TEXT: St. John 14:23-31, The Feast of Pentecost 2007

THEME: And I believe in the Holy Spirit…

In the Name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Left to his own devices, man has no knowledge of God. Certainly, he can sense that there is someone or something greater than himself, but he fills in the blanks with his own imagination; and so he arrives at Allah, or Zeus, or Krishna, or Buddha, or whatever else he may imagine. More importantly, however, is that natural man does not know the One, true God. He does not love God nor does he keep God’s Word. This is our heritage, this is our very nature. Left to ourselves, we despise God and His Word. Left to ourselves, we devise all manner of things, claiming it is pleasing to God. Whether it be reliance upon our own works, godless speculation about the future, or even the latest so-called “mission” fad in which numbers are more important than the Word itself, we despise God and we are left in damning error. Like the builders of the tower on Babel’s plain, we are full of our own self-righteousness and pride. Like the builders, we too are cursed; cursed and separated from our brothers and sisters and having no knowledge of the true God.

Yet God, in His infinite mercy, does not leave us as such. He who Himself is God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God took on flesh and became Man in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This God-man, our Lord Jesus Christ, fulfilled the Law on our behalf, bearing the full brunt of its condemnation. But, by His death, He has destroyed death and trampled the devil underfoot. Yet, death could not hold Him and He burst forth from the tomb alive as a glorious Bridegroom coming forth from His chamber and going to His Beloved. Having done all that the Father commanded, Our Lord goes away from this world and returns to the Father. But we are not to mourn and lament that we have been left behind; on the contrary, we are to rejoice that He has returned! For it is for us that the Lord Jesus has returned to the Father; now our humanity is exalted as a Man sits at the right hand of the Father, and it is from the Father’s right hand that this Man pours out the Holy Spirit.

Eternally proceeding from the Father and the eternally begotten Son, the Holy Spirit comes that all men may believe. Jesus promised the holy Apostles that the Paraclete would come after He had ascended, sent in His name and bringing to remembrance all that He had spoken to them and teaching them all things. It is He who will give to them the words to preach and the words to write. In the sound of the mighty rushing wind, the Spirit was poured out upon the Apostles. They did not speak in inaudible nonsense as the heretics suppose, for that is the curse of Babel. No; they were given the ability to speak the myriad languages of men that all men should hear the Gospel and call upon the name of the Lord, whether they be in Mesopotamia, Judea, Asia, Egypt, or even in Illinois.

For it is through the apostolic witness that the Holy Spirit changes the hearts of men and creates faith within them. This is how the Holy Spirit works; this is how He has always worked and this is how He continues to work. He worked the same way in you, for you too have heard the very same apostolic preaching. You may say, “Foolish man! The apostles died almost 2000 years ago! When did I hear them preach?” Behold the Scriptures! Behold your pastors! Whenever it has been proclaimed to you that Jesus Christ, true God and true man, died and rose again for the forgiveness of sins, and at the Father’s right hand continues to remain with His Church, you have heard the very same apostolic preaching. Whenever you have taken the Holy Scriptures and read them, you have heard the very same apostolic preaching. This is the “all things” which the Spirit teaches. This is the Word through which the Holy Spirit works, drawing attention not to Himself but always directing men to the crucified Son. This is the Word which you have heard. This is the Word which countless before you have heard. This is the Word which all men need to hear, lest they die.

Jesus promised to leave His peace with us, and we find it daily as the Holy Spirit works through the Holy Church. In Holy Baptism, the Holy Spirit was poured out upon each one of us, creating faith. Now we know the One true God, loving Him, keeping His Word, and calling upon His name for salvation; we now have the assurance that He too loves us and that He – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – has made His home with us. In Holy Absolution, He speaks through the mouths of His pastors, daily and richly forgiving all of our sins. Here, the peace which only Christ can give is announced over us again and again. Through the Holy Eucharist, the Spirit works, keeping us in the one true faith, keeping us in Christ Jesus. Here, we again are intimately united with our Lord and God, as He dwells in us, forgiving our sins. It is through these gifts that the Holy Spirit keeps us in Christ, announcing and bestowing His peace among us. These are the gifts by which the Spirit gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole catholic Church. These are the gifts through which all men are gathered to love Christ, keep His Word, and to call upon His name for salvation.

Now, through the working of the Holy Spirit, the curse of Babel is undone. Men know and love the One true God, and brothers and sisters divided on account of ethnicity, culture, economics, and language are reunited; made one in Christ Jesus who transcends all. These men, including each one of us, have been called by the Spirit through the apostolic preaching, the peace of Christ: that Divine declaration of our innocence on account of Christ’s suffering and death. Through the gifts of the Sacraments, the Spirit daily and richly announces that peace to us in the forgiveness of our sins. This is the Good News of great joy that is for all people. This is the Good New that has been proclaimed over radio air waves for over fifty years. This is the Good News that we daily share with those around us according to our place in life, our vocation. This is the Good News of salvation for all on account of the merits of Christ Himself. No longer are our hearts troubled or afraid. Christ has given us His peace; peach which the Paraclete who is sent in His name daily proclaims to us. Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful and kindle in them the fire of Your love. Alleluia.

In the Name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.