Pentecost Sunday

"Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth." What image did you hold in your mind as you sung these words today? Are you waiting for a miracle, of either divine or political origin, to get us there? Or are you willing to be an instrument of the Spirit right here and right now? All our Parent asks of us is that we acknowledge our neighbors as our family, then allow grace to take over our hearts. It is the only renewal we need. And also the only one with even the slightest chance of success.

Acts 2:1-11; Psalms 104:1-34; Romans 8:8-17; John 14:15-26

Pentecost Sunday

Veni, Sancte Spiritus. Ask and she will come. But he will not bring the gifts you expect, and certainly not the ones you want. Just yesterday, the Church honored our martyred brother Oscar Romero. What does his sacrifice mean given the violence that has consumed El Salvador since his death? Where is the peace, justice, or love? Are we ready now to bear the truth of the kingdom, or must we continue to hide from its fire? Will you take up your cross knowing full well that it will not change the big picture of this world one bit? Will you see the kingdom as it is, not as you want it to be? And will you run to that kingdom and embrace all the strange beauty it has to offer? Veni, Sancte Spiritus.

Acts 2:1-11; Psalms 104:1-34; Galatians 5:16-25; John 15:26-16:15

Pentecost Sunday

"Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." We tend to view this as a gift of power and authority, but it is not. No, it is a test, a test of our ability to listen, and of our willingness to love. Our Parent has shown us their boundless mercy. Our Brother told us to love our enemies. The Spirit simply offers us the opportunity to live out such mercy and love. She continuously gives us the chance to recognize and act upon the truth that the greatest divine gift is our brothers and sisters, human and otherwise. Will we tarnish that precious gift by abandoning them to the bondage of sin, or will we lift them up with mercy and love into new life? There is no studying for this test. Nor are there any clever tricks to letting go of the anger and fear that hold us back from forgiveness. Our Lord has sent out his Spirit, and if we trust in their mercy and love, she will renew the face of the earth. The choice is ours.

Acts 2:1-11; Psalms 104:1-34; 1 Corinthians 12:3-13; John 20:19-23

Pentecost Sunday

Acts 2:1-11; 1 Corinthians 12:3-13; John 20:19-23

The real gift we celebrate today is an invitation to participate in the sharing of grace. But is that a gift we want to accept? Are we willing to serve every last one of our Parent's children, or only those who please us? I say that all of us will receive our measure of grace, whether in this life or the next. But if it is the latter, be not surprised when you are seated at table next to the sibling you left in shackles.

Pentecost Sunday

Acts 2:1-11; John 20:19-23

The Church has a love/hate relationship with divine revelation. Revelation gave birth to the Church, but it must be controlled for the Church to maintain its power and influence. One problem. Does the Holy Spirit seem like someone who can be controlled? Perhaps they'd be more successful herding cats, but you have to respect the effort. Who else would be arrogant enough to think that they can control whom God speaks to? More importantly, if the Holy Spirit came to the Church at Pentecost, why would she ever leave? Would she really say "that's good enough" after inspiring the apostles and their students? Does it really make sense that public revelation ended with the books of the New Testament? I say that revelation is ongoing and never ending. Jesus did not culminate the time of revelation, he blew the doors wide open. And we desperately need to walk on through, because we still don't get it. Jesus offered us the chance to forgive the sins of our siblings, but we choose to retain them instead. It would be absurdly funny, if it wasn't so damn pathetic.

Galatians 5:16-25

The Spirit and the flesh "are opposed to each other." Is that what the Incarnation teaches us? This example is why we still need public revelation. Prior revelation is never perfect or complete, because we never truly get it. Our love is limited, God's is not. He always has more to teach us. Jesus and his apostles built upon the revelation of the Hebrew Scriptures. I have been given a revelation that builds upon the Christian Scriptures. And someone will come after me to build upon all of it. This is the way God works. She always has something to say. It may be inconvenient for our corporate masters, but God does not shut up just because it is inconvenient to the power men. We all need to remember who's really in charge around here, and it's not the babbling monkeys.