John 20:19-23 Pentecost

John 20:19-23 Pentecost

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On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you…As the Father has sent me, so I send you…Receive the Holy Spirit.  Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

“I’ve done more now with one hand than I ever did with two.”  These are the words of a wounded Iraqi veteran.  They make no sense, no sense at all, unless you take into account the human spirit. 

“I’ve forgiven the person who harmed me the most.”  These words make no sense, no sense at all, unless you take into account the Holy Spirit.

Yesterday morning, I scanned through the DaMN (Dallas Morning News) and was surprised to see a beautiful photograph, in the Metro section, of a Euless student with cerebral palsy.  This year is a very special year in this young man’s life.  This year, he will achieve a goal he set out to accomplish.  This year, he will graduate from Trinity High School. 

But what struck me more than his goal was the smile on his face and the contagiousness of his laughter.  The photograph, on the front page of the Metro section, brilliantly captured the moment; not the moment that he graduated, but the moment of his laughter and smile, a smile and laughter that makes no sense, no sense at all, especially to so many high school teenagers.

You would be amazed if I told you how infrequently teenagers smile and laugh.  This young man’s smile was the biggest and brightest smile I have seen this entire year.  Congratulations to him!  Not for achieving a once in a lifetime goal, but for achieving a life time of smiles!

Oh, how the wise are fooled; and fooled to the point of embarrassment.  I work with teenagers all the time.  When they are not asked to the prom, they wish they were dead.  When they don’t get the car of their choice, they consider themselves the most unfortunate.  Although I’m surrounded by teens all day long, I almost never see them smile. 

It seems to me that it is simple to graduate from High School.  And it is.  It’s easier now than ever before.  But what seems to be so complicated, so difficult, and nearly impossible for a teenager to do is achieve a smile on their face.  It makes no sense, no sense at all, if they have so much, and yet no smiles to show.

Lord Jesus, you appeared before your unfaithful apostles hidden in a locked room out of fear of torture and death, and said to them, “Peace be with you…As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”  These words make no sense, no sense at all, unless you take into account the Holy Spirit and Salvation History.  We know what they did.  We know how they did it.  And we are amazed!

I’d like to teach the world to sing… Well, I hate to say it, but it already knows how to sing.  In fact, the world sings quite beautifully without me.  For this reason, it sings in perfect harmony.  But what song are we supposed to sing in perfect harmony?  Why don't they tell us?  Why keep us all in suspense?  The reason is:  they don't know. 

The Lord has a song he would like us all to learn to sing:  “Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful people and enkindle in them a fire of your love.” 

“No!  No!  No!”  You say.  Let’s instead write a song about teaching the world to sing.  Let’s go round and round in a lunatic’s circle without being specific about anything.  Let’s use cheap thoughts and cheap talk to keep the world chattering while it’s faltering.

Let’s tell people, “You can be whoever you want!”  but let’s never tell them how to go about doing just that.  Let’s tell the world that we can be free!  But let’s not tell them exactly what we mean by that.  Let’s tell them that we can be free from Commandments, morals, values, religion, but let’s not tell them that they will destroy their lives, their families, their reputation and dignity.  Let's not tell them that they will lose their freedom to the slavery of sin.   

Last night I saw a commercial featuring an anchor woman advertising her own TV program for Memorial Day.  It’s all about recycling and it’s all about how “I can save the planet”.  I thought to myself, “How can we save the planet when most American’s don’t even know the name of their next door neighbor?"  How are we going to save the planet when we haven't even solved the problems St. Paul mentions in Galatians:  "immorality, impurity, lust, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies, and the like" (Gal 5:16-25). The commercial ended by saying, “This program will change your life.” 

I’m sorry.  But do actors and actresses, anchors and anchoress really think that we are that naïve?  I guess they do.  Is the billion dollar business of “saving the Planet” secularism’s way to give us something to live for? 

Our schools across the contrary have carried the “Save the Planet” banner for years now.  I think it is just a distraction, a distraction to us from them.  I think what they are trying to say is this:  “We may be near the bottom of the world’s list when it comes to math, science and reading scores, but at least we are the first in self-esteem and saving the planet.”  So am I to think that the more ignorant we are, the better we will be at saving our planet?  I don’t get it.  I’m not buying it.  These ridiculous campaigns brought to us by Exxon and Chevron that “WE AGREE!”, etc… to “Save the Planet” is a sort of “plan D” to make us feel better about ourselves after having failed miserably to “Save children”, “Saving families”, “Saving our country”, “Saving our school system”, “Save our souls.”

Lord, breathe on us so that we may receive your Spirit! 

What songs should we be singing?  What words should we be saying?  Today, at Mass, we sang “America, The Beautiful!” by Katharine Lee Bates (1913).  I was struck by the words from the third verse: 

O beautiful for heroes proved in liberating strife,

Who more than self their country loved,

And mercy more than life! 

America!  America! 

May God thy gold refine

till all success be nobleness,

And ev’ry gain divine!

We don’t ever seem to get to this verse.  We don’t ever seem to get to the very bottom of things.  You would almost think that it was a conspiracy. 

What does the world really need?  The world needs songs and prayers with words of forgiveness and giving; songs and prayers about humility and patience; songs and prayers about family and respect; songs about life and mystery; songs about lives won and lives lost.  What the world really needs is songs and prayers to God.

Come Holy Spirit!  May our songs of praise and words of prayer have the weight of meaning and be directed towards The Father and The Son.  May the world be enriched by the gift of your Spirit of love.  May the world learn to sing a song and smile along.  We ask this in Christ’s name. Amen.