PENTECOST HOMILY
Blog version May 19
Readings Acts 2 John 16 (Read Romans 8, too)
Happy Pentecost! Happy Church birthday! 33 a.d. to now.
On this very special day of The Church, let us ask ourselves two fundamental questions: Who do we love? Who do we worship?
For those people not in or of our Faith, they might answer the question with more like “What do I love?” And “What do I worship?” And immediately they are revealing some form of putting idols onto their heart’s throne. They break some of God’s key commandments in that life orientation. Or, they might be so bold (that is, foolishly so) to put themselves as the answer: “First of all, I love and serve Me!” (I am my own idol; I am my own god.)
That’s sad for an answer, or for one’s witness of life. For life is about God as #1, and no one or nothing else. St. John of the Cross asks all disciples of Jesus to Prefer The Lord. It’s a good motto.
To prefer nothing other than Christ and God. This is our Passion; this is Pentecost for us. The Holy Spirit is come to help us glorify Christ
in our lives and to get into the Communio (or Communion) of God in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I need to love God! We need to love God! I need to worship and serve God! Together, we need to worship and serve God. It is what life is all about, and we are celebrating a birthday again of it, since 33 a.d. to today: We are the Church, the people blessed in the Holy Spirit, poured out to us for life in Jesus Christ, with destiny to the Father, and to be led by the Spirit as children of God. Bible verse: “Those who are led by the Holy Spirit are the children of God.” Romans 8:14. Live by it.
That’s the short of it, friends. Now I’ll go into more detail…
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It’s two fundamental questions: Who do we love? Who do we worship? We have a heart and soul to fill up: Will it be God Who is the Presence inside of us? Or not? It was Blaise Pascal in the 17th century, in looking at modern man, who said that the inner being of our soul thirsts to be filled. He surmised philosophically how we each have within us A GOD-SHAPED VACUUM that can only be satisfied if and when we accept and submit to God to fill our soul and bless our whole being. The Catholic man Pascal said this is what Christ Jesus and His Spirit proposes to people of the world. To fill us. To indwell. We lost this original blessing at the Fall into Sin by humanity. Yet the joy of life is there is reconciliation made available by God in Christ His Son and via His Spirit. We need to be like those Jerusalem disciples in the streets at Pentecost, heralding the outpouring of grace from God for a new, reborn life. I need Your Mercy, Lord. I need your life within me, Lord, so I repent of sin and let it get taken out of the way of Your Will. Yet it is the sinner who does try all sorts of replacements (idols) to fill the void, the throne place within that Paschal described. They spurn of letting God have His first place in them. But WHO will be fundamentally SAVIOR and LORD of our lives? Some people sin badly by not inserting a “what”as the soul’s possession but a “who” answer to the dual question, (of who do you love—who do you worship). Yet when God is not put as the answer of Who but they choose some other human or spirit or humanistic way—then the claimant is in the unofficial religion called “secular humanism” –with God pushed far from center and as like non- existent. Self is at center. Thus, a separation from God and Heaven is their present state and final and eternal end. Jesus said of those in this self-state: ‘You are already standing condemned with the self-said ‘ruler’ of this world, the devil (John 8 & John 14) and belong to what is below, not above. If you do not believe I AM, then you’ll die in your sins and separation. “ Are you not struck with the good and holy fear of God by Jesus’ statement? It’s a serious situation. We ask the Holy Spirit for help. Today’s epistle tells us flatly: No one can say or live a Jesus is Lord life without the aid of the Holy Spirit. I know of some people in a blended new age religion who don’t even know that they are in the service of an evil spirit. They are bowed down to it, even duped so. I told this to a Reiki follower –of how they have a spirit master in their practice. They denied it. I said: Do you not call on an energy force in your work? They said yes. I said: Is it the Spirit of Jesus Christ you call upon or another? They admitted: Another. I said: That very well may be the spirit outside of God’s obedience you use. Do you realize that? Do you see who/what you serve? They commented: I like it. It works. I don’t like religion. I replied: It is independence from God you like, and you better turn around from that. Take a look at yourself more. Many don’t even have to say the answer of who or what they love —for it is clearly themselves whom they worship and serve, and with the want to acquire all the things or desires they can. All keen observers can note that in them. A few sharp observers might see that in this service to self, that they do turn to the dark world or rebellious world, or at least fight against the Truth of God and Christ and His Church in their some way as they go along. It’s the apart-from-God spiritual reality. You are aligned to whom/Who you serve. I recall a Bob Dylan song and message about Christianity’s core message: “You gotta serve somebody. Well, it may be the Devil or it may be the Lord…But you’re gonna have to serve somebody! (You) might be a rock ‘n’ roll addict– prancing on the stage But you gotta serve somebody. You may be a construction worker– workin’ on a home But you gotta serve somebody. You may be a preacher preaching spiritual pride You may call me Terry, you may call me Timmy But you’re gonna have to serve somebody (serve somebody) But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes, you are Will it be the Devil or will it be The Lord? ‘Serve somebody…. If a person is serving the Lord, then that is good. We are headed for the same home. There is harmony in our aim, the same Spirit in our heart. If a person is serving themselves, then—ultimately, other people then are all rivals to their own #1 claim. They are their own “lord.” So watch out. They hardly see how the devil is their master, the original proud rebel versus God. And they’re serving on his side, until they turn and decide NOT to, but to serve The LORD. We are people of The Lord. Who do we love? God. Who do we worship? God alone! Our Lord and Father God has sent the Lord and Son incarnate in Jesus Christ to love and worship and serve. He has sent us The Lord and Advocate that we might enter into and share love and glory in God via The Son. Our Pentecost Gospel (John 15-16) describes this method for our freedom to love and worship God even as adopted people into Christ’ Body. So we are to name God and love God and worship Him- as being in the Spirit of God’s possession. As a church family, think of how we’ve done it so this morning—- We began worship in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit… the priest declares the LORD be you, and in agreement you return the Lordship of Christ to him. Then the priest leads our mercy prayer of “Lord Have Mercy.” Then we sing Glory to God in the highest—God is first-place, indeed God reigns! Then, before this Scripture time of Mass, the opening prayer petitions the Trinity to meet us in this liturgy. Those four things to start Mass start our re-declaration that it is God Whom we love? We are come to worship The Lord alone. We are fellow pilgrims on a journey here. Helpers, not rivals, in the body of Christ. Please make it to the start of Mass for this exaltation of the Lord, or else you’ve missed four times of our ‘already praise’ of gathered love and worship of God. It’s our important lead off to the Sacred Liturgy. In it, we pray in alliance with God, and we dare separate ourselves from the world about us of all those God-deniers and Self-promoters. Here we are in the Sacred Liturgy, saying: ‘We praise You! We bless and adore You, and we glorify You, O God!’ Gather us into Your Heart of Love and Unity, O God. |
There is the story of the single-guy, empty semi-truck driver on I-75 going through Toledo, Ohio. He had stopped off at an exit for a near-
midnight coffee and food grab, to sustain him in his return drive home up to Pontiac Michigan. He had met some of the local Toldeo folks at the closing restaurant who seemed as “salt of the earth” good people. They and their friends, the restaurant owners, had kept the place open just for him and extended the Saturday night closing time in a spirit of generosity and care. They noted his over-tired look and his account of driving 13 hours already, and then saw him fall asleep in the booth. They worried for his trip home in his tired condition, and so they all pitched in for him to stay a couple of blocks away in a nice, un-booked B & B, of one of their other friends. Their offer was received warmly by the traveler. He asked them—what had you all agree on doing such a nice thing for me? They answered: Our common thread is that we all go to Our Lady’s parish on this road! He retorted: “Holy Toledo! There really is a Holy Toledo, right here! Thanks.”
He was seen at Sunday 11 a.m. Mass there the next day at Our Lady’s.