A good friend recently celebrated her birthday. She has two very young children, and the older of the two is just beginning to understand that presents or gifts are part of birthdays. So he gave his mother one of his toys as a gift. However, after the party was over, he took the gift back because . . . well, because it was his. He hadn’t quite learned what gifts and presents are all about. I am sure, however, that he will eventually come to understand the concept of gift.
In his First Letter to the Corinthians, speaks of the Holy Spirit and the fact that through the Holy Spirit we have all been granted certain gifts. Perhaps the most important of those gifts is the faith that makes it possible to declare that Jesus is Lord. St. Paul goes on to say that there are different gifts, different forms of service, and different works, all of which are generated by the Holy Spirit. However, he also makes it very clear that the different gifts, the different forms of service, and the different works were given not to benefit the individual but to benefit the whole body; namely, the Body of Christ of which each of us is a part. In other words, the gifts with which we have been blessed are not ours to employ for our own benefit. We are to share those gifts with the community at large. Gifts are meant to keep on giving.
The Gospel for today highlights one gift in particular; namely, the gift of peace and forgiveness. On the day that he rose from the dead, Jesus appears to his disciples and greets them with peace – not once, but twice. In so doing, he forgives them for abandoning him in his hour of need. He then goes on to impart the gift of the Holy Spirit which is given to us for the forgiveness of sins. Each time we confess our sins, the priest reminds us that the Holy Spirit has been given to us specifically for this purpose.
Right now, we are living through a time of deep distress. The corona virus has caused us a great deal of grief. That is compounded by the death of George Floyd at the hands of the police which has caused rioting and looting. We are being blinded by the evil of these events. Our black brothers and sisters live with the fear of death at the hands of the police. There is no denying this fact, and anyone who has taken the time to enter into dialogue with African-American people knows their deep distrust. Racism is alive and well in our culture, our community, and in our past and present.
As we revel in the gift of the Holy Spirit today, it is our vocation to fan the flames of the Spirit into a blazing fire that will burn away the hatred, the distrust, and the deep divisions that exist in our national community.
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M>, Administrator