Homily for Pentecost (Year B)
May 23, 2021
Sacred Heart, EGF – Saturday 5:00 PM; Sunday 10:00 AM (Baccalaureate) 12:00 PM

Focus:             You’ve been given a manifestation of the Spirit.
Function:         Call upon the Holy Spirit.

Come Holy Spirit,
Fill the Hearts of your faithful and enkindle in us the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit, and we shall be created,
and you shall renew the face of the earth.

A strong, driving wind, filled the house where they were.

They were all filled with the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is never poured out in half measure.  No, he always fills the one to whom he is given.

Light shines upon all, but only the person whose eyes are opened will see. 

So too with the Holy Spirit.

He is poured out upon us in Baptism and Confirmation.
He wells up within us at various moments in our lives.

But only the person who opens himself to the Spirit will be able to see and testify to the power of God.

Brothers and sisters, what if we allowed the Holy Spirit to fill us?

What if we allowed the Holy Spirit to animate us?  That word, “animate”, coming from the Latin word “anima”, where we get the word “soul”, or “animal”…the soul is what enlivens something that is living.
What if we allowed the Holy Spirit to animate us, to work in us and through us?
What if we surrendered ourselves to the Holy Spirit in the different situations we face rather than trying to force things or control things ourselves?

What if we did that?

If we did that, his light would shine in us and we would see.
If we did that, his voice would speak in us and we would hear.
If we did that, his fragrance would anoint us, and we would smell in the world like a newly baptized baby anointed with that fragrant holy Chrism oil.

He would lead us to places beyond ourselves.
He would open up new possibilities and horizons before us.
He would use us as instruments in his hands, accomplishing mighty words which we could never have dreamed of.

And we would stand in wonder and in awe – one of the seven gifts of the Spirit.

We would taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

We would see the mighty power of God for ourselves
and then,
then brothers and sisters,
you and I would truly be
witnesses to the resurrection,
witnesses of the Risen Christ,
the Body of Christ, alive and active in our midst,
the Body of Christ, the Church,
animated by the gift of the Holy Spirit poured forth across the face of the earth.

They were all filled with the Holy Spirit.

Brothers and sisters,
We, too, have been filled with the gift of the Holy Spirit.

We have.

Sometimes he comes like a strong driving wind, compelling us to speak.
Sometimes he comes like a gentle breeze, nudging us to take a small step in faith, calling us to action, but he comes.

He has come.
He is known to us.

His presence is as familiar as a gentle rain starting to descend just as the Pentecost sequence is sung.

Do we open ourselves to him?
How do we open ourselves to him?

It’s very simple.

Invoke him.
Welcome him.

Pray and pray often, “Come Holy Spirit.”

The Spirit comes to the aid of our weaknesses.  He always comes to the aid of our weaknesses. 

Call upon him.
Call upon him and you open the eyes of your heart.

Come Holy Spirit.

When my patience is wearing thin, Come Holy Spirit.
When I’m afraid to stand up for what I need to stand up for, Come Holy Spirit.
When I don’t know what to do next, Come Holy Spirit.
When I don’t understand what’s happening in my life right now, Come Holy Spirit.
When the fires of temptation approach, Come Holy Spirit.

Saint Paul urges us, “Don’t stifle the Spirit.”  Rather, call upon him.  Invoke him. 

Saint Paul also tells us today that “to each individual, a manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.”

I believe it’s Saint Cyril that says that the Holy Spirit is like the rain. 
Just like the same rain falls on all the different seeds in the ground,
causing them to sprout and to become what God made them to be:
this one a stalk of corn,
this one a grain of wheat,
so too the same Holy Spirit falls upon the faithful
and causes us to become who he made us to be.

To each individual a manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.

The different charisms we have:

Some are gifted in administration.
Some are gifted with hearts of compassion.
Some are gifted with the ability to help others.
Some are gifted musically or with writing or with teaching.
Some have gifts for evangelization.
Some have gifts for craftsmanship.

But when the Holy Spirit animates those gifts, they are used to proclaim the glory of God.

You’ve been given a manifestation of the Spirit.
You’ve been given a manifestation of the Spirit that I have not been given.
You’ve been given a manifestation of the Spirit that the person next to you has not been given.

And yet, if one member of the Body stifles the Spirit, the whole body suffers. 
We need each other. 

Brothers and sisters,
Don’t stifle the Spirit. 

Invoke the Spirit. 

Open yourselves to the action of the Spirit.

[For Baccalaureate]

My dear seniors,
We need your gifts of the Spirit. You have so much to offer.

We need you, in the days ahead, to follow the lead of the Spirit in your life.

You’ve followed him up to this point.  He’s led you here, today, to this moment. 

As you go forth into the world:
I think especially at this time, it’s very easy to say, “I’ve got my plan and here’s where I’m going.”

That’s good.  Have your plan.  Leave room for the Holy Spirit to work, too, though.  If the Holy Spirit calls you in a different direction, don’t be afraid to follow where he leads.

You have the promise of Jesus,
the promise of Jesus who says,
“The Father takes from what is mine and declares it to you.”

He declares to you the gift of the Holy Spirit, always with you to guide you as you take this next step in your life. 

Welcome the Spirit.
Call upon the Spirit.
Follow where the Spirit leads.

And you will experience the true power of Pentecost.

Come Holy Spirit,
Fill the Hearts of your faithful and enkindle in us the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit, and we shall be created,
and you shall renew the face of the earth.