Go Out To All The People
And Spread The Good News!

Homily 05 19 2013
Pentecost Sunday C

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I suspect that some of you parents can relate to this story. It seems that it was on a Sunday morning, and a mother hurries into her son's bedroom and speaks agitatedly at the sleeping bundle.

"Look," she cries, "It's Sunday. Time to get up. Time to get up and go to church. Get up!"

The son mumbles from under the covers, "I don't want to go."

"What do you mean, 'I don't want to go?'" responds the mother. "That's silly. Now get up and get dressed and go to church."

He says, "No, I don't want to go and I'll give you two reasons why not." He sits up in the bed and continues. "First, I don't like them and second, they don't like me."

The mother replies, "Now that's just plain nonsense. You've got to go to church and I'll give you two reasons why you must. First, you're 51 years old and, second you're the pastor!"

Yes...first surprise, then laughter.

Such is the basis of today's feast of Pentecost. The disciples were hiding.

They were hiding in fear behind closed and locked doors, shutting out the rest of the world which was hostile, persecuting and terrifying.

They felt better huddled together in isolation planning what to do next, where to go.

And then a surprise!

Into their isolation Jesus comes. Through closed doors he walks. Past locks he breaks in.

Surprise first, surely, but just as surely, there must have been laughter, at first nervous and with hesitation but afterwards long and loud as the impact of their friends presence sank in.

I'm not sure they would have laughed so long and hard had they known what the friend would ask of them, but for the moment, they rejoiced.

What he would ask, of course, was what the mother in our story asked: get out of bed, get out of your isolation and fear, and go to church-to the assembly, to the world, and announce the Good News.

They too are correct to protest.

We don't like them and they don't like us-that's why they were hiding.

But the answer they get is this: you're thirty or forty or more years old and you're the pastors, the shepherds of a needy flock, the bearers of the gospel, the announcers of salvation and forgiveness.

You must go, you have a mission.

There is a delightful story about a mother who bought a ticket to a concert by Ignace Paderewski, the great Polish pianist. She took her five year old son with her, hoping the experience would encourage him in his own young efforts at music.

She was delighted to see how close to the stage their seats were. Then she met an old friend and got so involved talking with her that she failed to notice that her son had slipped away to do some exploring.

When eight o'clock arrived, the lights dimmed, the audience hushed to a whisper, and the spotlight came on. Only then did the woman see her five year old son on the stage, sitting on the piano bench, innocently picking out "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."

She gasped in total disbelief. But before she could retrieve her son. Paderewski walked onto the stage. Walking over to the piano, he whispered to the boy, "Don't stop! Keep playing!"

Then leaning over the boy, Paderewski reached out his left hand and began to fill in the bass. A few seconds later he reached around the other side of the boy, encircling him, and added a running obbligato.

Together, the great maestro and the tiny five-year-old mesmerized the audience with their playing. When they finished the audience broke into thunderous applause.

Years later almost all those present forgot the pieces that Paderewski played that night, but no one forgot "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."

That image of the great maestro and the tiny five year old at the piano makes a beautiful image of the Holy Spirit and the Church.

It makes a beautiful image of how the Holy Spirit unites with the Church to make beautiful music.

Going back to that image we see that the boy resembles the disciples. When Jesus departed from their midst, they were like spiritual children.

Their knowledge of God and how to spread God's kingdom was terribly deficient. It was like the little boy's knowledge of music.

And, of course, the great Polish maestro resembles the Holy Spirit coming upon the disciples encircling them with love, whispering encouragement to them and transforming their feeble human efforts into something beautiful.

There's a tremendous lesson here...

We look at the world and see so many problems that need to be addressed. We also look at our talents and see how inadequate they are in the face of all these problems.

It is here that we need to recall the image of the little boy and Paderewski.

Musically, the little boy's skill was minimal. But Paderewski built upon it and turned it into something beautiful-something that completely mesmerized the sophisticated audience that gathered in the hall that night.

In a similar way, the Holy Spirit can take whatever we have-no matter how small-build upon it, and transform it into something powerful and beautiful.

This is the good news contained in today's scripture readings. This is the good news that we celebrate on this feast of Pentecost.

It is the good news that Jesus has sent upon his Church, the promised Holy Spirit.

We are not alone; the Holy Spirit is leaning over us, taking our small contribution, and transforming it into something we never dreamed possible.

We may not like them, and they may not like us, but we are called by the Holy Spirit like the disciples to get out of bed and go to church, get into the world and with the help of the Holy Spirit, make beautiful music.

The Annual Catholic Appeal, which is being put before you again today, is not something new in the Church. St. Paul asked the first Christians to come to the aid of others. It was one way of working for the glory of God.

The Appeal here gives glory to God in serving poor parishes and schools in the Archdiocese in supporting over sixty ministries. It brings us out of isolation into relationship, into community with all those whom God loves.

I ask you to please join me in supporting this Appeal. Please give so that your gift reflects Christ's grace in your life and gives glory to him in the Church and in our society.

Thank you for your life of faith and for your positive response.

May God bless you and those you love.

jjl

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