The Body and Blood of Christ (B)

 

The Body and Blood of Christ (B) [Mk 14:12-16.22-26]

02.06.2024

Eucharist is Christ’s Body Broken and Blood Shed for us

Readings: (1) Ex 24:3-8 (2) Heb 9:11-15

1.    Theme in brief:

Eucharist and the new covenant

2.    Focus Statement:   

In the Eucharist, we eat Christ’s body broken for us and drink his blood of the new covenant which is poured out for the salvation of all.

3.    Explanation of the text

According to today’s gospel, the Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples was a Passover meal (14:14). Passover feast was the “Liberation Day” of the Jews when they remembered and celebrated their deliverance from the slavery of Egypt. They sacrificed a lamb for this feast to remember what their ancestors were told to do. They were told to sprinkle its blood on their doorposts so that the angel of death could identify their houses and save their firstborn sons (14:12). In the beginning of this text, we hear about an unnamed person who generously made his well-furnished room available for the Passover meal of Jesus and his disciples (14:13-15). We also notice how the disciples were concerned about making proper and meticulous preparations for the Passover meal with their Teacher (14:12, 16).

But while eating the Passover meal, Jesus gave a new meaning or interpretation to the Jewish ritual. He indicated that it was an anticipation of what was going to happen to him soon. Without mentioning whether they had killed a sacrificial lamb for the Passover, Mark says that during supper Jesus took bread, broke it and said that it was his body that would be broken (or sacrificed) on the cross for our redemption (14:22). That is, he himself is going to be the sacrificial Lamb by laying down his life on the cross. Similarly he took the cup of wine and said that it was his blood that would be poured out (shed) in sacrifice for the redemption of ‘many’ (which means for all, 14:24). Today’s text explains what Jesus did at the Last Supper in four prominent words or gestures: (1) by taking bread, Jesus indicated that they should accept what he would do for them by his death; that is, an offer of forgiveness of sins; (2) by blessing it he gave thanks to God in gratitude for all his gifts; (3) by breaking it he pointed towards the sacrificial offering of his own body; and by giving it he indicated his self-giving (14:22-23).

What did Jesus mean when he said that the wine in the cup he shared with his disciples stood for blood of the ‘covenant’ (14:24) or a ‘new’ covenant according to Luke and Paul (Lk 22:20; 1 Cor 11:25)? Covenant means an agreement of a close bond or love-relationship between two parties – in the OT between God and Israel. Jesus spoke of a new covenant in contrast to the old covenant which was entirely dependent on Israel’s obedience to the law of Moses (Ex 24:3). If the law was broken, it was understood that the covenant also was broken; so also the relationship with God. Normally the covenants in OT times were sealed with the blood of sacrificial animals. For instance, Moses sealed the agreement/covenant of love made by God on Mount Sinai when he received the Ten Commandments by sprinkling half of the blood of sacrificial oxen on the altar (symbolizing God) and the other half on the people while saying: “See the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you” (Ex 24:5-8); that is, sprinkling of blood is a symbol of special love-relationship between God and you.

Jesus took over this statement of Moses in the Book of Exodus at the Last Supper and gave a new meaning to it.  He said that he would establish another new covenant or agreement of much stronger and everlasting love-relationship with humankind that would be signed or sealed with his own blood to be shed on the cross (14:24). In the OT when Israel broke the covenant, God had promised through prophet Jeremiah to make a new covenant or agreement which would be written not on tablets of stone but on their hearts (Jer 31:31-34). Mark and other NT authors applied this prophecy to the new kind of relationship of love between God and us established by Jesus and sealed with his blood shed from the cross. This new covenant or new relationship would not depend on Jewish law but purely on loving one another as he loved, because Jesus would shed his blood out of boundless love for humans. Eucharist is the memorial of this new covenant established by Jesus with the believers sealed with his blood shed from the cross; that is why it is called the Sacrament of Love.

Jesus’ Last Supper had a past and future significance: It was related to his past meals with tax collectors and sinners during his ministry and future banquet in the Kingdom of God. By saying that he would never drink wine again until he would drink it in the Kingdom of God (14:25), Jesus gave them hope of rejoicing with him in a ‘heavenly banquet’ – a symbolism for the eternal bliss in the age to come.

4.    Application to life                     

Today we celebrate the feast of the Eucharist – the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. Though we celebrate the Memorial Day of the institution of the Eucharist on Maundy Thursday, it is only one of the aspects of that day’s liturgy (besides the institution of priesthood, washing of the feet and giving of love commandment). Secondly, it is commemorated in the midst of such a sorrowful mood of the Holy Week.  Today we joyfully and collectively give thanks to God for Christ’s abiding presence among us made visible in the Eucharist. In and through the Eucharistic species the Risen Lord is personally and really present, and nourishes us spiritually. Today we tell Jesus with a simple faith: “Thank you Jesus for remaining with us and continually nourishing us spiritually in our faith-journey.” Secondly, we focus our attention solely on the sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ which is the source and summit of our Christian life and publicly profess our faith in the real presence of the Risen Lord in the Eucharist. It is the only precious gift that Jesus gave to his Church that we not only see and touch but also eat and drink. No other sacrament is given to eat and drink.

In the Eucharist Jesus fulfils his promise to be with us until the end of time before ascending to the Father (Mt 28:20) by being present to us in a visible manner. He provides a visible and tangible means of communicating his divine life to us when we eat his Body and drink his Blood so that we can experience the flow of his abundance of life to a great extent here on earth and to the fullest extent hereafter. Let’s take an analogy: The material food which we eat daily is transformed into energy in our body; on the contrary this spiritual food transforms us into the body of Christ. We become what we eat; more and more like Jesus. Of course, this transformation will not take place automatically because I am preaching about it. For that we need to approach the Eucharist with lively faith and proper disposition. It will affect our lives only if we believe that it strengthens us spiritually. Therefore, today we need to ask our Lord to increase our faith in his real presence and nourish us spiritually today and till the end of our life. Further, we need to prepare our minds or  hearts to make them worthy dwelling places for him every time we receive this sacrament just like the disciples of Jesus who made meticulous preparations for the Last Supper in that upper room (according to today’s gospel text, 14:16). If we rush to receive the Eucharist without any preparation, as a routine and to be seen by others, then it will not have that effect. So what is your disposition?

In the Eucharist, we eat Christ’s body broken or sacrificed for us and drink his blood poured out or shed for us. It reminds us and gives us the spiritual strength to pour out our energies in love and service. Because we partake in the Body and Blood of Christ, we become one with him, and because we are one with him, we are united with one another. Jesus was a man for others and he gives us the spiritual nourishment to be men and women for others. This sacrament acts as a high spiritual ‘dose’ to ‘break’ our bodies and ‘shed our blood’ in service, active concern and compassion towards the needy.

Eucharist is a memorial of Jesus’ total self-gift for us. Every time we partake in it, we are reminded about our own self-gift to others. It implies sharing of our time, talents, goods, knowledge, speech and energies with others. Like that unnamed person in today’s gospel (20:14) who generously made his well-furnished room available for the Passover meal of Jesus and his disciples, the Eucharist reminds us to share what we have with the same generosity. Our faith in the Eucharist and its reception necessarily leads us to examine whether we break our bodies and shed our blood out of love for others; whether we as parents make our time available for the guidance of children; whether as priests we get ordained and as consecrated persons we make religious profession only to be served by others or to make ourselves available for their service; whether we try our best to escape from number of  opportunities to render a service in the society and the Church; and whether we do our jobs only to earn money, or also to build up our nation. Does frequent reception of the Eucharist have any impact on our attitudes?

Through the Eucharist, a spiritual bond, a depth-level communication, a communion and an intimate relationship is established between Jesus and us. This is what the biblical ‘covenant’ mentioned in today’s’ first reading and gospel means. Each time we receive the Eucharist we sign in a new covenant or renew our agreement with Jesus to love one another as he loved us. We sign the covenant not with blood but by our resolve to pour out our inner energies in order to love as he loved us. In other words, the reception of the Eucharist involves an agreement or decision to heal, feed, serve, share, care for, sacrifice ourselves and forgive others as Jesus did. It is not enough to go and receive the Body of Christ regularly during the Mass. We are called to be the hands and feet, eyes and mouth of Christ in our world today. We are invited to make him present to the world in the same way he makes himself present to us in Eucharist by our self-giving and self-sacrificing love or service.

The four Eucharistic words or gestures used by Jesus (explained above) can be applied to our life in two ways: (1) God himself taking, blessing, breaking and giving us; and (2) our call to take, bless, break and give to others. First of all, God takes us as his own possession from the moment of our faith-surrender to him. He blesses us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Eph 1:3). He breaks our pride, our selfish and sinful desires, our bad habits, and our wrong attitudes. Then he gives or offers us for the service of humankind.

We too are called to take and recognize God’s blessings and gifts in our lives; to bless and thank him for all our gifts – our health, time, talents, abilities, job, friends, family and faith. We must also break these gifts and blessings by sharing, spending, distributing and sacrificing them for the good of others. This is the way we are called to give ourselves for the salvation of the world. These four gestures remind us that the Eucharist is not only a transformation of the bread and wine but also our own transformation. We need to understand and remind ourselves in every Mass that the Eucharist is not an end in itself, but offers us a pattern of living our lives in this line. Every day we get opportunities to take, bless, break and give all that we are and all that we have. In every Eucharist we should ask for this grace to give us the strength and generosity to make the best use of these opportunities.

5.    Response to God's Word

As parents (especially as fathers), are we available for the guidance of our children? Do we build a fence around ourselves with the signboard “private property”, keeping out those who are in need of our services? Do we always expect to be served by others but fail to go out of ourselves in service? How often do we escape from opportunities given to us to render a service in the society and the Church? Do we do our jobs in offices, institutions, industrial plants, business centres, political fields and other places only to earn money, or also to contribute our energies to build up our nation? Does the regular reception of the Eucharist lead us to a deeper communion with Jesus and our community? Is our life ‘broken’ (or spent) in sacrificial service for the underprivileged? Does Eucharist generate in us the hope or a reminder of our participation in heavenly banquet with Jesus? Does this hope sustain and support us when we face suffering and crises?

6.    A Prayer.

Lord Jesus Christ, you gave your Church an admirable Sacrament as the abiding memorial of your sacrificial love. Grant that the redeeming power flowing from this Blessed Sacrament may sanctify us, nourish the divine life us, deepen our union with you, lead us to go out of ourselves in sacrificial service and increase in us the hope of joining in your eternal banquet of love on the last day, where you live for ever.  Amen.

Most Holy Trinity (B)

 

 

Most Holy Trinity (B) [Mt 28:16-20]

26.05.2024

The Command to Make Disciples

Readings: (1) Deut 4:32-34.39-40 (2) Rom 8:14-17

1.    Theme in brief

To reflect in our life the traits of Holy Trinity’s inner life

2.    Focus Statement

By giving his disciples a final command to make disciples of all nations and baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Jesus reveals God’s plan to insert the human family into the intimate bond of love-relationship that exists within the the Holy Trinity.

3.    Explanation of the text

According to today’s gospel text, the disciples’ duty to preach Christ to all nations does not begin from the centre of Jewish faith, that is, Jerusalem. It begins from a mountain in Galilee to which the Risen Lord had directed them (28:16). He appeared to the women who had gone to visit his tomb: “Go and tell my brothers (disciples) to go to Galilee; there they will see me” (2010). From Galilee, the Risen Lord sends his disciples to make disciples of all nations and to teach what he has commanded them (28:19-20).

Matthew has already placed the inauguration of Jesus’ public ministry not in Jerusalem or Judea but in “Galilee of the Gentiles” (Mt 4:15). This region with a mixed population of Jews and Gentiles was despised by the respectable Jews of Judea as the land of “the people who sat in darkness” and in the “shadow of death” (Mt 4:16). The very fact that Jesus began his public ministry in this region, and gave his last mission command on a mountain of the same region, it points to the universality of his mission and his preferential option for the marginalized. In the context of today’s feast of the Holy Trinity, we can very well say that the mission of the Church is a mission to the “nations,” a universal mission. It originated from the Father, was carried out by his Son and is continued by the Holy Spirit.

The gospel says that when the disciples saw the Risen Lord, some worshipped him, but some doubted (28:17). Worship (literally, prostration) before the divine majesty is a common gesture of those who believe and experience salvation or healing in Matthew’s gospel. In the context of today’s feast, we can take this statement to mean either we believe and worship the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts, or doubt about this mystery of Unity in Diversity.

The mission command given by Jesus in today’s text mentions the words “all” four times: (1) “all authority” given to him by the Father; (2) his command to make disciples of “all nations”; (3) teaching them to observe “all that he has commanded”; and (4) his assurance to remain with them “always” or at all times (28:18-20). All authority in heaven and on earth given to him by the Father indicates his universal and cosmic authority over the whole of creation. Because of his universal authority, he can command a universal mission to "all nations." Besides the universality of his mission, the word “all” (repeated four times) also indicates the main thrust of his mission – a total transformation of God’s creation and all of human activities with his teachings. He gives the assurance of his accompaniment throughout the life of disciples and whenever they carry out his mission.

Further in the present text, Jesus follows his declaration of universal authority with a threefold commission (or missionary charge):  (1) to ‘make disciples’ of ‘all nations’ (including the Gentiles); (2) to baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit; and (3) to teach others all that he had been communicating to them (28:19-20). The command to baptize people is not given in the name of Jesus alone, but in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This gives us a clue to God’s plan to baptize (originally to ‘immerse’) humankind into the strongest bond of love-relationship that exists among three Persons of the Holy Trinity. Here there is an indication that the mission of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit is to gather all people into a community of love and fellowship which is found within their Divine Community or Family called the Holy Trinity. This is re-imposed by telling them to observe all that he has commanded them (28:20) – a clear reference to his commandment of love by which they are to build up a community of loving relationships and teach its members to love one another as he loved his disciples.

Finally, Jesus’ assurance to remain with his disciples always to the close of the age (28:20) can be understood in the context of today’s feast to mean this: Our loving Father continues to remain with us until the end of the age through the person of the Risen Lord, his Son, and the Holy Spirit, who is our constant companion. Thus, Matthew’s gospel begins with the assurance of God to remain with us by giving his Son as Emmanuel (that is, God with us, 1:23), and ends with the same assurance that he will remain with us as Emmanuel till the end of the age through his risen Son and the indwelling Spirit.

4.    Application to life                     

Though the original meaning of today’s gospel text may be different, we make an extended application of it to today’s feast of the Holy Trinity. The text makes us aware of three things: (1) the mission of the Church that has its origin in the Holy Trinity; (2) our baptismal call to build up communities based on Trinitarian model; and (3 the great assurance of the Trinitarian God to remain with us for ever.

When we apply the teaching of the whole of NT to today’s gospel text and feast, we come to know that the mission mandate given by the Risen Lord on a mountain in Galilee in fact has its origin in the Father who sends his Son to the world on a mission. The Holy Spirit too is actively involved in the continuation of this mission of the Church by his guidance and accompaniment. Today’s gospel says that the mission that is entrusted to the Church is a universal mission – a mission to the “nations”.  Secondly, it begins not from Jerusalem, the centre of Jewish faith, but from Galilee of the Gentiles. Jesus had already made an appointment with his disciples through the women who had gone to visit his tomb that he would meet them in Galilee (Mt 28:7). Galilee had a number of special features: it was cosmopolitan (with a mixture of Jewish and Gentile population), backward, marginalized and was a land of darkness. Such a place becomes the epicentre of missionary expansion of the early Church.

The Trinitarian God is radically egalitarian; that is, he represents equality of all people and embraces the whole of human race on equal terms. Therefore, we need to ask ourselves whether we as individual Christians as well as our Christian community are caught up in a ‘ghetto mentality’ and remain confined to our own walls, or are open to welcome, serve, shelter and cooperate with all people of good will. We need to examine whether our mission is universal, or exclusive; and whether our services are open to all people, or narrowed down to only our own Christian community/ kinship ties/ ethnic group/ friendship circles, etc. Again, the question we (as disciples of Christ) should ask is whether we go out of ourselves in rendering service to the marginalized and the downtrodden, so that the vision of Jesus (which has its origin in the Holy Trinity) becomes a reality. There is no dearth of ‘Galilees’ and ‘Galileans’ on the face of the earth – the former representing the underdeveloped regions of the world as well as the regions with cosmopolitan or mixed population in our globalized world; and the latter representing the poor, the despised and the marginalized people in our world. Jesus made a preferential option for this type of people because he was sent by the Father and propelled by the Spirit to make this option. What about us?

Today’s feast makes us aware of the fact that we, nay the whole of creation, are under the total authority or dominion of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We are not under the rule of a task-master but of a dear ‘Abba’ or dear daddy (the Father), an intimate Friend or Brother (the Son) and a Defender of our cause (the Holy Spirit). What a great consolation! But how do we use this authority? We are called to use it to transform the whole of God’s creation and all of human activities with the spirit of the gospel. Today we need to ask ourselves whether we are sufficiently motivated by this vision and mission of the Holy Trinity.

Today’s feast further poses a question to us: in whose name are we baptized and what is our baptismal call and mission? In obedience to Christ’s command, the Church does not baptize us only in Christ’s name but in the name of the Holy Trinity – of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. To baptize people in the name of all the three Persons of the Holy Trinity implies that Christ’s disciples must take a plunge into the inner life of this Divine Community or Family.  From the scriptural teaching we come to know that as far as the interior life of God is concerned, he is essentially relational. The love-relationships within God – among the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are dynamic. Since we are inserted into the inner life of the dynamic and intimate love-relationship that exists in the Trinitarian Family, we are called by baptism to reflect this bond of love in our human relationships.

Our baptism immerses us into that stream of love and life flowing from the Holy Trinity. According to the Father’s plan, the vision of Jesus and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we are baptized to love as Jesus loved us, to build up communities of understanding and communion (fellowship), to share our life with others and to live in constant communication among ourselves. When we reflect these traits that are characteristic of the Divine Family, others will surely recognize in whose name we are baptized. Today’s feast makes us question whether our families and communities are a reflection of these traits or not. What does our baptism mean to us? Is it only a social event which happens because our parents want to do it for us? The mission of Jesus that originates from the Father and is activated by the Spirit is a mission to go out and make disciples of all people and teach them what Jesus has commanded. All parents and leaders also need to ask themselves whether they are faithful to the command of Christ to teach and transmit their faith to their children and those who are under their care. Our baptism implies that we are called to be faithful to his command.

How is the dynamic relationship within the Divine Community generated and maintained? Of course, by the transparency, understanding, communication and communion that exists among the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Jesus has explained the characteristic of transparency found within the Holy Trinity in another place also (Jn 15:14-15). He says that God keeps no secrets; he has nothing to hide. He shares everything with his Son and his Son shares everything he knows about the Father with his disciples on an equal footing and in total transparency. Jesus visualizes that all members within his community are to be treated as friends who are transparent to one another, and share everything they have, after the model of the Divine Family. In our families and communities, if there is proper and deeper communication, sharing of experiences and opinions, confidence-building structures, we will be able to understand and accept one another better. If we do not have a lot of things and matters to hide from one another; if we share our joys, sorrows, feelings, experiences and even weaknesses; and if there is transparency in our dealings, speech, financial matters, people will get a glimpse of the inner life of the Trinity and will come to know in whose name we are baptized – in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Finally, today’s text says, the God who chose to be with us as Emmanuel by sending his Son to share our human condition, continues to remain with us in the person of the Risen Lord and the action of the Holy Spirit in the world. There is no day, no hour of the day, in which God is not present with us through our communion with Jesus and the indwelling of his Spirit. What a comfort for us to know that the Trinitarian God will never abandon or forsake us no matter what the situation. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit for this great assurance of their abiding presence as well as accompaniment in our life’s mission.

5.    Response to God's Word

In our families and communities, is there proper communication, sharing of experiences and opinions, trust-building structures by which we are able to understand and accept one another? Do we have a lot of things and matters to hide from one another? Do we share our joys, sorrows, feelings, experiences and even weaknesses? What does our baptism mean to us? Do we realise that our families and communities should reflect some of the traits of Holy Trinity’s inner life since we are inserted into it by baptism? If we do not reflect, what could be the reason for it? Is there transparency in our dealings, speech, financial matters, etc.? What are the root-causes of a breakdown of communication among us? Do we use our authority only to transform our fortune or transform also God’s creation? Do we become aware of the great assurance and the presence of the Trinitarian God to remain with us for ever when we face trials and tribulations?

6.    A prayer

Most Holy Trinity, we adore you as a community of three Divine Persons. We regret for the time we narrowed down our services only to our own Christian community, kinship ties, ethnic group and friendship circles. We are sorry for neglecting to be compassionate towards the poor and the marginalized, the despised and the downtrodden. Give us the grace to reflect your inner life by living a life of generous sharing, understanding, transparency and depth-level communication in our families and communities. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.           

PENTECOST SUNDAY (B)

 

Pentecost Sunday (B) [Jn 20:19-23]

19.05.2024

Jesus Breathes His Spirit in the Apostles

Readings: (1) Acts 2:1-11 (2) 1 Cor 12:3-7.12-13

1.    Theme in brief:

Gift of new life and mission of peace and reconciliation

2.    Focus Statement:  

The Risen Lord breathes his Spirit of new life upon us and sends us to carry forward his mission of peace, forgiveness and reconciliation with a new zeal and vigour.

3.    Explanation of the text

According to today’s gospel text, on the evening of “the first day of the week” (20:19), that is, on first Easter Sunday, Jesus fulfils his promise of giving his disciples “another Advocate” besides himself (14:16) by breathing on them his life-giving Spirit (19:22). The symbolism of “breathing” on them indicates that the Holy Spirit is the Risen Lord’s own breath or life. Just as God had breathed into the nostrils of the first man (Adam) the breath of life, and he had become a living being (Gen 2:7), so also Jesus breathes on his disciples in a similar fashion and says: “Receive the Holy Spirit” (20:22). By giving them the gift of the Holy Spirit in the form of breath, he makes them a new creation or imparts new life (zeal and vigour) to them. This new creation also symbolizes the creation or birth of a new community of believers, i.e. the Church.

The gesture of breathing on them may also refer to prophet Ezekiel’s vision of a valley full of dry bones. The Lord asked the prophet to prophesy to those dry bones that he would cause breath to enter in them and they would live (37:1-14). The apostles were now like dry bones – lifeless and locked up for fear of the Jewish authorities (20:19). Like Prophet Ezekiel, Jesus caused his breath or life (Holy Spirit) to enter into the lifeless dry bones and they began to live (Ez 37:9, 14). The Holy Spirit regenerates or rejuvenates them in such a way that they emerge from their hideouts to become courageous witnesses of the Lord. 

The Risen Lord’s twice repeated salutation of peace (20:19, 21) is also a gift that is closely associated with the Holy Spirit. He gives his Spirit to remain in the Church for ever so that he might motivate her for her mission to build up peace and harmony in the world. Peace in this context does not mean quietness or mere absence of war; it involves all-round well-being, wholeness, harmony and building up of human relationships. In the OT, peace is closely associated with the blessing of God and salvation to be brought by the Messiah. Here probably John wants to tell his readers, with the outpouring of the Risen Lord’s Spirit, the messianic hopes are fulfilled.

Further, the Holy Spirit also is closely associated with the mission of Christ. By breathing his Spirit on them, he empowers them to come out of their locked doors and fears so that they can carry out his mission. Just as the Father had sent Jesus (20:21), he sends them to continue his work. They were locked in, now they are sent out. The mission of the Father is the mission of the Son, which is also the mission of the Church. Though the concept of mission is common in all the gospels, in John’s gospel, it is closely associated with main theme, namely to share God’s own divine or eternal life, light and truth with others; to dispel darkness of sin and death; and to lay down our lives in humble and sacrificial service for others. 

      A further aspect of the mission of the Church is emphasized in today’s text – to forgive sins of any so that she may proclaim the forgiving love of God and carry forward his ministry of reconciliation (20:23).

4.    Application to life                     

Today we celebrate the great feast of Pentecost [in Greek ‘fiftieth’ day after Easter] on which the Spirit of the Living God descended on Mary and the twelve apostles in an intense manner in the form of a mighty wind and tongues of fire according to the first reading taken from Acts of the Apostles (2:1-4). But according to today’s gospel taken from John, the Risen Lord, who himself was filled with the Spirit, imparted the first fruit of the Holy Spirit to the apostles on the evening of Resurrection Day itself by breathing on them with these words: “Receive the Holy Sprit” (20:22). The Holy Spirit is the breath of God (or Jesus) who breathes new life or fullness of life into us, making us a new creation, so that we may share that life with others. The Risen Lord continues to breathe his Spirit into us even today. He empowers us with the same Spirit to come out of our locked doors and fears (as the apostles came out of their hideouts) so that we could be sent out for a mission – a mission of peace, forgiveness, liberation and reconciliation.

Many of us have a poor understanding of the role of the Holy Spirit in our personal life. He is mostly presented to us in an impersonal manner through biblical symbols such as dove, fire, water, breath or wind. In my pastoral field here, when I ask children (teenagers) preparing for the sacrament of Confirmation whether the Holy Spirit is really a dove, that is, a bird, all of them firmly say: “Yes”. When I ask them whether he has wings and feathers exactly like a bird, they answer with great gusto: “Yes”. When I ask them whether we can kill that dove and prepare a nice dish or curry, they just keep quiet and stare at me in utter confusion. We are not taught from childhood to develop a personal devotion to the Holy Spirit and consider him as another intimate friend (besides Jesus) who is always at our side to guide, defend and renew/ re-create/ regenerate us. We are taught to sing, “What a friend we have in Jesus,” but never taught to sing or pray: “What a friend we have in the Holy Spirit.” In spite of the efforts of Charismatic Movement or Retreats, he still remains an Unknown God to be remembered only when we begin a meeting/ retreat/ seminar/ novena, and when we celebrate feasts like this one, Pentecost. Yes, the Holy Spirit, though an invisible power, can be experienced as an intimate friend if we develop sensitivity to his presence and consciously cultivate a close friendship with him and increase it through a passion for him. But it does not happen automatically because you have heard about the Holy Spirit in catechism and sermons or undergone a theological course on him.

Based on today’s gospel, how can we develop a friendship with the Holy Spirit? His role as the Breath or Life of God (or Jesus) is presented to us symbolically in today’s Gospel in terms of one of the most common but absolutely essential activities of human body, that is, breathing. Hence the Spirit of God is in every breath we take. The activity of breathing takes place in us even when we are not conscious of it. To become aware of it, we need to quietly sit in a place and breathe in and breathe out as we concentrate on the tip of our nose. Similarly, we need to become conscious of the Spirit’s presence by invoking him as we breathe in and breathe out: “Come, Holy Spirit; you are the Giver of New Life; you are the Giver of God’s own life; you are the Giver of Divine Life. Infuse that life into me and renew me; re-create me; regenerate me.” (In fact, this is what the symbol of breath implies.) Regeneration in this context means imparting a new nature, God's own nature or divine nature. All of us are born with a nature perverted by sin. The Spirit gives us the power to rise above our natural inclination to evil, selfishness, negativity, narrow-mindedness and despair. We need his power not to cling to present status quo always by strongly resisting any change, and slip into a life of routine and lethargy.

Though the Holy Spirit is an invisible power, his presence and action can be experienced by the result of his work, just like wind or storm can be felt by the shaking of trees, flying of dust, its blowing sound, etc. To recognize his work or action we need to look at what happens to us, to others, to the world around us with the eyes of faith. Suppose we observe people who take a lot of initiatives to bring about a change in themselves, in others, in their surroundings or society; show a lot of creativity in their work; are able to overcome their lethargy; show a burning zeal for the mission of Christ; then in faith we must ask, from where does this come? For a firm believer in the re-creative and re-generative power of the Holy Spirit, it is sign of his powerful presence and action. Because it is written here, the Holy Spirit will not re-create us automatically. We need to consciously invoke him, call him to our side as a friend and request him to make us more creative and enthusiastic in service and promotion of life. We experience the ‘breath’ of the Spirit blowing in us whenever we hunger for real life and move from coldness, indifference and mere physical existence, to lively and proactive approach to life. Whenever we have a passion (= a strong feeling/ sense/ commitment) for life and its meaning/value, we begin to promote the fullness of life under the influence of the Life-Giver (Holy Spirit).

We have a tendency within us to go through all the religious practices such as daily prayers, Holy Mass, novenas, and rituals without allowing our faith to bring about change in our attitudes, prejudices, life-style, and the way we imitate the corrupt practices of the world. Is this not a sign of living a lifeless life? We have to invoke the power of the Holy Spirit today to mould us and melt our stubborn resistance to his power to shake us up. At baptism, we too received the breath of the Risen Lord, that is, his Spirit that made us a new creation. In spite of that we become like dry bones (of Ezekiel’s prophecy) lacking zeal, vitality and creativity in our Christian commitment. Suppose we ‘faithfully’ and blindly carry on what is handed down or bequeathed to us by our ancestors or predecessors without showing any creativity and vitality in our service to the family or society, how can we say that the Holy Spirit is active in us? When we shut our minds against new ideas and avenues, we block the Spirit of new creation. When we are unwilling to read the signs of the times and resist any renewal and adaptation of our faith to the changed conditions, we just shut out the Holy Spirit or block his entry into our hearts. Today we must open our hearts to the Risen Lord and beg him to breathe his Spirit into us and renew and re-create us, so that like Adam we may become really LIVING BEINGS.

Just as the gift of the Spirit was given to the disciples to empower them for their mission, the Lord continues to send us today with the empowerment of his Spirit to continue his mission – to share his peace where it is broken, to reconcile where there is disharmony, to breathe a fresh life where there is no life (where people sit in the shadow of death), to dispel the darkness of sin and to spend our life in humble service for others. Peace is both a gift and a task. We are given this gift by the Risen Lord not only to experience it in our hearts but also to engage in a peace-building mission – a mission that makes whole what is broken into pieces. Forgiveness of others’ sins is the key to peace-building mission. There is a link between peace and ‘not retaining the sins’ (20:23) of others in our hearts. When we retain the sins of others instead of forgiving them, we grieve the Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts. Retaining or holding on the sins of others in our hearts is like allowing a wound or a sore to remain untreated. Healing takes place only when we let go, instead of holding on to the hurts caused by others. In a world which is so much wounded by hatred, violence and divisions, forgiveness and reconciliation – and through them building up peace – is a mission which the Church cannot afford to forget for the sake of her own relevance in the world. Let us ask ourselves whether in our families, neighbourhood and communities we are known as peacemakers or peace-breakers.

Peace and reconciliation are very much related to building unity in the midst of diversity, plurality and multiplicity prevalent in our globalized world. By overemphasizing those things which make us different from others and never relishing or highlighting what is common among all humans, we bring division and fragmentation; thus grieve the Spirit of Unity. Unity is not uniformity – forcing and expecting everybody else to think, act, behave, dress up, eat and greet exactly as we do, and to follow our cultural pattern. When we allow ourselves to be led by the Spirit, we begin to appreciate the richness of variety and diversity among people. The differences among humans are not a source of conflict, but are like various colours that are moulded into a single rainbow. The Holy Spirit inspires and energizes us to develop this kind of ‘rainbow spirituality’ in multi-religious and multi-cultural situations in our globalized world today. Do we respect appreciate differences among us?

5.    Response to God's Word

Are we satisfied with mere physical existence or do we hunger for real life? What makes us lively and what makes us cold? Do so many people have to please us? Am I a difficult person to please? What are the signs of indifference and coldness in me? Do we grieve the Holy Spirit (Eph 4:30) by spreading hatred, bitterness, division and unforgiving attitudes? Do we quench the Spirit (1 Thess 5:19) by not yielding to his inspiration; and resist the Spirit (Acts 7:51) by stubbornly holding on to our own ways and blocking any change? Is there creativity and zeal in our service? Are we known as peacemakers or peace-breakers? What are the ideas and attitudes we do not want to change, though outdated?

6.    A Prayer

Come O Creator Spirit blest. O Fount of Life and Fire of Love, blow into us the breath of new and fresh life. Unlock the doors of our minds and hearts to go out of ourselves to build bridges of forgiveness and reconciliation. Stir us up from coldness and indifference so that we can serve with creativity and zeal. Our world and the Church are wounded by divisions. Transform us to work for reconciliation and forgiveness, thus breaking down the walls of division. Blow, blow, blow where you will and bend what is stiff in us. Amen.