Today’s Solemnity is the day of power for the Church. It is considered the birthday of the Church, when the Holy Spirit comes down upon the Apostles who then go out to proclaim the gospel. Today we look at this day celebrating it as a day of power and miracles and with reason. Jesus, after all, said to the Apostles that they would have power when the Holy Spirit comes down upon them.
When we think of God’s power, we think often of miracles. For example, let us look at the Apostles who were healed before they followed Jesus. There was St. Peter who was healed of . . . oh sorry that was his mother in law and that was after he began following Jesus.
Well, there is St. Bartholomew, who, actually no I that was not him . . .
Oh I know there was St. James who . . . no that was not him. Hmmm what healings did he do to the Apostles. Actually none.
They witnessed miracles, but they were not the subject of the miracles. Yet, they stilled followed Jesus. Why?
We can see this in the gospel of John where Peter explains that they follow Jesus because He alone has the words to eternal life.
This fact shows more the power of the Holy Spirit than all the miracles we see in the bible. For it reflects the greatest work of the Holy Spirit which is the renewal of our minds.
Let me show you an example. Drug abuse has been around since men first discovered herbs. However, during the 1960’s much of the drug abuse particularly in the abuse of LSD was centered on a chemical way to encounter God. You actually cannot do that, but many believed you could and hence you had Harvard Professors Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert create a program based on doing exactly that. Both were cast out of the university, one has since died and the other long ago changed his name to Ram Dass and now preaches enlightenment to the baby boomers and people flock to see him. Why? Because they seek wisdom and if they cannot find it where they should they find an ersatz of wisdom where they should not.
However, the whole reality begins with seeking the deepest of wisdom. They left the Church because they Church did not offer it to them, even though the Church has the greatest wisdom. That is in the Spirit of Wisdom which is the Holy Spirit.
Even today, there are those who see the Church as just a bunch of rules and do not engage in the gift that is the Holy Spirit upon us giving us the greatest of all wisdom of ourselves and our being.
Yet, this is the greatest gift of the Holy Spirit, His wisdom that leads us to understand more deeply ourselves and Christ as we seek the Father.
If we continue to read the words of the saints and the fathers of the Church, we can see that the power of the Holy Spirit is leading us to understand the truth to which we are called.
Summing it up in the words of St. Paul, it is that through the Holy Spirit we have a renewal of our mind that leads us to have a deeper understanding of what it means to be here on Earth and where we are going.
How does it play itself out. Let me give you an example:
Recently, I had a discussion with a famous politician. I won’t mention his name. He asked me how politically to address the gay marriage issue. I explained that the issue is actually how one defines the human person.
The Church defines us one way through the influence of the Holy Spirit and the Goverment defines us differently through the influence of secular philosophy. I don’t see these two definitions being able to come together because they are so radically different. The Church’s position is based on a metaphysical understanding of what it means to be human and the government on a material understanding. So now we have a position where people are making a choice. The real choice is not so much for or against gay marriage, the real choice is found in how you understand what it means to exist on the planet and that leads you to make a decision for or against gay marriage, abortion, and everything else in the world. Yet, one position is done under the influence of the Holy Spirit and the other is done under other influences.
It is the Holy Spirit who guides us in our choices because He guides us in our self understanding and that is the renewal of the mind.
Let me show you the opposite: Those who try to convince us that God does not exist are by default trying to convince us of the following
That a roughly six foot intelligent bi-ped who teaches at what is called a university on some planet called Earth, which is the third planet from some star surrounded by nine planets, in some solar system in some galaxy somewhere in the universe is trying to convince me that he is the ultimate in knowledge of the Universe among all creation and he says God does not exist.
That is a ridiculous assumption.
Meanwhile we believe that there is a creative intelligent force of love that is intimately involved in our lives and seeks to lead us to become the fullness of what we are created to be in that same universe. This is what we embrace as Catholics through the interaction of the Holy Spirit. That latter understanding is growing all the time through the same Holy Spirit.
Today is a day to ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten us everyday and lead to understand more and more who and what we are in our relationship with God.
God bless you,
Fr. Robert J Carr
You can follow him on twitter as @frbobcarr. Thoughts, comments on the homily? Let us know at Facebook
Today’s Solemnity is the day of power for the Church. It is considered the birthday of the Church, when the Holy Spirit comes down upon the Apostles who then go out to proclaim the gospel. Today we look at this day celebrating it as a day of power and miracles and with reason. Jesus, after all, said to the Apostles that they would have power when the Holy Spirit comes down upon them.