Archbishop’s Journal: Through Christ, the Spirit is within us
- May 23, 2010
Archbishop Niederauer delivered the following homily on the Vigil of Pentecost at the California Knights of Columbus 108th Annual State Convention, held in San Jose May 20-23.
Jesus cries out: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me. Let him drink who believes in me.” We cannot live physically without water. Imagine a real estate agent showing you around various homes you are considering for a move. The agent says about a very attractive house: “There is one drawback. It has no water. No water lines, no well, no availability of water whatsoever. No water for miles. But isn’t it lovely?” How long would it take you to decide about that house?
Jesus teaches us: “You need water to live physically. You need me to live spiritually.” If we come to Jesus and accept him, our spiritual thirst is refreshed.
You believe that. You believe that when you were baptized, you died to sin with Jesus on the Cross and rose to new life with him to Easter life, now in the Church and forever in heaven. You Catholic Christians are here this evening, on the Vigil of the Feast of Pentecost so that you can ratify, publically, freely, and deliberately, the action of baptism. As leaders and faithful servants in the Catholic Community, you Knights and your families continue the work of witness and evangelization that began with those 12 men at the first Pentecost.
The passage from John’s Gospel has a striking, even startling statement in it: “There was of course no Spirit yet, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.” There was no Holy Spirit! No Pentecost without Calvary. No Risen Jesus Christ to be baptized into, so that you could believe and hope and love in him: so that your sins could be forgiven; so that you would have the Eucharist as food for your faith journey and as supreme worship of the Father; so that you would have companions on this journey, the Church as the assembly of believers. Once Jesus is glorified by the Cross, the Resurrection and the Ascension, the Holy spirit – the powerful force of creative, redeeming divine love, connecting you and all of us with Father and Son, now and forever – this Holy Spirit could be poured out on you in Baptism and Confirmation – and eventually all the other sacraments.
St. Cyril of Jerusalem, a bishop who lived during the fifth century, gave us a beautiful comparison for how the one gift of the Spirit of God gives such diverse gifts to the Church through its many members. St. Cyril says that Jesus once compared the Holy Spirit within a believer to be a fountain of water. Then he says:
“Water comes down from heaven as rain, and although it is always the same in itself, it produces many different effects, one in the palm tree, another in the vine, and so on throughout the whole of creation. It does not come down, now as one thing, now as another, but while remaining essentially the same, it adapts itself to the needs of every creature that receives it. In the same way the Holy Spirit, whose nature is always the same, apportions grace to each man as he wills. The Spirit makes one man a teacher of divine truth, inspires another to prophesy, gives another the power of casting out devils, enables another to interpret Holy Scripture. The Spirit strengthens one man’s self-control, shows another how to help the poor, teaches another to fast and lead a life of asceticism, makes another oblivious to the needs of the body, trains another for martyrdom. His action is different in different people, but the Spirit himself is always the same. In each person, Scripture says, the Spirit reveals his presence in a particular way for the common good.”
And that is the promise – the “pouring out of the Spirit” – Joel – on all – women and men alike; all ages; even the servants and handmaids – no one left out, but no one forced – all those who call on the Lord’s name – as you do this evening – will survive and thrive in this Spirit. The presence of God in the Risen Christ brings with it the outpouring of the Spirit of God – Paraclete.
But you need the courage of your convictions – your faith – for this to be fulfilled in your lives. As surely as the prophet Joel speaks of the promise of the Spirit, Paul in Romans speaks of the experience of fulfillment – in your experience of fulfillment and ours as well.
St. Paul says that all creation hopes and expects AND groans in pain for birth and growth and fulfillment – take the example of spring each year, and our reactions to it. So it also is for us and our spiritual growth, our growth in the Spirit. Everyone believes in progress, but no one likes unfinishedness, incompleteness – but that’s what growth and progress imply: that there is still some way to go toward fullness, completeness – including spiritually. The gifts you have already received from the Spirit – in the Spirit – are a pledge of gifts to come; and finally of eternal life. Tonight we seek the gifts of wisdom; understanding, right judgment, courage, knowledge, reverence, wonder and awe.
Paul gives one beautiful example – Prayer: “we don’t know how to pray as we ought” – isn’t it the truth! But how we agonize, and avoid and feel inferior! But God is not distant, remote, judging us – God is within, leading, inspiring, helping, gracing us: What a beautiful description: The spirit himself prays within us, prodding and coaching – “makes intercessions for us with groaning which cannot be expressed in speech” – “He who searches hearts” – God – knows what the spirit means, for the Spirit intercedes for the saints as God himself wills.”
But this is not all interior – like charity, which begins at home but does not stay there. Focus on the missionary – the evangelizing, witnessing – nature of your baptismal and confirmation commitments. You believe and you will witness to this belief. Secrecy and discipleship don’t go together – not a “Jesus and me” relationship.
Others are spiritually thirsty too, and you know where the water is – you have it within you.
From May 28, 2010 issue of Catholic San Francisco
