"We hear them speaking . . . of the mighty acts of God."
John 20: 19 - 23
In the beautiful second reading from Corinthians this Sunday, among other varied choices, we hear: “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone . . .”
These words of Paul reflect the earliest of Christian communities that Paul had established. It gives us a window into what Christian communities may have been like, yet certainly not without tension. Yet, aren’t we very much the same. In the experience of their diverse forms of spiritual gifts, varied forms of service, and different works Paul and these enriched communities saw for themselves how and where the Holy Spirit had become concretely obvious to their communities and beyond.
However, one might say that such diversity is a recipe for chaos that might breed competition, jealously, greed, arrogance, create factions and spawn selfishness. Ordinarily, without some common purpose or some shared vision, that might be the case. Yet, for Paul and for us still today what is the barrier that prevents such from happening? It is our common belief that what holds us together and is always a check on our tendency to think of “Me first,” is the power of the Holy Spirit that reminds us that we are sharers in the mission of Christ, something far beyond our selves, yet a very active part of it. Whether our varied works may be small or more noticed they all contribute to the common good of the community each in their own way.
Some may be obvious like music, liturgical ministries, teaching, and charitable works and others more behind the scenes like washing dishes, cleaning altar linens, arranging flowers in typical parish life but all are part of a whole and all are needed to build up the Body of Christ, the Church, and to carry that mission beyond our own individual worlds. To know this and to see that as our common point of focus and source of life is to live in the Spirit. We all share one baptism, one faith, and drink from the same Spirit, where all come together around the altar of sacrifice each Sunday with Christ our Head and our food for this journey.
The second reading choice from Galatians reminds us to seek the fruits, the signs, of the Spirit’s presence among us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. If we see these things expressed in the unity of our community, then the Holy Spirit is alive in our midst.
The story of the Spirit’s presence through wind, fire, and diverse languages that we hear of in the first reading from Acts, is one that caught the Apostles, gathered with Mary, unaware yet hopeful as they prayed. It reminds us that the Christian message of salvation in Jesus Christ, the Kerygma as it is called, is meant for a much wider community than the small one gathered in Jerusalem that day. The diverse language of ancient people spoken by the Apostles unifies the varied crowd gathered outside the room as they all heard of “the mighty acts of God” in one common, united message of hope and salvation in Christ. And so the mission of the Church and the Church itself is born.
We can see the connection with ourselves today. All one need do is take a look around at the many gathered on any weekend for Mass. There may be nothing more expressive of our unity in diversity, our Catholic nature of Christianity, than to be present for a public audience with the Holy Father at the Vatican. Or to travel to other countries of the world and hear there an unfamiliar language and culture but to see that common form of our Mass which brings us home to one another. Or to see the multiple forms of Christian service, ministries as they may be called, in any parish, yet to know that unity in Christ Jesus is always our common bond. To live in the Spirit is to remain connected to the branches of the vine and to follow one Shepherd whose voice we hear.
Is there any comparison in the world these days to the united diversity of the Catholic Church? Yes, the Church has been through much, has caused scandal and not behaved the best over the centuries but that is because it is composed of flawed human beings. As the Second Vatican Council wisely admitted, the Church is constantly in need of reform. And that constant reform has produced saints, scholars, theologians, and holy people literally everywhere across this globe. It is remarkable and owes it existence to the Spirit's constant presence.
And so the Church and its varied members constituting hundreds of millions all across the globe are all missionary disciples as Pope Francis has said. We all share in that common mission given to the Church thousands of years ago at Pentecost. Let the Spirit blow strong in our lives to bring, as the Gospel from John reminds us, Jesus’ mission of forgiveness and healing to a world broken by sin. We can stifle, block, or resist the work of God’s grace in our lives for sure but the Holy Spirit’s presence is a life force that will forever be present moving and forming us as the People of God.
O God, who by the mystery of today's great feast
sanctify your whole Church in every people and nation,
pour out, we pray, the gifts of the Holy Spirit
across the face of the earth
and, with the divine grace that was at work
when the Gospel was first proclaimed,
fill now once more the hears of believers.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever.
(Collect of Mass)