(Apologies: I thought this had been sent our for your reading.)
Today, Pentecost Sunday, as we know, the celebration of the Easter season draws to its conclusion. It was ninety days ago that we initiated an annual retreat that has taken us through forty days of reflection. In that period of time we sacrificed in order to strengthen our vision and our goals. We endured the revisiting the dusty Calvary hillside path and the painful journey of Jesus to its top. Together with women and men we now know as saints we caught glimpses and words of a victorious Jesus during the forty days following the Easter Sunday that affirmed our redemption. Today the Church invites us to a celebration of the unique gift Jesus and the Father entrusted to us.
The work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of each one of us creates a new presence of Jesus Christ in our world by creating the Body of Christ. Today we celebrate the uniqueness of the gift: it is a gift to each one of us personally, especially marked out for us on the day of our Confirmation. Likewise it is a gift to all of us together, together as the community of believers, of followers.
While we believe that Jesus ascended from this earth to return to the kingdom of God, to be with God, his Father, we continue to believe that he, Jesus, is here with us even today, even here among us gathered to praise and worship our God. We believe that Jesus is physically present in and through the Body of Christ. How many times do we say or recall that Jesus is present in one another. We say that we do believe that Jesus speaks to us at times in and through our sisters and brothers. How many times do we express our belief that through our hands, our eyes and our hearts we are serving one another as the instrument Jesus uses to bring himself to others.
Many of you many have seen the documentary, The March of the Penguins. In a way the experiences of the penguins may well be likened to the activity of the Body of Christ. In the sub-sub zero weather of Antarctica and the South Pole, these elegant animals form one body, huddled together for one purpose: to survive the onslaught of the bitter cold and vicious winds. As the winds increase and the temperature drops, the penguins, in the huddled formation, take turns standing on the outer circle so that all are protected. Standing alone in the painful weather conditions, no penguin can survive. Together as one community, the penguins realize there is hope.
Likewise, in the documentary we see the magnificent sharing of responsibilities, especially in the propagation of the community. The male and female penguins have distinct responsibilities. Momma penguin lays the egg but Papa has the dual duty of keeping the egg warm until it is hatched and then keeping the young penguin warm until Momma comes back from the distant waters bearing a belly fully of food for the youngster.
Isn’t that so much like the body of Christ in our Church where there are many ministries that enable all of us to be nurturers to one another in our journey of faith? By teaching our youngsters about the Commandments, the Sacraments and the life of Jesus Christ are we not building a protective wall about the community to protect it from the many assaults that would undermine the faith that has been instilled in their hearts? By teaching them the value of the Christian community are we not feeding their hearts and minds as well as our own with food that will strengthen us on our journey of faith?
Today is truly a day when we celebrate our community life in the Church. This is the day when we celebrate the birthday of the Church. I would ask you to pray today for a deeper understanding of the importance of our gathering as one body, the Body of Christ. Especially, I would ask you who are parents of younger people to take some time today to teach them that we come to Church not simply because we are called to do so by the commandments of the Church but because it brings us together as one family, the Body of Christ. It is together, sharing in our faith, sharing the Eucharist that we strengthen our own participation in the Body of Christ.
What greater reality is there for us in our world today than because of the Eucharist being identified as one with Jesus Christ and thereby with each other? I do not believe there is anything greater. So, I close asking you to pray for one another especially our sisters and brothers who cannot be with us because of illness. Let our faith and our petitions before God be a sign to them that even though not with us physically, they are with us in our prayerful hearts.
The work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of each one of us creates a new presence of Jesus Christ in our world by creating the Body of Christ. Today we celebrate the uniqueness of the gift: it is a gift to each one of us personally, especially marked out for us on the day of our Confirmation. Likewise it is a gift to all of us together, together as the community of believers, of followers.
While we believe that Jesus ascended from this earth to return to the kingdom of God, to be with God, his Father, we continue to believe that he, Jesus, is here with us even today, even here among us gathered to praise and worship our God. We believe that Jesus is physically present in and through the Body of Christ. How many times do we say or recall that Jesus is present in one another. We say that we do believe that Jesus speaks to us at times in and through our sisters and brothers. How many times do we express our belief that through our hands, our eyes and our hearts we are serving one another as the instrument Jesus uses to bring himself to others.
Many of you many have seen the documentary, The March of the Penguins. In a way the experiences of the penguins may well be likened to the activity of the Body of Christ. In the sub-sub zero weather of Antarctica and the South Pole, these elegant animals form one body, huddled together for one purpose: to survive the onslaught of the bitter cold and vicious winds. As the winds increase and the temperature drops, the penguins, in the huddled formation, take turns standing on the outer circle so that all are protected. Standing alone in the painful weather conditions, no penguin can survive. Together as one community, the penguins realize there is hope.
Likewise, in the documentary we see the magnificent sharing of responsibilities, especially in the propagation of the community. The male and female penguins have distinct responsibilities. Momma penguin lays the egg but Papa has the dual duty of keeping the egg warm until it is hatched and then keeping the young penguin warm until Momma comes back from the distant waters bearing a belly fully of food for the youngster.
Isn’t that so much like the body of Christ in our Church where there are many ministries that enable all of us to be nurturers to one another in our journey of faith? By teaching our youngsters about the Commandments, the Sacraments and the life of Jesus Christ are we not building a protective wall about the community to protect it from the many assaults that would undermine the faith that has been instilled in their hearts? By teaching them the value of the Christian community are we not feeding their hearts and minds as well as our own with food that will strengthen us on our journey of faith?
Today is truly a day when we celebrate our community life in the Church. This is the day when we celebrate the birthday of the Church. I would ask you to pray today for a deeper understanding of the importance of our gathering as one body, the Body of Christ. Especially, I would ask you who are parents of younger people to take some time today to teach them that we come to Church not simply because we are called to do so by the commandments of the Church but because it brings us together as one family, the Body of Christ. It is together, sharing in our faith, sharing the Eucharist that we strengthen our own participation in the Body of Christ.
What greater reality is there for us in our world today than because of the Eucharist being identified as one with Jesus Christ and thereby with each other? I do not believe there is anything greater. So, I close asking you to pray for one another especially our sisters and brothers who cannot be with us because of illness. Let our faith and our petitions before God be a sign to them that even though not with us physically, they are with us in our prayerful hearts.
