Homily for 20 May 2018

20 May 2018

Solemnity of Pentecost

Jesus ascended into the heavens, and as he went he gave his little group of followers their calling in life.  He said to them, “You will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth.”  That was their vocation: the spread the good news of God’s love and salvation to all parts of the world.  And then the Holy Spirit came upon them and empowered them to do just that.

So often, Pentecost is referred to as the “birthday of the Church.”  But it’s more like the birthday of the “missionary spirit of” the Church.  Before then the little Church—that little group of believers—had already been joined to Jesus.  [And we know their names: Peter, John, James and Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Thaddeus; together with some women, Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers (among them Barsabbas and Matthias) (Acts 1:13,14,23).]

They already existed as a band of believers, as the Church.  But with Pentecost they went from being an isolated group to being out and about in the world as a specifically “missionary” Church.  It’s like getting a diploma from high school or college: you feel empowered to go take on the world and make a difference.  It’s a thrilling experience of life!  And that’s what those first believers experienced: the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to go and impact others’ lives through by sharing the good news of God’s love and salvation.

But, you know, the world is a big place!  So, as we heard, the Spirit enabled them to speak different languages; to reach people who otherwise wouldn’t have heard the gospel message.  And this is where the Church—that little band of believers—became “catholic.”  After all, it’s one of the hallmarks of Christ’s Church, that it’s “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic.”  From day one, it’s been part of the Church’s self-understanding; that she is “catholic.”

Now, if when you hear the word “catholic” you immediately think of: the pope, bishops, hierarchy, the Mass, the Rosary, priests and deacons...Rome, that’s good.  It’s all part of who and what the Church is.  But the word “catholic” really is an adjective, just like those other three words: “one, holy, and apostolic.”  It’s an adjective: “catholic” means “according to the whole,” or as we’d say in English, “universal” or “all-encompassing.”

Jesus created a Church which is all-encompassing (or “catholic”); one that goes out to anybody and everybody in order to spread the gospel message.  It’s also a Church which opens the door to anybody and everybody who wants to follow Christ in a particular way of life.  At Pentecost, God created a “catholic” Church, a universal and all-encompassing Church.

So the purpose of the Church isn’t to be just an isolated little thing; the Lord created her—at Pentecost—to be a Church: on the move, making a difference, transforming life on earth, inviting humanity back to reunion with God.  This is part of the Church’s vocation: to love God, to love her neighbors, and to go make disciples of every nation. 

And the Church fulfills her vocation in a million different ways, through all the countless callings God has given his people (which we talked about last week).  No single person reaches everybody.  But, as a whole, the Church has many “tongues of fire” which it uses to reach out to the multitudes.  (It’s one of the blessings we have here at St. Clare, the fact that you don’t have to listen to just one preacher throughout the year: you have a priest and three deacons who preach in different ways, who reach different people from different backgrounds.)

“Diversity” is a hallmark of the Catholic Church, and we see that so clearly in the image of the multitude of tongues in the Acts of the Apostles.

I’ve heard a few people (outside the parish) say they’re watching us at St. Clare (in a positive way), to see what happens.  And they say that in reference to the merger and how parish life in general continues to take shape.  And what they seem to be suggesting is that the basic idea of “catholicity” is put to the test here at St. Clare.  They’re interested to see how the “catholic” Church takes shape among a diverse group of people.

When I was a seminarian, I was assigned to a parish in Indiana, and it was merging with another parish.  And they were vastly different communities.  One was a large community, mostly Caucasian, middle-upper class, with their own local traditions and ways they celebrate the Mass.  They had a big gothic church downtown.  The other was a pretty small community (maybe 100 people), mostly Black with some Hispanic, lower-middle class, with their own cultural traditions and ways they celebrate the Mass.  They had a small brick church a few blocks away. 

They merged...and they’re going strong, at least in part because they know what the word “catholic” means.  Being part of the “catholic” Church allows for such diversity.  And not only that, it also encourages that kind of diversity...for the purpose of spreading the gospel message to a variety of people.  Can people be on the same page, with regard to the common mission of Christ’s Church, while at the same time respecting (and even encouraging) diversity in the parish population?

This is what the Church calls “unity in diversity:” a diversity of God-given vocations, calling, gifts and talents...all serving one purpose; namely, the glorification of God and the sanctification of the world.  But that’s how the Holy Spirit worked there at that first Pentecost: the Spirit unites, and he also diversifies.

In the “catholic” Church, everybody should be able to find a home—everybody, that is, who is looking for a place to belong.  And that can be so different that what we experience in other places.  I think of high school and peer pressure: the pressure to “fit in,” to be like everybody else for the sake of belonging; the pressure to sacrifice yourself to conform to someone else’s standards.  We don’t do that in the Church.

That’s not to say there aren’t certain standards we try to follow.  There are.  But they’re pretty basic to human nature: love God, love your neighbor as a brother or sister, use the gifts God has given you, be respectful, encourage others, share Jesus with people who need him...I guess those are “standards” we try to adhere to.  But, they’re meant to build up, not tear down.  They’re meant to cause growth, not destruction of the individual.

(Of course, there’s also the weekend Mass schedule, which is another thing we conform to, whether or not we like it.  But that’s another homily…)

In the “catholic” Church, everybody who’s looking to belong somewhere should have a home.  That’s part of the gospel message, right?  The good news of salvation: that God draws all people to himself.  And it’s the basic vocation of the “catholic” Church to spread that good news to those who need to hear it; the core of the gospel message: “Jesus Christ loves you (yes, you); he gave his life to save you; and now he is living at your side every day to enlighten, strengthen, and free you” [Evangelii Gaudium, 164]. 

Who do you know who needs to hear that?  A friend, a spouse, people you wouldn’t normally think to reach out to?  Do you need to hear it? 

“Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they [your “catholic,” universal Church] shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth”…through her.