May 29, 2011 SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
29 MAY 2011, 5:15, 8:00, 10:00
READINGS: Acts 8:5-8, 14-17; 1 Peter 3:15-18; John 14:15-21
SAINT MARY PARISH, VIROQUA
Introduction: In the readings for today we hear about the workings of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the early Christians. It is the same Holy Spirit who is present to us today.
1. The Holy Spirit plays a number of roles in our lives. In the earliest verses of Genesis we hear “The earth was chaos and a formless wasteland, and the Spirit of God hovered over the waters.” The Hebrew word for chaos is “tohu-wa bohu.” In the gospel story Jesus calls him a Paraclete. That word has a number of different meanings. It is a Greek word that means literally, “one who is called to the side of another.” It can have a legal sense like a “defense attorney.” Perhaps he is to bring order from the tohu-wa bohu in our lives. Another nuanced meaning of the word Paraclete is “the Comforter.” Here we must be careful, however. That meaning does not imply that he wraps us in a warm, fuzzy blanket and leaves us there forever. No, our God is always a challenger.
2. In Old Testament times a shepherd stepped out of his tent that was perched beneath a mountain. He looked up into the sky and saw the most amazing thing. High above, an eagle’s nest rested on a rocky precipice. He saw a mother eagle nudge a small eaglet unto its wing, then it jumped out of the nest and soared above him in the sky. Suddenly, the mother tipped her wing to drop the eaglet which fell toward the ground. Then, the mother eagle swooped down and caught her eaglet. It flew higher into the sky and again dropped the eaglet. This time the eaglet tried to flap its wings, but it continued to fall. Again, the mother eagle swooped down and caught him. A third time she flew higher into the sky, dropped her eaglet which fell and flapped his wings until finally they worked for him. He flew. The shepherd who was also a song writer told of this vision in Psalm 91. Some years ago Father Michael Joncas, the great musician, used the psalm to write “On Eagles’ Wings.” You know the words. “And he will raise you up on eagle’s wings, bear you on the breath of dawn, make you to shine like the sun, and hold you in the palm of his hand.” Yes, sometimes, like that eagle, the Holy Spirit nudges us out of our nests. Sometimes he challenges us. Saint Teresa of Avila once wrote, “No wonder you have so few friends, God, since you treat them so badly.” He pushes us out of our nests, but he also catches us in mid-flight.
3. Jesus says, “The greatest love a person can have for his friends is to give his life for them.” A book details the courage of the paratroopers who launched the invasion of Europe on D-Day, June 6, 1944. They gave their lives that their comrades might land safely. In one company alone, 219 men jumped and only 73 survived. These brave men lived out the meaning of Jesus’ words in today’s gospel. They died that their friends might live. The Holy Spirit gives us courage to do things generously at personal expense out of love for others. This weekend we pay tribute to many others who gave their lives for our freedom. Many were surely motivated by the Holy Spirit.
Conclusion: Meister Eckhart, a medieval theologian, wrote “We must put on our dancing shoes for the Spirit is still alive, active, moving and stirring us into action, loving action.”