Pentecost, May 22, 2010

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Acts 2:1-11; Romans 8:8-17; John 14:15-16,23b-26

       

       A very talented organist, in the days before motor-driven or electric organs, gave a very magnificent concert in which the big pipes sent forth glorious, thunderous tones. After people finished congratulating him, the little boy who had worked with all his might at the bellows remarked,

“We did pretty well, don’t you think?”

The organist scornfully replied,

“And what did you do?”

He gave the boy no credit at all.

       A month later, during another concert, the organist came to a stormy passage that required all the wind of which the bellows were capable. Suddenly the organ began to fade away. The organist signaled for more wind. Instead, the little boy pulled aside the curtain and said,

“Is it I or is it we?”

       It isn’t just that through the efforts of the priest or the deacon or the choir director that Christian community thrives and is animated. It is simply not enough.

       It takes all the members of that community, or realistically speaking as many as possible, to create an environment and relationships enabling experience of God to be present to all those who are a part of this community or who encounter that community.

       There is a reason why we have been the members of St. Mary's in Blacksburg or why we come here to worship and celebrate our faith. There is a reason why we posses particular talents and gifts. And The Holy Spirit whose Solemnity we celebrate today always tries to move our hearts and minds to see those reasons.

       Today's solemnity marks the beginning of the church. The church that is not the building. That is not an institution which operates best with minimum diversity and maximum conformity. But the church that is the community of believers, the community of the disciples of Christ who through the guidance and encouragement of The Holy Spirit try to continue and to complete the mission of Christ in this world.

       We have heard today different members of our community reading the Scriptures in different languages. We have experienced and will experience many of them through our conversations with them or through the ministries they are engaged in.

       What is that talent or gift which I might posses which could enrich community of St. Mary's, help their members to encounter God and aid Christ in completing His mission in this world?

Ascension 2010

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Acts 1:1-11; Hebrews 9:24-28;10:19-23

If we take a quick look at the different religions in the world, we find that most of them have some kind of ascension account. Christianity has the Ascension of Jesus, which we celebrate today. In Judaism the prophet Elijah ascended in a fiery chariot. From the rock of Abraham in Jerusalem, Islam’s founder, Mohamed, ascended.

Contemporary movies and television shows about space travel add to our fascination with ascension. Celebrating ascension seems to lift us up and move us beyond our earthly boundaries.

The theme of ascension is so prominent in our lives that many of us attempt to rise above life and avoid it instead of immersing ourselves in it and proclaiming the good news about it. For example;

·       If we have a personal problem, we try to rise above it by blaming another member of our family or our community.

·       People with smoking, eating, drinking, or drug disorders or addictions most of the time deny having any problem. It is someone else who has caused them to smoke or to eat too much. Society caused them to drink too much or to try drugs.

·       People try to rise above decision-making, too. Faced with an important decision, many of us go to someone else and ask him or her to decide for us. We are afraid of making a mistake.

However, in celebrating the Ascension of Jesus, we are not pointed up. We are definitely not invited to rise above life or to avoid living it.  No, we are sent to proclaim the good news here and now. We are to proclaim the mystery of God’s kingdom, Jesus’ victory over death and evil, the mystery of his resurrection, the mystery of God’s love and mercy: in the midst of our families, classmates, co-workers, neighbors.

Instead of trying to rise above life, we are to immerse ourselves in it to share with others the plenty of good news which is offered to us. We are not to avoid living in the world; we are not to be afraid of living as the Disciples of Christ. We are to give witness in the world what it means to live life to its fullness as the Disciples of Christ.

For only than we will be truly ready to join Christ where he is, and one day to graduate so to speak from this life to the next one.

6th Sunday of Easter, May 09, 2010

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Acts 15:1-2, 22-29; Rev 21:10-14, 22-23; John 14:23-29

In his opening address at the second session of the Second Vatican Council, Pope Paul VI declared: “The church is a mystery. It is a reality imbued with the hidden presence of God. It lies, therefore, within the very nature of the church to be always open to new and ever greater exploration.”

          One of the earliest and most difficult situations faced by the early Christian community was one that continues to challenge us, namely how do we maintain harmony among a group of diverse people with varying opinions and traditions?

          The issue presented to us in today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles concerned a disagreement about the requisites for salvation. Some Jewish believers in Jesus insisted upon maintaining their Mosaic dietary laws and the traditions of Judaism. Other believers in Jesus insisted that faith in Jesus was the sole requisite for salvation, which is God’s gift to all regardless of their race, nationality or social status.

          There is a good reason why Jesus in today’s gospel tells his disciples that they will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. He obviously knew that his disciples needed the guidance of that Spirit right away. And so when the two groups from today’s first reading clashed, both were wise enough to submit their differences to the power of the Holy Spirit.

That Spirit is God’s gift, not the consequence of our human effort. That Spirit cannot be contained. It cannot be claimed as the possession of any one person or group. The Spirit blows where it will, and may be discovered in the least likely people and in the most unexpected places. The Spirit is always teaching, always reminding, always enlightening. The Spirit is available to everyone – to the churched and to the unchurched; to those who believe and who do not; to Christians and to all who believe in God; to men and women; to clergy and laypeople; to sane and insane.

          Our survival as the church depends on our responses to the Spirit, as the breath of that spirit prompts us to grow, to develop, to adopt and change.

          Whenever we as hierarchy or community, or individuals try to control that Spirit instead of allowing that Spirit to guide us we are attempting to cut ourselves from God. We begin to worship idols of our creation or imagination slipping away from the purpose of our existence as the Disciples of Christ. Than anxiety, division, irrational conflict or even hatred enters our lives and our hearts are troubled or afraid. The Peace of Christ is gone from our lives.

5th Sunday of Easter, May 02, 2010

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Acts 14:21-27; Rev 21:1-5a; John 13:31-33,34-35

Once upon a time in a land not far, far away from here, a catechist gave a very detailed lesson on the Ten Commandments. At the end of the class she wanted to check how much of the lesson students understood so she decided to quiz them. She asked a simple question: “What was the First Commandment?” Since no one was eager to answer, she called on one of the boys who were staring into space. The boy thought a bit. “The First Commandment,” he answered, “was when Eve told Adam to eat the apple.”

          Obviously, the bad news is, the boy’s answer clearly indicated that he still needed many more years of Christian formation. However the good news is, he definitely despite his young age was already showing the traces of a good husband material. For the first commandment of each wise husband can be easily expressed in a statement Remember, listen to your wife always.

          In today’s gospel, Jesus gives his disciples a new commandment. He tells his followers to love one another. This is one of the last commandments he gives them before he is going to die, so to speak this is his deathbed wish. Jesus wants his disciples to love one another as he has loved them for this is the way in which the world would be able to recognize them as his disciples.

          We live in the times when, I would dare to say, our love of one another as Christians is not very inspiring. Our witness as Christ disciples is severely hurt and diminished by hatred and lack of love that mark’s our dealing with one another, our dealings with one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. Depending on global or more local settings we hear, see or experience many divisions, confusion, abuse, betrayals, and finally power struggles among us. In many ways, it is easier for us to love our enemies, whomever we label this way, particularly when we do not need to deal with them every day or when they are far away from us.

          Jesus commandment to love one another is directed to us. To each one of us here who thinks about himself or herself as a Christian.

This weekend our children are receiving First Communion. This is a very special moment for them. In the years to come, they will continue receiving the body and blood of Christ. Hopefully this celebration together with the witness of their lives will be slowly transforming them into Christ, and Christ disciples. We will also baptize the new member of our community, promising him to teach him the ways of a disciple of Christ.

The way we love one another is the visible presence of Christ among us. The way we love one another is how these children and the rest of the world know that we are true Christ’s disciples.

         

         

4th Sunday of Easter, April 27, 2010

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Acts 13:14,43-52; Rev 7:9,14-17; John 10:27;30

Nothing is clearer in today’s passage of the Acts of the Apostles, than the fact that good can come out of misfortune. God indeed writes straight with crooked lines.

          Rebuffed by his own people, even persecuted by them, Paul moved without hesitation toward the Gentiles. The Spirit of God was with him and Paul’s missionary efforts. Our presence here, the presence of the Gentiles, is a pure testimony of this simple fact.

          Sometimes misfortune or tragedy may become a moment of grace. However, that is not easy to see at the time of trial. It takes that perseverance about which the Book of Revelation speaks today. And it takes other people and community we live in to support us.

          God speaks to us in different ways hoping that we will hear His voice clearly, and that we will follow what He tries to communicate to us, that we will dialogue with each other helping one another to understand His voice.