May 22, 2021
Click here to view this week's Mass. The video for the 4 PM vigil Mass will be available by about 7 PM on Saturday.
I remember one weekend after 11am Mass, Fr. Jim was speaking with a little girl who had attended the Children's liturgy of the Word. He asked what she had learned. She said, "We learned all about the Pentagon." He wondered how the discussion possibly could have been about the Pentagon. He asked, "The Pentagon, are you sure?" and she responded, "Yes, the Pentagon - when all the people there had the tongues of fire over their heads."
Of course, it was not "Pentagon" but Pentecost that was being discussed! Sometimes, what people say and what those listening hear, can be quite different. In our readings, through the power of the Holy Spirit, when the apostles spoke, everyone listening was able to understand their message - even if they spoke a different language! The apostles knew that Jesus wanted them to bring his message of love and mercy to all those around them, but they had been afraid since they did not know how to do this. They were fisherman. They did not feel sure of the message or how to deliver it to others. After they received the Holy Spirit, not only did they know the right message, but they also became able to speak that message in a way that everyone understood them! The Holy Spirit is powerful!!
Sometimes I believe that when we hear this, we think of it as a one-time experience that happened to the apostles 2000 years ago. Something that we talk about in church. But the fact is that each of us here can look back at many events in our own lives when the Holy Spirit was present enabling us to spread the message of Jesus and to advance his Church. Here is an example.
When I was a kid, a Baptist minister and his family moved into our neighborhood on Center Road in West Seneca. Before long, Rev. Lee was constructing a church in his backyard. Every day we would ride our bikes past it just to see how much further along it was. We couldn't wait to see it all finished. Late one Fall evening, I went to the construction site to find Rev. Lee, alone, nailing down plywood to the floor. I asked him why he was working so late. He said that the church needed to be finished before the snow fell. I asked if there was anything that I could do to help. And then he did it. He asked me, a young kid, if I could come the next morning to drive nails in the floor. He asked me to bring friends. So, the next morning my friends and I did come. We and the other volunteers accomplished a great deal. It wasn't long before we were standing with Rev. Lee and many others in the beautiful, completed church building, praying together in thanksgiving.
The Holy Spirit is powerful! Thinking back, what else, but the Holy Spirit, could have caused a young kid to ask if he could help out with a major construction project? What caused his 3 friends to join him? What caused Rev. Lee to risk wasting his precious time on these young people when he was already so far behind schedule?
Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit to guide us in building his Church. Haven't you found yourself working on something that you never thought you would be doing? I see it all around our parish here at St. Andrew. People welcoming others to our parish by volunteering to take care of our flowers and maintain the lawn. Hospitality at its best. People ready to start bingo back up again after the pandemic. Three weeks ago, our St. Vincent de Paul Society became active once again as more than twenty people began participating in the work of serving the poor. Each of these individuals have been called by the Holy Spirit and enabled with what they need to spread Christ's message through their actions.
This week, think of where the Spirit may be calling you. And if by chance you don't notice any such call, contact me. Like Rev. Lee, I have plenty more "hammers and nails" to get you started. With the help of the Spirit, we will continue to build our Church.
Peace!
Deacon Dave
