GOSPEL COMMENTARY June 5, Jn 20:19-23 or Jn 14:15-16, 23b-26
Being at a parish with a large school means that there’s never a day without a “what if” question. School kids are an endless fountain of hypotheticals, always thinking of one more bizarre example to test any teaching or rule. State any principle, for instance: “It’s always good to tell the truth,” and then just wait while the tide of “what ifs” comes streaming in. What if it’s a bad guy, or a space alien? What if, what if, what if?
One certainty left in the wake of all the “what if” questions is that our world is a complicated place, more than any moral system or manual could ever tackle. No mere written code or tradition alone could answer all of life’s “what ifs.” To navigate the modern moral jungle, we’d need a living guide, one in the midst of our hearts, to help us make any progress.
Thanks be to God that ours is a living faith, and we have just such a living guide in and through the Holy Spirit. That fact is precisely what we celebrate today on the solemnity of Pentecost. Both options for the Gospel for Pentecost Sunday, Jn 20:19-23 and Jn 14:15-16, 23b-26, speak to us of Christ sending the Spirit into our hearts to make us alive in God’s own life.
By virtue of our baptism and confirmation, the Holy Spirit dwells in each of us and acts within each of us, if only we are open to his guidance. Moreover, the Spirit acts in the church to animate her throughout the ages, helping us to remain true to the faith we’ve received, while also allowing us to meet new challenges and grow to embrace the modern landscape.
The upshot of this: through the Holy Spirit, the church is a living thing, a vibrant guide in our midst alive in the very life of God himself. Moreover, as Christ promised us in the Gospel, the Spirit is present to “teach us everything and remind us of what he told us.” Though no moral manual compiled by Jesus could ever cover all of the “what ifs” of the future (it would simply be too large and cumbersome), we are not left helpless. We have an advocate: The Spirit guides the church through the apostles and councils from the printing press to the internet age, from sailing ships to space ships and beyond. In each age, Christ teaches and dwells in us through the outpouring of the Spirit.
The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is not only true for the church, but for us as individuals, as well. Since the Spirit is present in each of our lives and hearts, it means that God is intimately present with us, guiding our thoughts and choices, strengthening our actions, loving within our love. We just have to tune in and be open to the help. The Spirit helps us make the good (but often hard) choices, to bear our crosses as offerings to God, and prays within us with prayers deeper than words. Our daily prayer to be open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit goes a long way. It’s also no accident that one of our Gospels mentions forgiveness of sins. A good confession is the surest way to re-invite the Holy Spirit in our hearts.
This Pentecost Sunday, as we remember the great gift we have in the Holy Spirit, we invite the Spirit to dwell in our hearts, to love and guide us, be present in our thoughts and actions, and lead us to heaven. What’s more, we realize that while life gives us an endless stream of “what ifs,” the Spirit aids us to meet them with a childlike confidence, attuned and open to Christ teaching in our midst, yesterday, today and forever.
Fr. Miserendino is parochial vicar of St. Bernadette Church in Springfield.
Jesus comes the extra mile