Parish Bulletin for Sunday, May 3, 2009

Fourth Sunday of Easter

One Flock and One Shepherd

Blended families face a number of adjustments. When divorce or death claims a spouse and the remaining spouse remarries, a new family is born. Included in this new family are children from one or both of their first households. Many of these blended families are comprised of children who are sometimes described as "yours," "mine" and "ours." Inevitable tensions arise as differing household styles and rules and traditions collide and conflict-solving becomes part of life.

Similar conflicts threatened the unity of the early church as it began to realize itself as a blended family, drawn together by a shared faith in Jesus. There were the Jews, to whom Jesus first extended the gift of salvation. Some welcomed the gift, others did not, and the resulting tensions caused divisions. Nevertheless, and as the speech of Peter reveals in today's first reading (Acts), the early believers in Jesus continued to invite all of the Jewish people to accept Jesus as the Messiah.

Also included in the blended family of the church were all those non-Jews who were traditionally regarded as beyond the pale of God's saving concerns. As shepherd and saviour of all people, the Johannine Jesus (Gospel) acknowledged their belonging and his desire to be their pastor and protector. "I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead and they will hear my voice."

In the same breath, Jesus spoke of laying down his life and taking it up again. He has done so for all God's sheep and every member of the human community without regard for their ethnicity, age, gender or worthiness. Jesus envisioned the blended family for which he gave his life as "one flock with one shepherd."

Through the centuries, believers in Jesus have alternately run toward and away from the realization of his vision. At times, that running has slowed to a limp due to the wounds that have been inflicted by estrangement, rejection, misunderstanding, ignorance, distrust and even hatred. During these weeks of the Easter season when we as a community take our annual journey to our roots, perhaps it is also the time to look at what we have grown into – a multiplicity of flocks, each claiming to hold the prerogative on the truth and on authenticity. While all claim to believe in Jesus, this belief does not always translate into the mutual caring and acceptance of one another that Jesus desired for his own.

In order to move closer the vision of one flock and one shepherd that Jesus sets before us today, we might benefit from some of the advice offered to blended families by expert counsellors. One source of advice suggests that common sense is one of our best allies in relationships. Treat one another with kindness, patience and respect. Choose to accentuate and build upon points of unity. Respect and learn about one another's differences, seeing these as assets rather than deterrents to unity. Be open with feelings and fears; talk through rather than ignore conflicts.

Above all else, cultivate a selflessness that values and reverences the other and, when feelings are hurt and relationships are wounded, don't withhold forgiveness. Be the first to try to make amends and reach out to the other with healing in your heart and hands. If nuclear families can benefit from these words of advice, why can't the family of believers in Jesus do likewise?

In today's second reading, the writer assures us that we have the equipment to do so. We are, all of us without exception, God's beloved children. Because of the love God has for each of us, we are empowered to love others as God loves us. This love, if we dare to believe in it and access its power, can truly transform even the most disparate and dysfunctional group of people into a family, blended together in faith and sustained by that love that originates in God.

As the church has grown and spread throughout the world during all these centuries, Jesus' other sheep have taken on many different identities. They are the poor, the marginalised and disadvantaged. They are the unwanted needy whose hungers and homelessness continue to witness to the selfishness and apathy and even the disdain of many of us. They are the unwelcome immigrants whom we fail to recognize as brothers and sisters on the same journey toward the same home under the leadership and protection of the same shepherd. They are the refugees who seek asylum and are turned away.

These other sheep are Palestinian and Jew, Muslim and Sikh, Hindu and Methodist, Catholic and Lutheran, Orthodox and Reformed. All these sheep have value, and they have the right to belong to one flock with one shepherd. We can recognize this if we remember that Jesus did not suffer and die for a few or for a select group or even for the worthy. Rather, he died willingly for all.

This willingness is underscored by the rather surprising way that the Johannine Jesus speaks three times of his saving action on behalf of all his sheep: "I have power to lay it [my life] down and to take up again." This Jesus is no victim of Jewish rejection or Roman oppression; he is the loving shepherd and Lord who found his freedom, his power and his purpose in obedient surrender to God's will. His example invites us to do the same.

That all our beloved dead, especially

TUESDAY, May 5

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Gioan Bautixita Vu Khac Than

WEDNESDAY, May 6

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Maria Mary Yau

THURSDAY, May 7

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Charlie O'Sullivan

FRIDAY, May 8

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Antonia Fung

. . . may find eternal rest and refreshment in the kingdom of heaven . . . We pray . . .

For the sick, especially for those who have asked for our prayers . . . for healing for the sick . . . for courage for those in pain . . . for those who struggle with the challenges of everyday life . . . We pray . . .

Reflection on 1 John 3:1-2

The ancient writer of our second reading today spoke and wrote from the heart in order to gather his listeners into his message concerning the love of God. That great and holy love, he insisted, has made of us God's very own children. Each believer is called to reflect his or her lineage by loving others as God loves.

Often portrayed as the adopted children of God in the Hebrew scriptures, the Israelites associated their adoption with the covenant and regarded the commandments as the formula that guided their lives as God's children.

In the Christian scriptures, Jesus is portrayed as revealing God as a loving Father whose love makes all the children capable of loving. And yet, this same writer also feels it is necessary to write, "The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him" (v. 3).

This comment affirms the close connection between Christ and believers; both are unrecognized by "the world," that is, those outside the household of the faith. But this comment could also mean that believers are known to be God's children precisely because they are rejected. It is not glory or beauty or power that distinguishes God's own; rather they are set apart because they share with Jesus the burden of rejection.

By doing what is good, believers constitute an affront to those who choose evil and who refuse to allow God's heart to speak the truth to their heart. When he first attempted to speak to the hearts of his listeners, many of whom had separated themselves from the rest of the Johannine community, the ancient author's heartfelt words fell on deaf ears.

Nevertheless, and is evidenced in his letters, he did not give up; he returned again and again to his major point: God loves us; we are God's children; we also are to love one another so that others may see that love and believe. As the ancient writer continues to make his message known in our hearing, it falls upon each of us to take it to heart and make it our own.

Parish Bulletin for Sunday, May 10, 2009

Fifth Sunday of Easter

"I am the vine; you are the branches"

The vine was an image with which the contemporaries of Jesus would have been quite familiar. The twisted branches of a growing vine exhibit formidable strength. Each branch begins as a delicate, slender, pale-green tendril that reaches out to attach itself to a wall or trellis. Within just a short time, that tendril can be pulled from its place of mooring only with difficulty; it has taken hold and, as it draws its life from the gnarled vine that has sent it forth, it begins to grow. With its growth comes a hardening into permanence so that the tendril begins to resemble the vine from which it came. As it grows, it fastens itself to other tendrils that have also grown into branches, and these form a living network of life and strength that will eventually bear much good fruit.

With this rich image to inspire their efforts for the Gospel, the Johannine Jesus sent his disciples into the great vineyard of humankind. He reminded them that apart from him, the true vine, they would be able to do nothing. However, if they remained in him and allowed the word that he spoke to remain in them, their service would be authentic and their prayer effective. Although Paul and Barnabas (Acts) predated the final draft of the Johannine Gospel, their efforts on behalf of the Gospel reflect the mission of Jesus very well.

When Paul first arrived on the scene after his Damascus experience, however, the believers in Jerusalem did not recognize him as part of the true vine and one of their own. His reputation had preceded him, and, out of fear and suspicion, they held him at a distance. Only with the support of Barnabas, whom they trusted, did Paul gain a somewhat tenuous acceptance by the community. Even then, they disagreed among themselves and Paul had to flee for his life.

Nevertheless, despite its disagreements and struggles, the church, the one true vine, "was being built up … and with the consolation of the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers." This juxtaposition of problems with progress has always characterized the community of believers. As disparate, dissonant and distrusting of one another as we may be, we have a shared source of unity to cling to – the one true vine sustained by the one Holy Spirit, who continues to breathe purpose and relevance into its wizened, twisted branches.

There will always be Pauls among us to challenge and irk and enlighten, just as there will be Barnabases to ease us though conflicts and mediate peace. We, for our part, are to respect all the other branches with whom we form the one vine that is Christ. Rather than wish that the divine vine-grower might prune away this one or that one who, in our estimation, is no more than a nuisance or dead weight, we might do well to heed the wise counsel of one of our ancestral branches on the vine of Christ.

In today's second reading, the writer urges each of us to love, not in word or speech but in deed and truth. This is the fruit-bearing called for in the Gospel: that those who are grafted onto the one true vine and who are privileged to be inspired by God's living Word might embody these gifts in all they say and do. The choice is, as always, completely our own, because the great respecter of our freedom forces nothing. Each day, every day, it is ours to decide whether we will remain one with Christ and bear much fruit or be fruitless branches that are then pruned away to become fuel for the fire. Either way, whether we are fruitful or mere fuel for the fire, we will prove to be of some use – but how would you rather spend your life and energies?

Jesus' usage of the vine imagery is unique in that he himself claimed to be the true vine and the source of life for his disciples. Because of the more intimate relationship with God shared with us in Jesus, neither race nor nationality, not gender, social status or ancestral heritage would ever again factor into God's saving plan. Jesus' declaration affirmed the fact that union with him, in loving and faithful discipleship, would constitute the true vine of which God is the vine-grower.

As branches in the one true vine, Jesus' disciples are to "remain" or "abide" in him. In doing so, disciples experience both a privilege and a responsibility. Remaining in Jesus means sharing his very life and relationship with God.

This sharing charges the disciple to bear much fruit. Bearing fruit will require faithfulness to the words of Jesus and willingness to translate his message into ministry. But all of us are not grapes. Some of us are apples, oranges, bananas and even red-hot chili peppers. Therefore, the fruit that we bear and the ministries we exercise in accordance with Jesus' words will be varied. If we are humble enough, these services will also complement one another so that we serve the needs of the entire vine, including all of humankind.

That all our beloved dead, especially

TUESDAY, May 12

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Gioan Luiu Kim Than

WEDNESDAY, May 13

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Maria Mary Yau

THURSDAY, May 14

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Archibald Foulds

FRIDAY, May 15

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Mary Waychison

. . . may find eternal rest and refreshment in the kingdom of heaven . . . We pray . . .

For the sick, especially for those who have asked for our prayers . . . for healing for the sick . . . for courage for those in pain . . . for those who struggle with the challenges of everyday life . . . We pray . . .

Reflection on "God is Love" "Love is God"

John keeps saying that God is love. But we qualify that definition, not quite trusting love. We say: God is love, but also powerful and just and so forth. We say God loves you – but God demands strict obedience and God will punish you and even let you be damned forever.

We think we can let God get away with this qualified, conditional love because God can do whatever God likes. Maybe God can, but can love do whatever it likes? Or is God not completely love, after all?

We are happy to say that God is love, but fearful of saying that love is God. We are simply afraid to unleash the energy of love, even in God. Let's face it: Love is risky, God is uncontrollable. So we hedge God's love in with safe doctrines.

We know where that got us. A God first of power, then of love; a God first of justice, then of love; a God who forgives us only after we are sorry; a God who demands restitution instead of amnesty. And that leaves us fearing God more than loving God, respecting God more than loving God, obeying God more than loving God.

We are servants of God rather than friends of God. Love on a leash makes us just what Jesus told us not to be. We have separated God from love. We first believe in God and then try to believe that that God does something called "love."

But that is not the real God. The real God does not do love; the real God is love. We can't have one without the other. We believe and love all at once. We believe that love suffered all the way to death rather than give up on love. We believe that love survived the temporary power of death and came back more passionate than ever. We believe that that very same love continues on in us, the loving members of love's body on earth.

We finally believe that our love will be embraced by God's love in an eternity of loving bliss. Amen. If this is not our faith, if we cannot honestly pray these words, then something is drastically wrong.

Parish Bulletin for Sunday, May 17, 2009

Sixth Sunday of Easter

Love Is More than a Word
Actions Speak Louder than Words?

One of the most essential messages of the Easter season has been emphasized repeatedly in the sacred texts with the hope that it will echo and find welcome in our minds and in our hearts. That message is love. God loves, and we who are the beloved of God are to love one another. More than a word or a gesture, love is a lifelong commitment to the other, so that the other recognizes him or herself as loved and loveable and the contagion goes on.

One of those many loving hearts in particular was Junípero Serra. At a time when love is lacking among so many, his attitude toward the Hispanic people he served so well calls forth a greater, truer love in us. Serra was a Franciscan and a professor of philosophy in Majorca, Spain, when, in 1749, he and a companion departed for a mission in Mexico.

On the journey, he wrote a letter to his parents and shared the motto he had adopted for his future service: "Always go forward, never turn back!" When he arrived at Veracruz by ship, Serra and his companion decided to walk the 275 miles to Mexico City. Along the way, they encountered many perils, including poisonous snakes and insects, one of which bit Serra. As a result, his leg never healed correctly and troubled him for the rest of his life. This, combined with his respiratory problems, made his a sacrifice for love.

During the first nine years of his service in Mexico, Serra made his home in the mountains of the Sierra Gorda among the Pame people. There, he learned their language and also learned to love them. Serra travelled more than 24,000 miles and established 21 missions that continue to keep the faith alive in California and Mexico. He always affirmed that the motivating force in his life was love.

His customary greeting was "Love God, my children," and the reply would come back from those who knew themselves to be loved and served very well: "Love God, our father!" But Serra knew that love is more than a word or a wish. To that end, he spent his life loving and serving until he laid it down in 1784. His love, lived out in service, exemplifies the quality of commitment to which every believer in Jesus is called.

Serra brought to life in the 18th century what Peter (Acts) and the Johannine evangelist (Gospel) and epistolary writer are calling each of us to realize in the 21st century – to make love more than a word. Our love, in and for Christ, is to be a way of life. Serra was as at home in the university as in the poor huts of the people he loved and served in the new world. No doubt he would have been similarly comfortable with those who comprise what we call today the Third World. Serra's love for God and God's people enabled him to see beyond differences of culture, language and social or political status. He not only loved and served the people he met in Mexico and California; he also fought vigorously to protect their rights as human beings.

Serra went so far as to present to the military and civil authorities in Mexico a document comprised of 32 points regarding the better conduct of mission affairs. Because of his stance, conditions were greatly improved. In all he said and did, Serra showed no partiality. He had learned the lesson that Peter also learned when he set out to bring the good news to those of differing backgrounds and experiences. Serra, like Peter, appreciated that God has no favourites and that no one nation is better than another; rather, it is upright behaviour that makes a person acceptable to God.

Serra also understood the lesson being offered in today's second reading and realized that his vocation was rooted in the very action of Jesus. Just as God sent Jesus, so did Serra accept that he was being sent to share in Jesus' purpose and mission. Grateful for having been chosen by Jesus, joyful in the fact that he had been called Jesus' friend, privileged with the honour of sharing with Jesus all that he had heard from the Father, Serra did his best to go and bear fruit that would remain (Gospel).

That fruit, the missions he established and the cities that grew up around them, as well as the thousands he introduced to Jesus, continue to testify to the faith and commitment of this great missionary. In recognition of his contribution, there have been statues erected, roadways named in his honour and special days set apart for celebrating his achievements.

But no achievement is as great as the love Serra shared and inspired in those he served. In all he did and said for the sake of the Gospel, Junípero Serra brought to life the texts we read today to celebrate our life in Christ. His example encourages us to offer the same quality of witness so that these texts may continue to live and breathe and inspire our 21st-century loving, giving, serving and bearing fruit that will remain.

That all our beloved dead, especially

TUESDAY, May 19

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Glen Herron

WEDNESDAY, May 20

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Maria Mary Yau

THURSDAY, May 21

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Edward and Cecilia Pierri

FRIDAY, May 22

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Mary Waychison

. . . may find eternal rest and refreshment in the kingdom of heaven . . . We pray . . .

For the sick, especially for those who have asked for our prayers . . . for healing for the sick . . . for courage for those in pain . . . for those who struggle with the challenges of everyday life . . . We pray . . .

Parish Bulletin for Sunday, May 24, 2009

Feast of the Ascension

With the Ascension of Jesus, the Christ-event has come full circle. Jesus, who is God, who became flesh and lived within the parameters of human existence, has "gone home" to God and to glory. Not for his own sake did he undertake the journey into the depths of human need, frailty and sin – but for ours. Because of Jesus' willingness to become like us in all things except sin, human beings have been granted a glimpse "beyond the veil," a glimpse of glory not unlike that which John the seer has shared with us over the past several weeks.

But Jesus' willing presence in flesh and blood, in time and space, has also revealed a love the authenticity and intensity of which human beings could never have fathomed on their own. Indeed, someone had to surrender, to become one of us, in order to speak to us in our own language of the incomprehensible, illogical and irrepressible love of God for humankind.

In Jesus, we learned that God loves us as Brother, as Father, as Mother, as Sister and even as a Bridegroom who loves his bride. In Jesus, God's love became real, with hands to touch, ears to listen, a heart to ache and a body to suffer – in love, for love, because of love.

As Karl Rahner (The Great Church Year, Crossroad Publications Co., New York, NY: 1994) has explained, in Jesus there was at last someone in our midst who was not superfluous, someone who did not become a burden, but who bore the burden. Because Jesus was so unassumingly good, we were either suspicious of him or we almost took him for granted. Jesus gave a name to the incomprehensible cause behind all that exists.

He called it his Father, and did so neither with naiveté nor with presumption. Indeed, Jesus almost led the world into the temptation of taking God for granted when he allowed us also to whisper into the divine darkness, "Abba-Daddy-Papa." Jesus was God's love, God's mercy, God's wisdom in our midst. And now, he is gone away again and we are celebrating his going from us.

Why? Because our Jesus has not returned to God and to glory unaccompanied. My faith and my consolation, insisted Rahner, are centred on this – that he has taken with him everything that is ours. Rahner admitted that he could not explain this mystery theologically. Furthermore, he defied those who would attempt to explain it away.

He was simply content to believe that Jesus, in ascending to God, has taken us with him. Because he wanted to come close to us he has gone away and taken us with him. Because he was lifted up on the cross, in his resurrection and in his ascension, he and everything in him have become near.

The reason for this is that the Spirit is already in us now! When we lose sight of this nearness, the ascension seems to be separation, but we must will to believe in God's nearness, in the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the ascension, affirmed Rahner, is the universal event of salvation history that must recur in each believer through grace. It is also a paradox. When we become poor, then we become rich. When the lights of the world are darkened, then we are bathed in light. When we are seemingly distant or estranged from the nearness of Jesus' presence, then we are more united with him. When we sense only an emptiness of heart, when all the joy of celebrating seems to be only a liturgical fuss, then we are, in truth, better prepared for the feast of the Ascension than we might imagine.

Elsewhere in his writings, Rahner (The Content of Faith, Crossroad Pub. Co., New York, NY: 1992) has expanded upon this paradox of what is here yet not fully here. When Jesus' Spirit is in us, then we are the Lord's and he is ours. And yet, there is still the pain of waiting for eternal life, the pain of hope not completely fulfilled, the pain of a pilgrimage not ended.

Unfortunately, we are sometimes too content with this life. We settle for temporary and partial fulfilment. We do not look above or to the future like those who gazed up to the skies in Galilee so long ago. We keep our eyes fixed on the present. We are not those who wait, those who look, those who are unsatisfied. We are not those who hunger and thirst for that justice which will be fully known only in the future, that future which will bring us the return of the Lord if we keep watch for him and work to prepare for his final advent.

In our watching, waiting and working, the reality of Jesus' ascension reminds us that a part of who we are – Jesus, who became one of us – has gone ahead of us, plotting the path, preparing the way. Since something of us already dwells in glory with Jesus, then the "first fruits" of who we are must summon the rest of our selves to a greater, deeper, holiness, here and now – not only at liturgy but in the course of our daily existence.

To put it more bluntly, we are to live in accord with the gift that we are heaven-sent, rather than hell-bent. For, as Rahner has insisted, "when the Spirit performs the miracle of faithfulness and courage in our poor lives from day to day, there is the Spirit of Christ. And where the Spirit of Christ is present, the true festival of the Ascension of the Lord is celebrated."

That all our beloved dead, especially

TUESDAY, May 26

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Fidel Austriaco

WEDNESDAY, May 27

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Giuseppe Pierri

THURSDAY, May 28

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Martha and Michael Virgilio

FRIDAY, May 29

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Mary Waychison

. . . may find eternal rest and refreshment in the kingdom of heaven . . . We pray . . .

For the sick, especially for those who have asked for our prayers . . . for healing for the sick . . . for courage for those in pain . . . for those who struggle with the challenges of everyday life . . . We pray . . .

Something to Think About

Jesus told us to proclaim the good news to all creation. "In the beginning, God created." In the beginning, before there was time, there was only endless eternity. Time is the way eternity is experienced when it relates to earth. Before creation, there was only God; after creation, God relates to us in time.

God created. God does not make, as we do. God created. Everything that is made, is made from something else. Making is simply a matter of rearranging or transforming other already-existing things. But to create means that something comes into being from no thing, from nothing. Only God can do that.

We humans have to have something to start with. And this simple distinction between making and creating is not just a matter of how everything came into being. Everything that is made spontaneously wants to revert to its origin. Machines fall apart, steel rusts, milk separates. But if something is created, it cannot break down into its parts because it has no parts, it was not made from any other thing. It came from nothing. So, if it returns to its origin, it quietly sinks back into nothingness.

An image may help. When a photograph is taken, the picture remains after the camera is destroyed. But when the television is turned off, that picture dies. It is only the continuous supply of current that keeps the TV picture in existence. When the power fails, the screen goes blank. That is how continuous creation works.

This means that God is constantly keeping every single thing in existence at every second. And this means that God is constantly creating. Creation is not a one-time effort of God, after which God retreated to eternity. God is intimately connected with every creature at all times. God sits with rocks, grows with trees, runs with animals, sings with angels, dreams with us.

God is within the storm and the battle. God does not stand outside the revolving earth, but lives inside its molten centre. God does not go ahead of events to make them happen or follow behind events to wrap them up. God is within every single thing that happens to every single creature. Once God creates, God must continually supply creative juices, or the whole thing would collapse into nothing.

But why did God create in the first place? The only possible reason for creation is that God did it for love. God simply wanted something to lavish love upon. Since there was nothing, God created it. Which means that all creation is bathed in love. The song is right: Love really does make the world go 'round.

Is God's love in the tsunami and earthquake and terrorist attack and cancer? Yes. Since God is constantly creating our world out of love, then every evil thing must somehow be enveloped in God's love. We believe that or we don't.

Creation took a quantum leap at the birth of Jesus. Since God became a human, we now have emotional equality with God. Although God is pure mystery, God is personal. Although God does not laugh and cry and suffer, God can relate to our tears and pain and laughter through Jesus.

God is so much like us, we are so much like God, that we are kin – we call God Father, God calls us children. The life, death and resurrection of Jesus guarantees that creation will finally return to God. Because of our free will, we could have destroyed God's plan for creation. But Jesus sealed the deal.

No matter how we mismanage life, Jesus will finally gather all things to himself and present it to his Father. That is breathtaking!

Parish Bulletin for Sunday, May 31, 2009

Feast of Pentecost

Wind and Fire

Could there be any better way to portray the emergence of a community of believers than in terms of wind and fire? These elemental forces of the universe are immeasurable, unpredictable and often uncontrollable. Wind and fire remind us that ours is a church that is characterized by mobility and not stasis, by charism rather than constraint, and by ecstasy rather than entrenchment.

Wind and fire blow and breathe and burn with life and with an energy that cannot be quenched. Wind and fire attest to the difference the Jesus movement has made, is making and should be able to make in the world.

The imagery of wind and fire is not unique to Pentecost. Fire and wind have figured importantly in many encounters between God and humankind in both Testaments. Fire signified the presence of God sealing the everlasting covenant with Abraham. Fire summoned Moses to the presence of God and purified him for his mission. Leading Moses and the escapees from Egypt through the desert, a pillar of fire assured them that their path was struck and protected by God.

Fire burning on Sinai announced the presence of God and accompanied the gift of the law, regarded by the Israelites as a fire that lit their path. Fire also purified the prophets who were chosen to speak God's word and devoured the sacrifices offered in worship. A perpetual fire near the altar bore witness to God's choice to draw near and linger lovingly among the people.

From the beginning, as told in the book of Genesis, wind has also signified the power and presence of God. Sweeping over the primordial waters, wind brought forth life, order and a wondrous, mutually beneficial harmony in the universe. From creation onward, wind would be variously featured through the scriptures as the breath of God, the inspiration of God and a sign of God's Spirit, who blows wherever and whenever and in whomever God chooses.

For Moses and those leaving Egypt, an east wind sent by God enabled their safe passage across the Sea of Reeds. Job's encounter with God was depicted as a physical presence within a whirlwind. The visions of Ezekiel were similarly characterized. When his prophetic ministry was ended and his ministry had been assumed by another, Elijah was caught up to heaven and to God in a whirling wind. Almost every time wind is referenced in the Lectionary, its effects are vehicles of God's grace. Wind is no terror but the movement of God's mercy.

Against this rich and colourful background, the Lucan evangelist and author of Acts has told his version of the gift of the Spirit. God's presence is announced in a strong driving wind, and tongues as of fire appear and come to rest – not in a burning bush or on Sinai or even on the altar of sacrifice in the temple, but on every believer present. In that moment of wind and fire, all were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in a way understood by all. In that moment of wind and fire, something new and different had begun to happen. As if shaken by the wind, traditional prejudices and narrow-mindedness began to give away to a spirit of inclusiveness, openness and welcome. As if blown by the wind, the seeds of the good news began to spread far beyond Jerusalem, Judah and Samaria. With the wind at their back, the bearers of those seeds knew themselves to be inspired by someone greater than themselves.

With fire in their bellies, those early believers established a viable and energetic movement that caused the world to take notice. Does the world continue to take notice of us, who have inherited this legacy of wind and fire? Does the wind at our backs still prompt us forward into the fray? Is there fire in our bellies to excite others to believe?

If the event narrated by Luke has dissolved into distant memory and has no bearing upon our present experience, then today is the day to make a new beginning. God's wind still blows; God's fire still burns and enlightens. Jesus' Spirit continues to breathe upon us. We, for our part, must be willing to be blown to places of God's choosing.

That all our beloved dead, especially

TUESDAY, June 2

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Deceased members of the Narisco family

WEDNESDAY, June 3

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Salvatore Beltrano

FRIDAY, June 5

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † The Faithful Departed

. . . may find eternal rest and refreshment in the kingdom of heaven . . . We pray . . .

THURSDAY, June 4

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - Let us offer together prayers of gratitude and thanksgiving for all that our God has done for us . . . We pray.

For the sick, especially for those who have asked for our prayers . . . for healing for the sick . . . for courage for those in pain . . . for those who struggle with the challenges of everyday life . . . We pray . . .

Something To Ponder

The experience of Pentecost is the counterpart of the experience of Babel. At Babel, God originally scattered people into different nations by confusing their languages; then, on Pentecost, God gathered different nations into one linguistic humanity.

It is in the nature of human beings that they divide themselves into different groups who share similar histories, common experiences and the same language. But those divisions cannot be allowed to override their underlying unity of humankind. The original human society was made of extended family tribes. Divisions were clear and fierce along bloodlines. These evolved into larger social units until the advent of modern nations.

Constant conflict among nations necessitated the founding of an association called the United Nations to maintain a semblance of peace. What we must never forget is that the natural development of human society in its manifold forms happens under the aegis of God. Humans are not plants or animals following random growth according to physical laws; we are rational beings who choose our paths, moral beings who are responsible for our situation. The tension between nation and humankind has reached a crisis in our time.

People are so involved in their national interests that they fail to consider other nations' interests. In the process of pursuing their own goals, they hinder the advancement of other equally valid goals. And within an interconnected world, local effects have global repercussions. Riches in one region can result in poverty in another region. The good life in one country can be financed by the bad, impoverished lives on another continent.

We do not need to know precisely how our standard of living affects others in order to know that it really does affect them. Nor do we have to know international economics to realize that our luxuries ride on the bent backs of other people. A coffee picker in Columbia could live for a week on what we pay for one latte. And if you were an African, you would be angry that colonizers arbitrarily divided your continent into manageable countries irrespective of ancient enmities, and then are shocked when tribes kill each other.

Most of this is beyond our personal control. Huge injustices spring from structural evils. But we are not without guilt. We may not be personally responsible for international injustice and the daily misery of the poor. But we do personally benefit from the merciless exercise of raw power and extravagant national wealth. We live in a sinful situation.

Christians are morally obliged to spend less on ourselves and then give the excess to the poor, strengthening our natural communion with them. If we are divided between us and them, we separate ourselves from the kingdom of God. With new nations emerging and old nations gaining power and the gap between rich and poor widening, we are building a new Babel.

Unless we all learn to speak the same peaceful language and help each other, we are liable to be dispersed into permanent conflict. Our only hope is a new Spirit of Pentecost. Thanks be to God . . . Alleluia! Alleluia!