As we move closer to the great feast of Pentecost, now just two
Sundays away, there is more and more talk in the readings about the Holy
Spirit. A good thing, because sometimes the Holy Spirit gets short
shrift!
Today, in the reading
from Acts, we got the story of Philip going to Samaria, a hotbed of
heretics (according to the Jews). Samaria is the place which, when the
people didn’t welcome Jesus, his disciples wanted to destroy by raining
down fire from heaven. But now things are very different. Philip
preaches there and works wonders, driving out unclean spirits and
healing lame and crippled people, and the Samaritans listen to him and
believe. And when word of this reaches ‘headquarters’ in Jerusalem, they
respond by sending two of the apostles, Peter and John, to Samaria so
they can do what only the apostles can do: lay hands on these new
believers for an outpouring of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
This laying on of hands
for imparting the gifts of the Holy Spirit was the practice of the early
Church, and it is the practice of the Church to this day. It happened
here in the Cathedral the other evening when the archbishop celebrated
the sacrament of Confirmation with us; it happens, too, at the
ordination of priests and bishops as well as in the sacrament of the
Anointing of the Sick. It has a lot to do with touch. The outpouring of
the gifts of the Holy Spirit through the prayerful laying on of hands
has, down through the ages until now, brought believers into contact
with the apostles who touched the Risen Lord – ate and drank with him.
The laying on of hands makes present their touch, and it allows
believers like us to touch Christ and receive the gifts of his
life-giving Spirit.
But it’s worth
observing that in today’s reading from John’s gospel, part of the Last
Supper discourse, we got a different view of how people receive the gift
of the Holy Spirit. Jesus says nothing at all about the role of apostles
or of the laying on of hands. Instead, he speaks only about love.
He says love is what makes the Holy Spirit present. Listen again: “If
you love me, he says, “you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the
Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the
Spirit of truth.” In John’s gospel love is the key to receiving the Holy
Spirit – love, and the keeping of Jesus’ commandments, the greatest of
which is love.
So, does that mean that
Luke and John are at odds with each other? It might seem so, but they
each had different purposes in writing and they were writing at
different times for very different communities. Luke had his own good
reasons for stressing the need for order and structure in the community,
and John had his own good reasons for stressing love. But order and love
are not in opposition. They just need to be in balance because we need
both!
Why make a point of
this? Well, I think it’s timely. Why? Because of this moment in
the life of the Church - this ‘Pope Francis moment,’ I will call it. For
a long time, the Church has put a good deal of emphasis on the way Luke
presents the Church – the organizational side, the hierarchical,
carefully ordered side. And so, when it comes to thinking of the ways
the Holy Spirit becomes present and works in the Church, the
hierarchical structure has come first, and the Church is seen as a
pyramid, with bishops and priests at the top and everyone else at the
bottom. It’s a ‘trickle-down’ view of the Church, if you will. It
carries a truth, for sure, but it is not the whole truth!
Pope Francis starts at a
different place. He starts with the whole Church – all the People of God
together: lay people, priests, vowed religious, bishops – and he wants
to awakens all of us to our shared call to be disciples - our call to
live and preach the Gospel. He reminds us that Jesus was speaking to the
whole Church – not just the apostles – in the words of today’s gospel:
“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with
you always, the Spirit of truth…. You know [this Spirit] because he
remains with you and is in you.”
My friends, the point is
not an academic one. It’s a very practical one and has practical
implications. It explains, for instance, why Pope Francis, when it comes
to preparing for the meeting of the Synod that will take place in Rome
this October and next, wants to hear – not just from the bishops - but
from the people in the pews. He is convinced that if God’s holy people
come together in love and prayerfully, patiently, painstakingly, listen
to one another as we did here last spring – sharing our concerns, our
hopes, our struggles, our dreams – we will hear the voice of the Holy
Spirit. It makes sense - doesn’t it? - in light of those words of Jesus:
“I will ask the Father and he will give you another Advocate to be with
you always, the Spirit of truth.” Is it any wonder, then, that the pope
insists on hearing as many voices as possible – young, old, and
in-between, people from every country and culture? “The Spirit blows
where it wills,” we read in another place in John’s gospel. Indeed!
My friends, the
Spirit is alive in the Church through the laying on of hands, and the
Spirit is alive in the love we have for one another – love that is the
Spirit’s gift, love that is the Spirit’s very presence. We will
celebrate this presence with great joy on the coming feast of Pentecost,
but the truth is that we should celebrate it – and awaken to it – every
day.
This is what will
bring about the revolution I spoke about at Easter. It is happening, my
friends. It is happening!
Father Michael G. Ryan
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