Sunday, May 20, 2018

Lit! A Homily for Pentecost Sunday, Year B


          I’ve always been somewhat of a language buff, so I was quite intrigued, but a little concerned, when one of our eighth-grade religious education students loudly declared, “Deacon Mike is lit!”  At the time, I only knew two definitions for the word “lit”:  1) illuminated; and 2) drunk.  Now, the lighting in the room seemed pretty normal to me, and my halo was under control, so that eliminated the first definition.  As for the second, while it was 5 o’clock somewhere, and teaching eighth-graders does have its trying moments, I’m generally not one to turn to that type of spirit for comfort and support.  So I quickly deduced that there must be a new, hip definition of “lit” that I was much too old to know.  Well, it turns out that in teen-speak, “lit” means “exciting” and “awesome.”  How fitting for the Feast of Pentecost, when we’re all called to be “lit.” 
    
                Saint Luke’s account of that first Pentecost is filled with energy and excitement.  You might even say it’s “lit.”  When the Spirit descended upon the disciples, they were suddenly on fire with the Gospel message; they were able, even compelled, to proclaim to all who would listen “that Jesus was the good news, God’s most explicit, most insistent, word of love and hope for the world.”[1]  The Holy Spirit did for the disciples exactly what Jesus tells us he would do in our Gospel:  the Spirit told the disciples what to say and how to say it; the Spirit guided them to all truth.  Lit by the Spirit, “[t]hey found themselves united in a communion of hope and dreams, of faith and commitment, with people who literally did not speak their language.”[2]  On that first Pentecost, the Lord sent forth his Spirit and renewed the face of the earth.  

          There’s no greater, more profound or more important influence in our lives than the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit makes God present to us in all that we do and guides and inspires us to live as Jesus taught us to live.  “The work of the Holy Spirit enlightens the mind to penetrate the teachings of Christ and gives us strength and the will to live by those teachings.”[3]  Our readings leave no doubt that the Holy Spirit lit a flame in the hearts of the disciples that gave them the courage and wisdom to carry the awesome and exciting Good News of Christ crucified to the ends of the earth.  Well guess what?  The Holy Spirit is calling each one of us to do the same – we’re all called to be lit!

          God gave every one of us special and unique gifts.  And as Saint Paul tells us in our second reading, this “manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.”  (1 Cor. 12:7)  “[G]ifts are given for the common service.  They are not for our own profit.  Each person in the community has been given special gifts that complement the gifts given to others.”[4]  When we share our gifts in loving cooperation with others, we allow God’s work to be accomplished through us, and we function beautifully as the body of Christ here on earth.  Whether our gifts are expressed through a caring nature or expert craftsmanship, in critical thinking or good old common sense, in musicality or . . . eloquent preaching, when we use our gifts for the benefit of others, we’re exciting, we’re awesome, we’re lit; and we renew the face of the earth. 

The question for us, then, is whether we’ll allow ourselves to be lit by the Spirit.  God gave us gifts, but he also gave us the free will to choose whether and how we’re going to use them.  Will we use our hands to serve others, or to change the channel on the remote?  We will use our voice to cry out for justice, or to berate or tear down our neighbor?  Will we use our minds to advance human life and achievement, or to create instruments of destruction, torture or murder?  It’s our choice.  Every moment of our lives offers us the choice to use our God-given gifts for good, for evil, or not at all.  

It’s in those moments of choice that we have to pay attention to the workings of the Spirit in our lives.  “God’s Spirit flows through every heart; and . . . God stirs the Spirit in each person to advance the mission of the Son.”[5]  The Holy Spirit always leads us to use our gifts for good, and when we heed the urgings of the Spirit, we do great things.  

·    It was the Holy Spirit that inspired Mother Teresa to serve the poorest of the poor;

·     It was the Holy Spirit that moved Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to tell us about his Dream; 

·     It was the Holy Spirit that gave Saint Maximilian Kolbe the courage to shelter Jews during World War II and offer his own life to save a father condemned to death. 

I don’t think anyone would deny that Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Maximilian Kolbe each changed the world for the better in their own, unique ways.  I don’t think anyone would deny that they were lit!

  You know, the eighth graders in that religious education class were lit, too – and I don’t mean illuminated or drunk!  I was there for a talk on Saint John Paul II’s Theology of the Body, knowing full well that it isn’t a topic that teens love to hear about from an adult.  Though I was prepared for giggles and rowdiness, our young adults were polite, respectful and good-humored the whole time.  But it was when we opened the floor for questions that I saw the Holy Spirit at work in them.  Their thoughtful questions reflected not only a desire to understand our faith, but also profound compassion and empathy for those who struggle with these teachings.   I left that talk with great hope for our future because I knew in my heart that our next generation is awesome and exciting.  They’re lit!  I have no doubt that they’ll use their gifts for the good of others, and, lit by the Spirit they will renew the face of the earth.



[1] Mary M. McGlone, “God’s Goad,” National Catholic Reporter, vol.54. no. 15 (May 4-17, 2018), p. 19.
[2] Id.
[3] The Didache Bible (San Francisco, Ignatius Press, 2014), John 15: 26, note, p. 1443.
[4] Jude Winkler, New St. Joseph Handbook for Proclaimers of the Word, Liturgical Year B, 2018 (New Jersey, Catholic Book Publishing Corp. 2017) p. 251.
[5] Michael Simone, “Spirit of Christ,” America, vol. 218, no. 11 (May 14, 2018) p. 58.