Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Gospel: John 20: 19-23

On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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If I asked you to draw a picture of the Holy Spirit, what would it look like?

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In the Gospels, the Holy Spirit is represented by a dove – a gentle, peaceful bird. Maybe that’s what first came to mind for you.

In the Acts of the Apostles, the Spirit is represented by tongues of fire.

A bird versus fire. Quite the difference!

The Irish wisely merge the two together. Often, they depict the Holy Spirit as a goose, a wild bird with fire in its belly.

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Geese are feisty animals who wander wherever they will. If you try to box them in, they’ll bite! Your only warning before that painful pinch is a loud, jarring HONK! HONK!

Loosely translated, it means something like, “Hey! Outta my way!”

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Like a feisty goose, the Holy Spirit moves wherever it wills. And when it bites, you know it!

You become like the God you represent – as peaceful as a dove, but as noisy, protective, and passionate as a goose. There’s fire in your belly!

Honk! Honk! 

Impossible to ignore.

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Think of the difference in Saint Peter, before and after he receives the Holy Spirit. 

In today’s Gospel, we first encounter Peter hiding with the other Apostles somewhere in Jerusalem. Reports are surfacing that Jesus may be alive again. He’s already appeared to some of them.

Yet Peter’s terribly afraid of being discovered in public. He’s still stuck on the horrific nature of Good Friday. There’s no doubt Jesus was laid in a tomb. But alive again? How could that be?

Suddenly, the Risen Lord appears to Peter and says, “Peace be with you.” Then Jesus breathes on him, and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

Suddenly, Peter bursts out of the cell he’s hiding in – both physically and spiritually – like a wild goose with fire in his belly. Leaving his chains of fear behind, he re-enters Jerusalem, seeking out the same people who put Jesus to death.

In his first public sermon on Pentecost Sunday, Peter cries out, “Jesus the Nazorean was a man commended to you by God… This man you killed, using lawless men to crucify him…. God raised this Jesus; of this we are all witnesses.”

Then Peter exhorts the crowds, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you!”

He wants them to receive the Holy Spirit – the same wild goose – who’s transformed his life.

There’s no other logical reason for this dramatic change in Peter’s behavior. He’s seen the Risen Christ and received the power of the Holy Spirit.

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In baptism, everyone receives the gift of the Holy Spirit. But has the Spirit been awakened within me?

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Anyone who’s filled with the Holy Spirit has an easily identifiable trait: enthusiasm.

Enthusiasm comes from the Greek, en theos, meaning, “God within.”

In Peter’s case, this enthusiasm is revealed by his fiery preaching; his zeal to spread the Gospel message; and his inner transformation from fear to freedom.

In Saint Paul’s case, his enthusiasm is revealed by his courage and perseverance. Paul was beaten, shipwrecked, imprisoned, and left for dead multiple times. But he never stopped proclaiming the Gospel. It was like a fire in his bones. He couldn’t hold it in!

Maybe you experience this enthusiasm differently. Perhaps it’s that fire within that inspires you to cook in our soup kitchen, to bake for our café, to participate in parish ministry; to intercede for others.

Or the energy you find deep within to do a thousand little things for your family and children without complaint, or sometimes recognition.

Maybe it’s that calming peace that allows you to undergo trial or suffering with patient endurance. 

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On this Feast of Pentecost, we pray for the Holy Spirit to remain with us always. (Please bow your head and pray for God’s blessing).

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful. Enkindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall renew the face of the earth… The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!

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Image credits: (1) My Friend Callie, WordPress (2) Doubting Thomas, Caravaggio (3) Altar of the Chair, Bernini, St. Peter’s

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According to a recent study, the average four-year-old laughs 300 times a day. The average forty-year-old? Only four.

I wonder why. Do we adults take life too seriously? Are we too stressed? Overwhelmed? Or have we simply lost our child-like innocence?

Imagine how joyful our lives would be if every adult we knew laughed as many times as a four-year-old.

Maybe we’d get nothing done.

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(That was a joke…did you smile?)

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Today we celebrate the feast of Saint Philip Neri, the patron saint of joy and humor.

He was a man who laughed constantly. He saw laughter as a way to counteract his pride, and as a way to brighten other people’s days.

Philip was known on occasion to walk around Rome with his clothes turned inside out; with extra-large shoes; or with his beard half-shaved. 

When he’d walk into a church for the first time, he’d jump up and down and shout for joy.

Oddly enough, the more comical he was, the holier he was perceived to be.

He found a way to balance his sense of humor with intense periods of prayer, love of God, and service to his neighbor.

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Would that we’d all learn from Philip’s example. In his honor, can you make someone laugh today?

You’ll both feel better for it.

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Image credits: (1) Eat Sleep Work Repeat (2) The Seattle Times

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Acts: 22:30, 23:6-11

Wishing to determine the truth
about why Paul was being accused by the Jews,
the commander freed him
and ordered the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin to convene.
Then he brought Paul down and made him stand before them.

Paul was aware that some were Sadducees and some Pharisees,
so he called out before the Sanhedrin,
“My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees;
I am on trial for hope in the resurrection of the dead.”
When he said this,
a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees,
and the group became divided.
For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection
or angels or spirits,
while the Pharisees acknowledge all three.
A great uproar occurred,
and some scribes belonging to the Pharisee party
stood up and sharply argued,
“We find nothing wrong with this man.
Suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”
The dispute was so serious that the commander,
afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them,
ordered his troops to go down and rescue Paul from their midst
and take him into the compound.
The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage.
For just as you have borne witness to my cause in Jerusalem,
so you must also bear witness in Rome.”

The Word of the Lord.

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Saint Paul has just been put on trial, severely lashed, and thrown back into prison. Half-dead, he prays from his cell, “God, what is your will for me?”

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Anyone would’ve hoped for an open door or relief from pain and suffering.

But mysteriously, the Lord appears to Paul, saying, “Take courage. For just as you have borne witness to my cause in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness in Rome.”

That will be Paul’s next – and final – stop. 

After faithfully proclaiming the Gospel, he will be put to death, just like his Lord.

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What this passage tells us is as haunting as what it does not tell us. 

It does not tell us why God allowed Paul to suffer, other than the fact that he “bears witness”; nor does it explain away our own suffering.

But it does tell us that the Lord appeared to Paul; that Paul did God’s will; and through it all, Jesus was with him.

“Take courage,” the Lord says. “I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

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What can Paul’s life and ministry say to us? 

That, at times, God allows pain and suffering to enter into our lives. But not without grace. 

As Paul himself writes, “No trial has come to you but what is human. God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it.”

Paul bore his cross faithfully. His way out – his reward – was the resurrection. And for him that promise of eternal life was more than enough.

May Paul pray for us that we, too, would accept the Lord’s will even when suffering is involved, because it leads to life in abundance.

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Image credits: (1) National Catholic Register (2) Saint Paul in Prison, Amazon.com (3) Pinterest