Fr. Chris - Pentecost - Homily

​​"The Empowerment Of Humanity"


Jesus said to them, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit”.
 
And so, we were sent, along with the first followers of Jesus, and empowered by the Holy Spirit for our missionary journey on this day, Pentecost, many years ago.   
 
And the celebration of this momentous event is nothing less than the celebration of the beginning of Christianity! The followers of Christ, first called to share Christ’s promise of salvation with the world, their profile then raised up as Christ himself was raised up into heaven in the Ascension, are now spiritually empowered by the power of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost for the work ahead. As we say in Baptism: “This is our Faith. And we are proud to profess it, in Christ Jesus our Lord.”   
 
It is important to note: Christianity is clearly an ‘active’ faith. It thrives on the skills and talents of her followers in the active evangelization of Christ’s message. It is not a weekend faith, nor a secret gift we hold close like a good hand of cards as in Kenny Rogers’ song, ‘the Gambler’. We show the life-saving cards Christ dealt us. ‘Faith’ is a gift shared. And what is this gift? That gift is ‘love’. And love ‘heals’.  
 
Faith equals love, and love in essence equals healing. This is possibly the most important aspect of our faith, because when love is healing, it restores the human soul, it gives people hope, and assures all of humanity that we, too, will be reunited with Christ in a paradise of peace and joy, if only we love and support each other on our mutual journeys to redemption. This was Christ’s hope for humanity – that its love and healing support of each other would lead to their redemption.  
 
Today we were empowered by this mysterious, profound power of the Holy Spirit to share this healing love. As our Confirmands will joyfully experience this Fall, Knowledge, Understanding, Wisdom, Counsel, Strength, Reverence and Awe for the Lord will be enhanced and enlarged in their lives as part of this empowerment.
 
But what might this ‘active’ faith and healing love look like?    
 
Last Sunday, we discussed six habits of a faith-driven life of love and healing: 1) Respect individuality. 2) Create spaces for people to grow. 3) Encourage dialogue. 4) Negotiate expectations. 5) Enjoy our differences. And 6) Focus on those who are suffering most … which most echoes Christ’s call in his very first Beatitude: “Blessed are the Poor, for theirs is the Kingdom of God.” ‘Poor’ in the original Greek, ptochoi, means: the afflicted, helpless, needy, lacking money, even virtues. No one perhaps fits this description more than those who suffer from addiction.
 
Deaths from the ‘opioid’ crisis rival the deaths from Covid-19. So, how can we address this self-harm? Making drugs illegal does not stop people from using them. Health expert, Mark Tyndall, from Vancouver’s east side would say these 6 habits definitely help: respect them; create a safe space for them to recover and rebuild; encourage dialogue by listening to their stories, perhaps uncover the old wound which needs healing; negotiate plans and goals for recovery; enjoy and learn from the differences between their lives and ours. And so, we focus on those who suffer.
 
There are other addictions: alcoholism, anorexia, self-harm, pornography. But there are also many more which we may not think of, because all addictions come from the desire to dull the pain of a hurt felt very long ago, often in our childhood: over-indulgence in eating, shopping, sleeping, watching TV or even exercise. Even over-working for financial security or power and control or trying to establish the perfect reputation are addictions when they slowly enslave us. Sadly, they also harm us physically, hurt our relationships, and especially hinder our closeness to God!
 
Chuck DeGroat, author of ‘Toughest People To Love’ says the goal is not just for sobriety or behavioural change. It is holy ‘transformation’. A therapist told him the only real ‘cure’ he’d ever seen was a deeper union with God. “The addict’s hunger and thirst [for something besides drugs or over-achievement to dull the ache of a psychological wound] was satisfied in finding great joy and union in the Eucharist, contemplative prayer, or in long periods of silence and solitude.”  
 
Faith equals love equals healing. Pentecost entrusted us with this love, support and healing of each other. “As you did it to one of these, you did it to me.” Let us answer this ‘call’ in whatever way the Holy Spirit touches us with his fire of love.        
                                      
– Rev Fr Christopher Tracey, Saint Joseph Parish, Saugeen Shores, Ontario