St. Edward on the Lake, Lakeport, MI | DOWNLOAD AUDIO
June 4, 2017
Pentecost Mass During the Day and Graduates’ Mass
Acts 2:1-11; 1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13; Jn 20:19-23
Today, we celebrate the great solemnity of Pentecost. It is on this day that we commemorate the Holy Spirit coming down from Heaven upon the Apostles and disciples of the Lord. The First Reading from the Acts of the Apostles gives us the details of this magnificent event, which is often referred to as the birthday of the Church.
The Apostles and disciples were in the Upper Room, all gathered together. This is what the Lord had asked them to do. Acts 1:4: “While meeting with them, [Jesus] commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for ‘the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak’”. Jesus promised when He ascended into Heaven that He would not leave them orphans. He would send to them the Holy Spirit who would be with them until the end of time. And so Jesus tells them to wait for that promise. And so they were waiting, praying, for this promise of the Holy Spirit to come. And then suddenly, everything shook, like a strong driving wind, and in the form of tongues of fire, the Holy Spirit descended upon each one of them.
Now the Apostles and disciples were not only waiting and praying for the Holy Spirit to come; they were also hiding. They were afraid. This was a group that was still not sure of itself. They knew that they were being sent out to proclaim everything that the Lord had taught them, but they also knew that doing so would have meant persecution. It wasn’t that long ago that they saw what happened to the Lord Himself. Surely, they would have met a similar fate. And so they are locked away praying and waiting, but also hiding.
But something dramatic happened to them when the Holy Spirit came upon them. And suddenly, things were different. They were filled with great strength and courage. They walked out of that locked room and never turned back. They went out and did what the Lord called them to do. They boldly proclaimed Jesus’ Name and taught everyone everything that the Lord had taught them. Yes, they knew that they would be persecuted (in fact, all the Apostles were martyred except for John the Evangelist who lived in exile), but they were no longer worried about that. They were no longer afraid. All that mattered was the mission – doing what the Lord had called them to do.
Yesterday, Archbishop Vigneron’s Pastoral letter was released. I hope to have some time to read it soon, but one of the things that he says in the letter is that when it comes to doing the work of the Lord, the work of the Apostles, there are no bystanders. The command to not hide away from the world out of fear, the task of proclaiming Jesus’ Name to others, and to boldly teach the world everything that Jesus has taught us instead of keeping it to ourselves – these are not just for popes, and bishops, and priests, and nuns. None of us is allowed to say, “That’s for someone else”. These things are for all of us to do.
Now each of us is going to do that in different ways. St. Paul tells us that there are different spiritual gifts, different forms of service, different workings, but it’s all God’s and it’s all for God. And whatever our state of life is, whatever our occupation is, whether we’re young or old, male or female, clergy or laity, there’s something for us to do. We all have a piece of God’s vineyard that is entrusted to us (a parish, a family, a classroom, a department at work), and God makes available to us the necessary gifts that we need to do the work. But it’s up to us to do the work. No one is going to do it for us.
And yes, it’s scary. It’s intimidating. Let’s be real: We’re living in a world that is hostile to the faith. But that’s why our task is more urgent than ever. That’s why God sent to us the gift of the Holy Spirit – so that we would have what we need to do what we are called to do.
This message of Pentecost is particularly applicable to you, our graduates who we are honoring today. You have finished high school. That’s no easy task in itself, and so we all congratulate you. You’re all attending college or university in the Fall. Some of you are staying local, some of you are going elsewhere. I see that some of you are going to play sports, studying engineering, physical therapy, finance and marketing, and attending pre-med school.
It was 25 years ago that I graduated from high school. Right away, I went to U-M Dearborn to study Electrical Engineering. Even at a young age, I knew that I was going to study engineering. And I loved it, and I even spent a few years after college working as an engineer. But at the same time, throughout the latter years of college and as I was working, I had a sense that there was something else for me. It took me a while (and a lot of prayer) to finally figure out what that was, but I finally understood that God was calling me to the priesthood.
My point is that you never know where God might be leading you. You may start off studying one thing and later on decide that something else is for you. Perhaps a vocation to the priesthood or religious life. Twenty-five years ago, I would have said, “No way”. But here I am.
Lastly, there was one more person who was there with the Apostles and disciples: the Blessed Virgin Mary. Mary is always present with the Church, and she is always present in our lives. Be devoted to her even as Christ Himself was devoted to her and honored her as His Mother. If you don’t already have a devotion to Mary, begin to have one. Pray the Rosary. Even if you just pray one Hail Mary everyday. But bring her into your life. And just as she guided the early Church to listen to her Divine Son, she will help you to hear His voice in our life as well.
May Christ continue to watch over us and keep us in His love at all times. Let us all be the modern day Apostles and disciples of the Lord, bearing His light and salvation to more people of all the nations, by our actions and by our deeds. Come, Holy Spirit, come and inflame us with Your light
