We are told in the First Book of Kings that: “Israel went out to war against the Philistines, and camped by the Stone of Help” (1 Samuel 4:1) … The ‘Stone of Help’ is Christ, who is referred to in this Sunday’s Office reading: “Jacob took a stone, and putting it under his head, slept” (Genesis 28:11). In this way, the preacher should rest his head upon Jesus Christ, the Stone of Help; so that he may rest upon him, and in and through him overcome the demons. This is the meaning of the words, ‘encamped by the Stone of Help’, because he sets the camp of his conversation, and pitches the tents of his preaching, beside Jesus Christ who is his help in time of trouble, and he trusts in Him, and attributes everything to Him. — From a Sermon of St. Anthony of Padua for the Second Sunday of Lent as found in The Sermons of St Anthony of Padua translated by Paul Spilsbury, 1979
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
From Jim Wallis at Sojourners: Pentecost: The Coming of the Wild Goose
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.
Wild Goose Festival – June 23 – 26, 2011 – Shakori Hills Farm, NC from Wild Goose on Vimeo.
From Fr. Randy Calvo of Holy Name of Jesus Parish in South Deerfield, Massachusetts:
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.
You may make a donation online here.
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…