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Gospel: John 14: 15-26
Jesus said to his disciples:
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
And I will ask the Father,
and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always.
“Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.
Those who do not love me do not keep my words;
yet the word you hear is not mine
but that of the Father who sent me.
“I have told you this while I am with you.
The Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name,
will teach you everything
and remind you of all that I told you.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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One day, a little boy asked his father, “Dad, where can I find God? I’ve looked everywhere – under my bed, in my closet, in my desk at school – I can’t find him.”
So, the father told his son a tale, “My boy,” he said, “one day the devil was speaking with his helpers.” He asked them, “Where can we hide God?”
One of the helpers replied, “Let’s hide God on the highest mountain!”
Another replied, “Let’s hide God at the bottom of the see.”
A third said, “No, let’s hide God within each person. They will never look for him there.”
***
Today we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles like a gusty wind with tongues of fire.
The Spirit energized their lives – and their mission – forever.
Prior to Pentecost, the Apostles were timid and afraid. The fact that Jesus was raised from the dead and appeared to them multiple times was not enough.
At first, they remained hidden in an upper room in Jerusalem, fearful that the same crowds who wanted Jesus crucified would also want them dead.
Even after they re-entered Jerusalem, Peter tried returning to his former way of life. Remember his discouraging words to his friends: “I’m going fishing.”
Not, “Jesus has been raised from the dead!” But, “I’m going fishing…back to the shores of Galilee…back to my former way of life, as if this all never happened.”
Peter needed Pentecost. He needed the Holy Spirit.
Once the Spirit descended upon him and the others, their reluctance was transformed into commitment. Boldly, they went out to convert the world.
This abrupt change in Peter’s behavior becomes one of the earliest arguments for the proof of the resurrection. How else can you explain his immediate transformation unless he saw the Risen Christ and was filled with the Holy Spirit?
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We can make a similar argument about Saint Paul.
Prior to his conversion, Paul persecuted Christians. He jailed them, beat them, and even had them killed. Suddenly the Risen Christ appears to him, and Paul’s life is changed forever. He’s baptized, filled with the Holy Spirit, and then sent out on mission.
Throughout his ministry, Paul was beaten, imprisoned, shipwrecked, abandoned, and left for dead. Still, he never gave up. He never retreated. Even in the midst of great suffering and pain, he persevered.
Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit.
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So, how can you tell when someone is filled with the Holy Spirit like Peter or Paul? What might we see when we peer within?
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Anyone filled with the Spirit has a particular trait:
Enthusiasm.
Enthusiasm comes from the Greek, “en theos,” meaning, “God within.”
Those filled with the Spirit are enthusiastic about their faith; you can see God working clearly through them and with them.
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Last week, for example, at the 10 am Mass, Sara brought together our youth and adult choirs. Together, they sang a song that she and Joe Lesky wrote for my installation as pastor called, “A Hundredfold.”
This time they sang it in honor of my 7th anniversary as a priest.
After Communion, I sat and listened.
Tears began welling up in my eyes as I heard our children, the Day by Day Singers, belt out every note; they were few in number, but their voices filled the church. They sang from their souls.
They were full of enthusiasm about that song and its meaning. They were filled with the Holy Spirit.
I didn’t even have to look.
I could imagine the smile on Sara’s face; her arms moving intentionally back and forth as she directed the song, while Joe Lesky sat at the piano, passionately playing each key.
Everyone in that choir had a heart filled with joy.
They were enthusiastic about their worship. Like Peter and Paul, they were filled with the Holy Spirit.
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When have I felt enthusiastic about my faith? Or about this parish? Or about God?
When you do, you know the Spirit is working.
***
“Where can we hide God?” the devil asked his helpers.
“On the highest mountain!” … “At the bottom of the sea!”
“No, let’s hide God within each person. They’ll never look for him there.”
Or will we?
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Image credits: (1) Redeeming God (2) St. Paul Center (3) QuoteFancy