Dear Friends,
This last Sunday in May is the Solemnity of Pentecost, and with it, we come to the conclusion of our fiftydays long celebration of Easter. Even though we have not been in church for the Easter Season this year, we have still prayed over, celebrated, and I hope, taken to heart once again, each of us in our own way, the meaning of Easter. Easter means the victory of life over death, courage over fear, joy over sadness, and so much more.
As we read in the Acts of the Apostles, Jesus before being taken up into heaven tells the disciples that they would be the recipients of a marvelous gift, the Holy Spirit, who will empower them to be his witnesses, not only in Jerusalem, but far beyond, even to the ends of the earth. As the story is told, the disciples returned to Jerusalem, to the Upper Room where they had shared that final meal with Jesus, and there, in prayer, awaited the fulfillment of what Jesus promised. We can also imagine that they went to that space to hide for their lives, thinking that the religious and perhaps the civil authorities were out searching for them. What happened to Jesus could very easily happen to them. So there, in fear, but also in hope, in longing expectation, they prayed and waited.
That Sunday came and with it an unforgettable experience. Something happened that changed, trans-formed, those disciples locked away in fear. As Luke tells it in the Acts of the Apostles, a sound like a strong driving wind was heard in that room. Tongues as of flame appeared, resting on each of them, and they were able to speak the message of the Gospel, the message of salvation in Christ, in many languages. Then, inexplicably, they rush out of that room and begin to speak the message. Peter delivers a passionate sermon and thousands who hear him, from all parts of the known world, become believers. The Holy Spirit came to them as Jesus promised, the Gift of the Father, and with the Spirit, a powerful transformation.
All of us received the Holy Spirit in Baptism, which conformed us to Christ, and again, if we were con-firmed, in Confirmation, empowering us to live a life of effective witness, to bring Jesus to others. As we mark Pentecost today, we might do some soulsearching. How effective have we been as witnesses to Jesus and what he taught, what he lived for, and what he died for? Have we been all too willing to go along with the crowd, to get along without standing out or making waves, either out of fear or the attraction of our own convenience? What can we do, going forward, to be better witnesses to Christ?
One thing we can do is to try to live each day without an overarching, even paralyzing sense of fear. In these times of pandemic and upheaval, many of us are easily tempted to give in to needless fear. We spend too much time sitting in front of television and far too much time listening to the news, no matter what network we may prefer. The news media today, by and large, accentuates the worst possible scenarios and does not give enough attention to those things that speak of hope, of optimism, of a better tomorrow. There are some who say that they will not go back to living as before until it is safe, and this usually means until there is a vaccine. While I do hope and pray that an effective vaccine for COVID19 can be found, there is no absolute guarantee that there will ever be one. We can not stay at home in our “Upper Room” as it were, cowering in paralyzing fear. We can not wait until life is perfectly safe for us, for living a life where there is no risk, for that would not be living at all.
Does this mean that we should immediately and recklessly go back to the way things were before March? Of course not. We should take precautions. We should be careful if we are over a certain age, dealing with health issues, or have family members of a certain age or with health issues. We should wear masks whenever we are close by others, six feet or nearer. We should wash our hands regularly and be careful whenever we are near others, not only to protect ourselves but also to protect them. We should do whatever we can to live healthy lives, noting that health is not only measured physically, but also mentally, and spiritually. We should do what we can to maintain and improve our physical health by eating properly, eliminating unhealthy addictions or habits, and get-ting enough exercise and sleep. We should do what we can to improve our mental outlook by watching the news once a day, and then looking for what is positive in our lives, what we have to be thankful for. We can do some reading or take up again some hobby we had in the past or something new. We should do what we can to strength-en our spiritual lives by taking some of the long stretches of time at our disposal for more prayer, the reading of Scripture or other spiritual reading, meditation, spending time in church each day in private prayer.
I will end my Pentecost sermon on an upbeat note. Things are indeed looking up. The curve is flattening, hospitalizations are down, and we can hope that the worst is behind us. We must not, however, rest on our laurels. We must move forward, together, caring for our own health and wellbeing and that of others, knowing that we are not alone in this. The Spirit poured out on Pentecost still moves within us and all around us. The plans and de-signs of God’s own heart will come to pass. We are in very good hands. Take courage! Have no fear! Remember what Jesus said, “I am with you always, even until the end of the ages.”
Have a good week!