At the Beginning of Christ’s Church

During this season we celebrate the great Solemnity of Pentecost, the Descent of the Holy Spirit.  In some ways we consider this an ending.  This is the last Sunday of the Easter season.  Following the celebration on this day, we will stop adding the ‘alleluia’ to the dismissal at Mass, the paschal candle will be taken from the altar and returned to its position near the baptismal font, and the cross of Jesus, which was adorned with a red stole, and which was carried in the Easter procession, will be removed from the altar as well.

But in this Solemnity what we truly have is a transition and an expending reality.  We see it first with the Apostles themselves in the Book of Acts.  “When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.  And suddenly from heavens there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.  Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them.  All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.”

“Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem.  And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native tongue of each.  Amazed and astonished, they asked, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?  And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language?  Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretens and Arabs – in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.’”  (Acts 2:1-11)

Before this time, after the ascension of Jesus, we know that our Lord told the Apostles to wait for the coming of the Spirit.  They spent those days in prayer and waiting.  But now with the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Apostles are driven out into the streets.  They began to share with others what they had experienced and encountered in their time with Jesus.  Before this they were all afraid, locked behind closed doors.  But now with the presence of the Spirit within them, they boldly share their faith and witness to the mighty deeds of God.

Within this portion of Scripture, we see the miracle of the crowd, of many different backgrounds and nationalities, each hearing the message in their own native tongue.  While we certainly may marvel at this mighty work of God, with a little contemplation, we can also realize that we are still called to participate in this.  There are places and situations in the world today, in our own lives today, where each of us is the best person to speak about Christ.  There are places and situations where we speak the right ‘language’ to witness to others.

Maybe it’s to our own families and friends, maybe it’s within our social circles, maybe it’s at the places where we visit daily or weekly, maybe it’s with certain people that we encounter, those who know us and love us and trust us.  Now that we have come through the Easter season, we have joined the Disciples in encountering the Risen Jesus.  We have acknowledged Jesus as the Good Shepherd.  We have seen Him ascend to heaven to prepare a place for His faithful people.  We also have spent time in prayer and preparation just as the Disciples did.  But the time of the Holy Spirit has come.  Now is the time of the Church.  Now is the time for all the members of the Church, not only the bishops, priests and deacons, to carry the message out into the streets, out into our lives. 

In a few short days the Polish National Catholic Church, under a program of the Mission and Evangelism Commission will gather at St. Joseph’s Parish in Westfield, MA to experience the Mission and Evangelism Workshop, which this year has the theme, “Living in Faith Everyday.”  This is exactly what each of us is called to be on the Solemnity of Pentecost and beyond.  We may not be one who can stand up like Peter did on that Pentecost day and proclaim, “This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses.  Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured out this that you both see and hear. … Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made Him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus Whom you crucified.” (Acts 2:32-33, 35)  But we can certainly live our daily lives like someone who has experienced this great love of Christ.  We can live like people who have been forgiven of our sins, won through the crucifixion of Jesus and experienced in the Sacrament of Penance.  We can live like people who have been illumined by the teachings and life of Jesus, experienced in the Sacrament of the Word of God.  We can live like people who have been united to Jesus, as we experience in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, received in Holy Communion.  And we must live this, not only with our attending the celebration of Holy Mass, but then like the Apostles on Pentecost, take this entire experience out into the world to share with others.

Over the next few Sundays in the liturgical calendar, we will celebrate a number of Solemnities that allow us to contemplate and enter into some of the foundational aspects of the Church.  With the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity, we profess the foundational belief that God is a triune reality, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  With the Solemnity of Corpus Christi (The Body and Blood of Christ) we  honor the presence that sustains the Church in its daily life,  also realizing that this presence comes to each of us individually as food.  In the Solemnity of the Word of God, we honor the illuminating action of Christ as He communicates His will for each of us, both united within the Church and individually.  This short ‘Season of the Church’ will then be extended for many weeks as we enter into the green season of Ordinary Time. 

Two questions within our Catechism can add some light in how we are to approach this time of the Church. 

“What is the Church?”  “The Church is the Body of Christ of which Christ is the Head and all baptized people are Her members.  The Church is the gathering of people professing the truths of Christ and using those means to salvation which He instituted.”  The Church then is the very presence of Jesus in and among the world today.  It is the Body of Christ.  But it is also a reality that ‘acts.’  We use what Christ has given us, especially the Sacraments, to being ourselves and each other to union with God.

“What is your duty as a member of the Church?”  “As a member of the Church it is my duty: 1) to accept and obey Christ’s teachings through the Church; 2) to give glory to God by my good life; 3) to support the work of the Church; and 4) to help bring others into the Church.”

By fully embracing the work of the Church in the descent of the Holy Spirit, by being strengthened by the presence of Christ received in the Holy Eucharist, by being illumined and then sharing the Word of Christ in the Sacrament of the Word of God, let us each do the work of Christ’s Church in our own lives.  Go out into your world and share the Good News.

Come, Holy Spirit.