PENTECOST - 2

PENTECOST

Introduction:   Today the Church celebrates

the Father’s gift of the Holy Spirit.

 The Spirit is given to the Church to

 communicate to us the things of Jesus (John 16,15).

 He makes Jesus known to us (1 Cor 12,13),

 He communicates to us all the fruits of salvation that

 Jesus gained for the human race by his saving death

and life-giving resurrection.

 How wonderful that we can receive

the power of the Spirit from Jesus!

Turn to him in faith and receive the Spirit from him.

Prayer: Jesus, my Saviour and my Lord,

 breathe your Spirit into me and fill me

with your forgiveness, salvation, life and peace.

THE HOMILY:          Several years ago a group of

 computer salesmen from Milwaukee went

to a regional sales convention in Chicago.

They assured their wives that they would be home in plenty

 of time for dinner. But with one thing or another

 the meeting ran overtime,

so the men had to race to the station, tickets in hand.

 As they barraged through the terminal, one man inadvertently

 kicked over a table supporting a basket of apples.

Without stopping they all reached the train and boarded it

with a sigh of relief. All but one. He paused, got in touch

with his feelings, and experienced a twinge of

 compunction for the boy whose apple stand had

 been overturned. He waved goodbye to his fellow salesmen

 and returned to the terminal. He was glad he did.

 The ten-year-old boy was blind.  The salesman gathered up

his apples and noticed that several of them were bruised.

He reached into his wallet and said to the boy,

“Here, please take this $10/- for the damage we did.

 I hope it didn’t spoil you day.” As he started to walk

 away the bewildered boy called after him,

“Hey, mister, are you Jesus?”

My dear friends, when we get in touch with

our honest feelings, we touch the Holy Spirit.

 When you act upon the impulse of the Holy Spirit

 you are bound to do good to someone, build up somebody.

You may appear to yourself quite ordinary, even no good,

 but others will discern something uniquely good in you,

something you never dreamed. Jesus, at 30 years went down

 to the river Jordan, and as he came out of the water

his Father declared, “You are my beloved Son.” Jesus

 did not need to proclaim himself.

The Spirit descended upon him, and under

 the impulse of the Spirit he entered the wilderness

 to fast and pray. After that period of prayer and fasting

he began his public ministry of teaching and healing.

The people paid him two beautiful compliments.

 About his teaching they said, “What gracious

words fall from his lips.” And about his work,

 “He has done all things well.” How we wish people

 could say of us, too. Even the demons that Jesus

 challenged residing in those poor victims

 had to declare: “We know who you are,

the holy one of God.”

Great things happen when you surrender to

 the action of the Holy Spirit. Even your smallest

 actions help to restore and build up other people.

Handing your life over to the Holy Spirit produces

a new life programming; then you begin to work

 according to God’s timetable, the divine schedule,

 and you don’t have to worry where it will lead.

 It’s like jumping on to a fast moving train without

 worrying about the timetable or destination.

Only faith can take such risks, because faith has a wild,

 spontaneous quality about it. The faith that made

Peter jump into the lake and walk on the water to meet

 his Lord. Faith that made those people remove the tiles

 from the roof of the house and send down

 their paralytic friend – special delivery to Jesus.

 Think of those soldiers, sailors and airmen who saw

action in the Second World War, Korea and Vietnam

 and many other battle zones. So many of them have

 taken to the caring professions, even become priests

 and contemplatives. Like Peter they took that

wild plunge into the waters of the Spirit and discovered

 to their wonderment that they could walk a new road,

build a new world, have a new fire-power.

Actually by our baptism we have been plunged

into the Holy Spirit, truly immersed,

like sponges in the ocean. All we need do is

to become aware of this profound truth and open

 ourselves to the cool and gentle current of the Spirit.

Jesus once said to Peter: “The Spirit breathes where it will;

 you do not know where is comes or where it goes.”

 Then Jesus continued, “When you were young you

 could go where you pleased. But once you are old

(i.e. matured in the Spirit or handed over), the Spirit

 will take you where your human instinct

 wouldn’t like you to go.” The human instinct

 of the computer salesman was to hurry back home,

but the Spirit took him back to that ten-year-old

 blind boy whose apples he’d overturned.

 Peter once tried escaping from Rome when the

 persecution was getting too hot for him.

 But, true to himself, he went back and he

 was finally dragged to his execution by crucifixion.

The manner of death doesn’t count for those

 who die with honour in the Holy Spirit.

PRAYER: (Hildegaard of Bingen, 1089 – 1179)

Holy Spirit, the life that gives life,

You are the cause of all movement,

You are the breath of all creatures,

You are the salve that purifies all souls,

You are the ointment that heals all wounds,

You are the fire that warms our hearts,

You are the light that guides our feet.

Let the world praise you.