Isle of view – – The Easter Spirit.
Last weekend of a lady came up to me after mass and asked me
if I was a charismatic priest. I wasn’t sure how to answer that question. Unfortunately,
I think I knew what she meant. I really didn’t like the implication. I think
she meant that I was open to the scriptural gifts of the Holy Spirit. For
example, speaking in tongues, interpretation of tongues and gifts of knowledge
are often trademarks of a “charismatic” person. I resisted answering the question
because I knew the cost of putting a label on anyone. A label stereotypes and
minimizes the mystery in the beauty of any person.
The woman, I believe, was asking that question because I was
talking about Jesus breathing His Holy Spirit on the apostles at Pentecost. Last Sunday’s gospel reading was about Jesus
appearing to the apostles in a room with locked doors. In the book of acts this
event changed the apostles’ lives from living in fear (locked doors) to
shouting from the rooftops that Jesus Christ is Risen. One of the
characteristics of the Holy Spirit’s touch in our lives is that we are freed
from the paralysis of fear.
Ironically, I believe this woman’s need to label what kind a
priest I was, could indicate a need to put others behind locked doors. Yes, I
would agree that being open to the scriptural gifts of the Holy Spirit is of
great value and truly can be a pathway to acknowledge the beauty and wonder of
our God. However, there are so many other ways to do this also. To talk about
the role the Holy Spirit in our lives, is to acknowledge how God touches our
lives in a way that we can experience and express the beauty of God. Last week,
I preached on how Thomas doubted that the apostles had seen the Risen Lord
because their receiving the Holy Spirit did not transform their lives in a way
that freed them from fear. After the
event of Jesus breathing His Spirit on them, they still locked the doors.
If we truly receive the Holy Spirit, that is, if we are
charismatic, the Holy Spirit moves us from fear to confidence and boldness. Let
me expound on the example I gave last weekend during the homily. A cheap violin was being auctioned for a few
dollars. An old man from the back of the crowd interrupted the bidding by
approaching the auctioneer and taking the violin. He tightened the strings, took
the bow and made the violin sing like angels. People were amazed at the sound
that came from that old violin. When the old man was finished, he gave it back
to the auctioneer. The auctioneer began the bidding in the thousands of
dollars. It sold for thousands more than what the original estimated value
indicated.(this example is taken from Matthew Kelly’s Rediscovering
Catholicism.)
This is what the Holy Spirit does. She awakens in us a sense
of our value. We believe in what God has
made us worth. Through our actions and
attitude, we can sing like angels. The beauty of God is expressed and
experienced in a way beyond our imagining. To live a life in the Holy Spirit is
to express gifts and a willingness to involve ourselves in other’s lives where
those gifts are best utilized to the benefit of others and to the glory of God.
In trying to understand what this woman asked me, I asked her what she meant by
the word, “charismatic”. She said it is
someone who speaks about the Holy Spirit all the time. I said yes. To the
extent that we stress God’s transforming love in our lives, we are talking
about the Holy Spirit. To talk about the true God is to talk about the
transformative work of the Holy Spirit. I told her I try to talk about this God
all the time.
Two days ago, over 70 parishioners were confirmed by Bishop
Piche at the Basilica. Afterward, I asked a number of them what they were going
to do now. Some said: “I’m going to go sit down.” Others: “I’m going to be more
involved in the church”. I know they were put on the spot when I asked the
question. Before the ceremony, Bishop PIché also asked four candidates what
exactly was going to happen to them that night. In the week before, he also
read 60 letters that were sent to him by the confirmation candidates from our
parish. In his homily, he was able to refer to the letters but also to the answers
that the candidates had in his interviews with them. These kinds of questions make all of us think.
What difference can and does the Holy Spirit make in our lives? On the night of
the confirmation at the Basilica, Spirit was very much present. She was seen
and experienced by a certain excitement, enthusiasm, and an admiration of who
we are not only as a parish but as God’s beloved children. People acknowledged
that sense or can I say, acknowledged the beauty of God in our midst. There was
a certain awareness of Goodness among us. The evening of confirmation truly was
an uplifting, inspiring and confidence-building experience. It was as if the
artist-God touched the old violin of many hearts only to express the beauty of
the Artist that night. I could hear the angels sing and I believe others could
hear the same. I guess this was what it means to be charismatic.
The Spirited Skipper
