See how the Lord’s promise was fulfilled: “I will not leave you orphans; but I will send the Spirit, the Paraclete” (John 14:18,26) who speaks for everyone as their Advocate. Coming on behalf of the Word, he came with tongues. The tongue represents knowledge expressed in words, and the two elements cannot be separated. So the Word of the Father (that is, the Son) and the Holy Spirit are inseparable, being indeed of one Nature. “Come, spirit, from the four winds and blow upon these slain and let them live again” (Ezekiel 37:9).
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak with divers tongues, according as the Holy Spirit gave them to speak (Acts 2:3-4). Behold the sign of fullness. The full vessel overflows, and fire cannot be hidden. They spoke with every tongue; or else, though they spoke with their own (Hebrew) tongue, they were understood by all as if they spoke the proper tongue of each. The Holy Spirit, sharing with each as he will (1 Corinthians 12:11), breathes his grace where, how, how much, when and on whom he will. May he deign to breathe it on us, he who this day breathed his grace on the Apostles in tongues of fire. To him be always praise and glory, through everlasting ages. Amen. — From a Sermon of St. Anthony of Padua for Pentecost as found in The Sermons of St Anthony of Padua translated by Paul Spilsbury, 1979
This Sunday is Pentecost. For 50 days, a group of 120 followers of Jesus waited. Their teacher, for whom they had left all they had, was now gone. Judas, one of their own, betrayed their master and then killed himself. The comforter they had been promised had not yet come. They picked Mathias as a replacement for Judas. And then they waited.
I have to speculate sometimes at the conversations that occurred during those 50 days from Easter until Pentecost. There were, I am sure, some nervous exchanges. Jesus had appeared to them: he had offered Thomas an opportunity to place his hands into his wounds; he had eaten fish with his disciples by the shore. But where was this promised comforter who would be with them always?
Pentecost is a part of the Christian calendar today, but for the disciples, it was the Feast of Shavuot, or the “Feast of Oaths.” It was a festival remembering the covenants God made with Noah after the flood, Abraham and the Israelites about a new homeland, and Moses on Mt. Sinai. It was a time to remember God’s faithfulness.
When I read Acts 2 and imagine the room filled with the small band of believers, a sound “like the rush of a violent wind” and tongues “as of fire” resting above each of their heads, my faith is encouraged. I am reminded that there are greater things at work in this world than what is at first visible. There is power and strength in the Spirit that God sent to the church. While there had only been 120 gathered in that room, 3,000 were added to their number that day.
While much of my work revolves around challenging unjust systems and structures, I do not doubt that the world we see around us of broken people and institutions is only a small portion of what is real. The Spirit of God extends wider and deeper and is at work in my life, the lives of others, and in the communities and institutions of this world. While I work for societal transformation, I try to stay rooted in the transforming work that the Spirit is constantly doing in me.
Too often, it feels like we need to make a choice between the work of this world, and the work of the Spirit, or between a personal focus, or a social focus of the gospel. “Either/or” marks how some churches present the Christian faith. Often, however, this is a false dichotomy. Early in the days of the Sojourners community I remember that one of our favorite words was “and.” We would talk about personal salvation and social justice, prayer and peacemaking, faith and action, belief and obedience, salvation and discipleship, worship and politics, spiritual transformation and social transformation. These were things that complemented one another and deepened each other instead of being in opposition.
In two weeks, my family and I will be headed down to Shakori Hills, North Carolina for the Wild Goose Festival. In the Celtic Church, the symbol for the Holy Spirit is a wild goose — wild, free, and untamed. The festival will be a weekend of justice, spirituality, music, and the arts. It is an “and” kind of space, more than an “either/or.” It will, no doubt, be a busy weekend. But I am looking forward to it, not just for the activities, but for the reminder that it is by chasing after the wild goose, the Holy Spirit’s movement, that we see ourselves, and our world, transformed.
Take a minute to watch this video below. It’s not too late join us.
We have all seen the pictures of the destruction brought about by last Wednesday’s tornado from Westfield to Sturbridge. Insurance may end up covering a good portion of the rebuilding expenses. However, in the meanwhile, many families are now homeless. The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts is doing its best to help these suddenly desperate families – families in a situation that any of us could be in a moment’s notice because of a random natural disaster. We have prayed for them at Mass, but if your condition in life allows, please also consider the practical help requested by the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts.
The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts has been working hard to respond to the emergency food needs in the communities affected by the recent tornado. A financial donation allows the Food Bank to buy in bulk the specific food products that are needed so for every $1 donated they can purchase $13 worth of food. If you prefer to donate in kind, the following food products are needed: ready-to-eat, non-perishable meals like canned ravioli; canned tuna; canned fruit with pop-tops and fruit cups; cereal; granola bars; bread; and peanut butter and jelly. A collection basket will be placed in the vestibule and will be delivered to the Food Bank this week, and we will repeat the collection next week. Please make checks payable to “The Food Bank of Western Mass.” And thank you.
From Dr. John Guzlowski remembering the anniversary of the Allied invasion of Europe: D-Day Remembrance
Today, June 6, is the anniversary of the invasion of Europe, and by chance I was in a high school about to begin a presentation about my parents and their experiences in the Nazi concentration camps when an announcement came on asking the students in the school to remember the anniversary of D-Day.
As the speaker talked about what D-Day was, I thought about all that day meant to me, my parents’ long years as Polish forced laborers in Nazi Germany, the refugee camps after the war, the family killed and left behind, our coming to the US as DPs.
When the announcement ended, I began my presentation with a poem about my father’s liberation from the camps. Here’s the poem:
In the Spring the War Ended
For a long time the war was not in the camps.
My father worked in the fields and listened
to the wind moving the grain, or a guard
shouting a command far off, or a man dying…
SCRANTON – Newly ordained 25 years ago, the Rt. Rev. John E. Mack had modest goals.
He became pastor of a Polish National Catholic Church parish in Massachusetts.
On Sunday, the 55-year-old Detroit, Mich., native was installed as eighth bishop of the Central Diocese, the church’s largest, covering Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Maryland and stretching into Colorado and Los Angeles.
“You don’t become a priest thinking you’re going to become a bishop,” said Mack after the solemn ceremony and Mass at St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr Cathedral attended by approximately 200 people and bishops and priests from other dioceses.
“It’s something God calls you to,” he said.
The church, which broke away from the Roman Catholic Church, was founded [sic] in 1897 by the Rev. Franciszek Hodur, who was pastor of the cathedral and the first bishop. Mack has been pastor at the mother church on East Locust Street since February, when he was assigned to head the diocese. He previously served as auxiliary bishop of the Buffalo-Pittsburgh Diocese for three years.
The promotion requires him to serve in more than one role, said his predecessor, the Most Rev. Anthony A. Mikovsky, who was elevated to Prime Bishop of the church.
He must be a teacher, ensuring what is taught is in accordance with the faith, and he must be keeper of the faith, Mikovsky noted.
“Above all of these, the bishop is to be a shepherd,” said Mikovsky, pointing out the symbolism of the wooden staff carried by Mack as leader of the flock.
Mikovsky imparted some advice, acknowledging Mack had heard it before, “My brother John, I tell you something you already know, love your people.”
And to the people, Mikovsky said, “Pray for your bishop.”
Mack has made a good impression on Barbara Placek of Harding.
“I think he’s going to be good. He brings a refreshing essence to the church,” she said.
“He’s musically oriented,” she added.
Mack started taking piano lessons when he was 8 from his great aunt Laura Jaworowski of Clifton, N.J., when she spent summers with his family, according to a church biography of the new bishop. Mack and his wife, Sherry, have three children and all of them participated in the installation. Their daughter, Rebecca, 24, served as cantor. Their sons, Andrew, 17, played the flute and Phillip, 21, was a lector.
Three decades ago, seminarian John Mack taught St. Stanislaus children catechism, followed with a lesson on the basketball court.
At 6 feet 3 inches, Mr. Mack impressed his students with a passion for the Lord and the layup. Sunday, some of those former students looked on as the man they met as a seminarian was installed as bishop of the Polish National Catholic Church’s Central Diocese at a Mass at St. Stanislaus Cathedral
“He was very friendly and energetic,” said one of those students, Fred Aebli, after the service. “It’s neat to see him come back in such a big way.”
Yours truly as Deacon, Bishop Mack, Subdeacon Donald WunderlichBishop Mack had been in the post since Feb. 1, but his era as the eighth bishop of the Scranton-based religion officially began at the Mass with the certification of the election results and passing of the symbolic pastoral staff.
Prime Bishop Anthony Mikovsky reminded those at the ceremony that the elected bishop has the authority of God and God’s people, and he exhorted them to “Unite in faith…. follow, listen and work.”
Bishop Mack had recently been auxiliary bishop in the Buffalo-Pittsburgh Diocese. He was elected to the new post after Bishop Mikovsky was elected prime bishop in the fall.
Bishop Mack will also serve as pastor of St. Stanislaus Cathedral, the denomination’s mother church.
While Bishop Mack moved on from his education in Scranton, he never really left, said Joe Nasser, president of the St. Stanislaus Men’s Association.
With the headquarters of the church in the city, he was a common sight in Scranton throughout his career.
“He’s the same as a bishop as he has always been in his career: down-to-earth, a good communicator, and easy to get a hold of,” Mr. Nasser said. “The new leadership has made this an exciting time here.”
After the Mass, the church held a reception in the parish youth center.
Bishop Mack was born and raised in the Polish National Catholic Church in the Greater Detroit area and attended Savonarola Theological Seminary in Scranton.
