Fr. Gilles' Homily followed by Pope Francis' Homily for Pentecost
Homily MP3 version Homily PDF version
So, this evening you’re going to be treated to two homilies. I will only give one, but I have a few copies printed of Pope Francis’ homily which he gave today, that was quite remarkable. I was actually tempted to read it, but the Holy Spirit said “No. No. You give your homily and we’ll take care of the rest. So, there you are.
So, what happened all those centuries ago on the day of Pentecost, which was a feast that the Jews normally celebrated to anticipate the harvest and to give thanks and worship to God. The Lord used it to perfect all the work that He had been doing with his people for centuries before. When we read the Bible, the Old Testament, the Jewish Scriptures, we see once in a while a man or a woman stand out because God chose them for a particular purpose, and the Holy Spirit gave them strength, you know. Something happened to them. They changed and they suddenly became courageous, strong, and they had the power from above to do a very difficult thing that God was calling them to do. But these people were exceptional. What Pentecost manifested was God’s promise all those centuries that the day would come when He would pour out his Spirit on all mankind – not just the chosen, not just the Christians, not just the Catholics – but on the whole of mankind. We need to really get with that program. God wants to pour Himself out on all of mankind.
Now what is it that happens when the Holy Spirit fills a human being? What is that? Well, over the centuries the saints, the prophets, and the bishops, the fathers of the Church were given by the Holy Spirit to preach and teach all kinds of images to help us understand. One beautiful image is that of dew – I think it was St. Irenaeus, but don’t count on that, my memory is not that good – where would our world be without water? Nothing would grow. We ourselves would die within at most a month without water.
In the life of the spirit, in the interior life we carry within us an immortal soul, a spirit; we are flesh and spirit. Our spirit also needs dew or moisture – that’s the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the life, the vitality, the power, the love that is in the Trinity: the relationship between the Father and the Son is a Person, the Holy Spirit. And God created us in such a way that He would be able to pour into us a sharing in that vitality, that life, that dew, that moisture, that living water that is in God. We are created to contain that Living Water, but not as in a jar with the lid tightly closed.
If we try to contain and keep to ourselves the life, the Living Water from God, it doesn’t work, and we ourselves dry up and atrophy. We cannot keep for ourselves the Holy Spirit. That is why the 120 apostles and disciples, men and woman who surrounded Mary and did as Jesus told them to do and waited and prayed and prayed and waited for ten days after the Ascension. That’s why when the Holy Spirit came upon them – watch out! You know – I mean they went berserk in a good way, filled with joy and enthusiasm and they couldn’t shut up. And it was strange, you know, because all the people in Jerusalem for the Pentecost feast heard the commotion – first they heard the noise of the wind and then they heard the commotion, and they were all astonished to hear them speaking in their own language.
Well, in the same way that rain and moisture produce different life and vitality and fruit in different kinds of trees according to their nature; in the same way we all drink water but it does different things in each of us according to our nature, our individuality; so, it is that the Holy Spirit in each person produces what the Holy Spirit wants to produce according to who we are. So, a person depressed is lifted up by the Holy Spirit, someone wounded is healed, someone crippled can walk again, someone blind can see again, someone who’s afraid of their shadow becomes bold and courageous; and this happens the moment we step out of ourselves.
If we try to keep the Holy Spirit and tighten the lid on the jar, nothing happens, but if we take a step, if we don’t know what we’re going to say but we open our mouth anyway and start talking; then the Holy Spirit bursts and wonderful things happen. That’s what Catholic Action Montreal is all about, is providing a venue, a template, an interface, a possibility for people to see occasions to do that very thing: to step out and come to the aid of someone in need and share their gifts.
Why do we not see the world being transformed right now in the same way that happened that first Pentecost? Is it because God doesn’t want to do it anymore? Is it because God is tired or has gone on vacation, or is asleep? I don’t think so. It’s really because of us. The amazing thing, the almost unbelievable thing about God the Holy Trinity is the degree, the almost fanatical degree to which God respects the freedom He has given to each and every one of us. We could say God has accepted to handicap Himself according to the sum total of our handicaps, and God in a way is patient and willing to wait to produce all these wonders and fruits as soon as we give our consent; as soon as we do as Mary did and say: “Okay, I don’t understand, I don’t know how it’s going to work out, but here I am. I am willing to make a fool of myself for your glory and the good of others.
There’s also something else that prevents God, apart from our free will and our willingness to make fools of ourselves for God and for our neighbour; there’s also all the problems relating to what we call our fallen human nature: our inclination to step into the shadows, to give in to our fears, to give in to our impulses to eat more, drink more, do whatever more and more and more… you know what I’m talking about… we’re all human beings here. We all experience these struggles, and what makes the difference between an ordinary human being and a Christian, a disciple? The ordinary human being is overly impressed by these dynamics and interior struggles and becomes paralyzed, incapable of taking action. The Christian stops relying on herself or himself and opens their mind, heart, and soul to God and asks the Holy Spirit to help, to strengthen; so, the key is no longer to depend on myself but to allow the Holy Spirit to train me to rely on God in every situation.
I remember when I was a young man and it was the beginning of the charismatic renewal. They told the story of a young person who wanted so much to do only what God wanted that they sat on their bed for half an hour in the morning unable to make up their mind what color socks to wear, waiting for inspiration from above, you know? Well, that’s sort of a childish ridiculous example. God wants us to make decisions, He wants us to use our brains, He wants us to get up and go, but to learn how to discern, you know, the inspiration that’s coming from God, and to tell the difference between that and the bad inspirations that come from the bad spirit, the enemy of humanity.
There are telltale signs: the enemy of humanity wants our
destruction; the Holy Spirit wants us to enter into abundance of life as Jesus
said: “That you may have my joy and that your joy may be complete.” If anyone
is interested in knowing more about how to discern the interior contradictions
that we have all day long and from day to day, send me an email: fathergilles@gmail.com and I will send
you some links to Saint Ignatius of Loyola’s fabulous teaching on the
discernment of spirits. It is acknowledged to be the best, the clearest, and
the most practical teaching on these things in all of human history, literature
or anything that has been written in any culture of language.
Glory be to the Father, and to + the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Listen to Fr. Timothy Gallagher, OVM's simple and practical explanation of Saint Ignatius of Loyola's world changing teaching on "the discernment of spirits".
https://www.discerninghearts.com/catholic-podcasts/fr-timothy-gallagher-discernment-of-spirits/
https://frgilleshomilies.blogspot.com ©
2006-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Poustinik
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Full text: Pope Francis’ homily on Pentecost Sunday
Vatican City, May 23, 2021 / 05:00 am - PDF
“When the Paraclete comes, whom I will send to you from the
Father…” (Jn 15:26). With these words, Jesus promises to send his disciples the
Holy Spirit, the ultimate gift, the gift of gifts. He uses an unusual and
mysterious word to describe the Spirit: Paraclete. Today let us reflect on this
word, which is not easy to translate, for it has a number of meanings.
Essentially, it means two things: Comforter and Advocate.
The Paraclete is the Comforter. All of us, particularly at
times of difficulty like those we are presently experiencing due to the
pandemic, look for consolation. Often, though, we turn only to earthly
comforts, ephemeral comforts that quickly fade. Today, Jesus offers us heavenly
comfort, the Holy Spirit, who is “of comforters the best” (Sequence). What is
the difference? The comforts of the world are like a pain reliever: they can
give momentary relief, but not cure the illness we carry deep within. They can
soothe us, but not heal us at the core. They work on the surface, on the level
of the senses, but hardly touch our hearts.
Only someone who makes us feel loved for who we are can give
peace to our hearts. The Holy Spirit, the love of God, does precisely that. He
comes down within us; as the Spirit, he acts in our spirit. He comes down
“within the heart”, as “the soul’s most welcome guest” (ibid). He is the very
love of God, who does not abandon us; for being present to those who are alone
is itself a source of comfort.
Dear sister, dear brother, if you feel the darkness of
solitude, if you feel that an obstacle within you blocks the way to hope, if
your heart has a festering wound, if you can see no way out, then open your
heart to the Holy Spirit. Saint Bonaventure tells us that, “where the trials
are greater, he brings greater comfort, not like the world, which comforts and
flatters us when things go well, but derides and condemns us when they do not”
(Homily in the Octave of the Ascension). That is what the world does, that is
especially what the hostile spirit, the devil, does.
First, he flatters us and makes us feel invincible (for the
blandishments of the devil feed our vanity); then he flings us down and makes
us feel that we are failures. He toys with us. He does everything to cast us
down, whereas the Spirit of the risen Lord wants to raise us up. Look at the
apostles: they were alone that morning, alone and bewildered, cowering behind
closed doors, living in fear and overwhelmed by their weaknesses, failings and
their sins, for they had denied Christ. The years they had spent with Jesus had
not changed them: they were no different than they had been.
Then, they received the Spirit and everything changed: the
problems and failings remained, yet they were no longer afraid of them, nor of
any who would be hostile to them. They sensed comfort within and they wanted to
overflow with the comfort of God. Before, they were fearful; now their only
fear was that of not testifying to the love they had received. Jesus had
foretold this: “[The Spirit] will testify on my behalf; you also are to
testify” (Jn 15:26-27).
Let us go another step. We too are called to testify in the
Holy Spirit, to become paracletes, comforters. The Spirit is asking us to
embody the comfort he brings. How can we do this? Not by making great speeches,
but by drawing near to others. Not with trite words, but with prayer and
closeness. Let us remember that closeness, compassion and tenderness are God’s
“trademark”, always.
The Paraclete is telling the Church that today is the time
for comforting. It is more the time for joyfully proclaiming the Gospel than
for combatting paganism. It is the time for bringing the joy of the Risen Lord,
not for lamenting the drama of secularization. It is the time for pouring out
love upon the world, yet not embracing worldliness. It is more the time for
testifying to mercy, than for inculcating rules and regulations. It is the time
of the Paraclete! It is the time of freedom of heart, in the Paraclete.
The Paraclete is also the Advocate. In Jesus’ day, advocates
did not do what they do today: rather than speaking in the place of defendants,
they simply stood next to them and suggested arguments they could use in their
own defence. That is what the Paraclete does, for he is “the spirit of truth”
(v. 26). He does not take our place, but defends us from the deceits of evil by
inspiring thoughts and feelings. He does so discreetly, without forcing us: he
proposes but does not impose. The spirit of deceit, the evil one, does the
opposite: he tries to force us; he wants to make us think that we must always
yield to the allure and the promptings of vice. Let us try to accept three
suggestions that are typical of the Paraclete, our Advocate. They are three
fundamental antidotes to three temptations that today are so widespread.
The first advice offered by the Holy Spirit is, “Live in the present”. The present, not the past or the
future. The Paraclete affirms the primacy of today, against the temptation to
let ourselves be paralyzed by rancour or memories of the past, or by
uncertainty or fear about the future. The Spirit reminds us of the grace of the
present moment. There is no better time for us: now, here and now, is the one
and only time to do good, to make our life a gift. Let us live in the present!
The Spirit also tells us, “Look to the whole”. The whole, not the part. The
Spirit does not mould isolated individuals, but shapes us into a Church in the
wide variety of our charisms, into a unity that is never uniformity. The
Paraclete affirms the primacy of the whole. There, in the whole, in the
community, the Spirit prefers to work and to bring newness. Let us look at the
apostles. They were all quite different. They included, for example, Matthew, a
tax collector who collaborated with the Romans, and Simon called the zealot,
who fought them. They had contrary political ideas, different visions of the
world. Yet once they received the Spirit, they learned to give primacy not to
their human viewpoints but to the “whole” that is God’s plan.
Today, if we listen to the Spirit, we will not be concerned
with conservatives and progressives, tradition-alists and innovators, right and
left. When those become our criteria, then the Church has forgotten the Spirit.
The Paraclete impels us to unity, to concord, to the harmony of diversity. He
makes us see ourselves as parts of the same body, brothers and sisters of one
another. Let us look to the whole! The enemy wants diversity to become
opposition and so he makes them become ideologies. Say no to ideologies, yes to
the whole.
The third advice of the Spirit is, “Put God before yourself”. This is the decisive step in the
spiritual life, which is not the sum of our own merits and achievements, but a
humble openness to God. The Spirit affirms the primacy of grace. Only by
emptying ourselves, do we leave room for the Lord; only by giving ourselves to
him, do we find ourselves; only by becoming poor in spirit, do we become rich
in the Holy Spirit. This is also true of the Church. We save no one, not even
ourselves, by our own efforts.
If we give priority to our own projects, our structures, our plans for reform, we will be concerned only about effectiveness, efficiency, we will think only in horizontal terms and, as a result, we will bear no fruit. An “-ism” is an ideology that divides and separates. The Church is human, but it is not merely a human organization, it is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Jesus brought the fire of the Spirit to the earth and the Church is reformed by the anointing of grace, the gratuity of the anointing of grace, the power of prayer, the joy of mission and the disarming beauty of poverty. Let us put God in first place!
Holy Spirit, Paraclete Spirit, comfort our hearts. Make us missionaries of your comfort, paracletes of your mercy before the world. Our Advocate, sweet counsellor of the soul, make us witnesses of the “today” of God, prophets of unity for the Church and humanity, and apostles grounded in your grace, which creates and renews all things. Amen."
Franciscus - Bishop of Rome
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