog might enjoy these books by Deacon Lex. Both are available on
Amazon.com:
Just to Follow My Friend: Experiencing God’s Presence in Everyday
Life
Synchronicity as the Work of the Holy Spirit: Jungian Insights for
Spiritual Direction and Pastoral Ministry
