By Archbishop Thomas Wenski - The Archdiocese of Miami
Archbishop Thomas Wenski preached this homily May 9, 2016, at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Miami, at the start of the annual convocation of archdiocesan seminarians.
In his homily this morning at Santa Marta, Pope Francis said that “the Holy Spirit moves the Church, but for many Christians the Holy Spirit is a stranger.” Certainly, many people don’t understand the Holy Spirit and his role in our lives as Christians. I remember once when I was a parish priest back at Notre-Dame, one lady asked me to lay hands on her head and pray that the Holy Spirit take away her headache. I told her, if you have a headache take a Tylenol. The Holy Spirit doesn’t take away our headaches; the Holy Spirit gives us headaches.
And I think that in so many words this is what Jesus is telling his apostles in today’s Gospel reading. He warns them about upcoming trials; he predicts their wavering and their betrayal. After all, when the going got tough, they got going � and left Jesus to die alone on the Cross. He knew the apostles better than they knew themselves. They believed in him, yet when put to the test, they failed it. Yet Jesus loved them anyway and he knew that the Cross would not bring defeat but victory over sin and death.
Faith has to be nourished and strengthened in prayer. Prayer and faith go together. Those who have no faith do not pray; and those who do not pray have no hope. This week, between the Ascension of the Lord and Pentecost, finds the Apostles gathered with Mary in the upper room. They pray as they await the promised Spirit. The Spirit teaches us to pray even when words fail us. The Spirit is given to us so that we can pray boldly and confidently with the faith that all things are possible. Thus, the Spirit equips us to embrace the mission to witness to the Good News in a world that, because it is still under the influence of the Evil One, will give those who witness headaches, and worse.
We cannot avoid all pain and suffering in this life. In fact, normally we do not get to choose the crosses we will have to bear. Jesus nonetheless assures us that he will guide us safely through any difficulty or trial we may have to undergo for his sake. Jesus calls each of us to take courage, because he has overcome the world. The Holy Spirit gives us a living hope in the power of the resurrection and a confident trust in God’s abiding presence.
In this way, as Pope Francis says, the Spirit moves the Church. Like a boat tossed on the waves of a stormy sea, the Church sails forward strong in the faith and hope in Christ’s victory. The apostles who once failed Jesus fleeing from his side on Holy Thursday evening will go, when filled with the Holy Spirit, to the ends of the earth. They became witnesses � or, as in the Greek word for witness � they became martyrs.
This
week the Church keeps a novena with the apostles and with Mary. We too are
invited into the Upper Room to prepare for the Spirit to move us. Filled with
the Spirit, we need fear no trial, no suffering, and temptation or testing. The
Holy Spirit gives us the strength and courage we need to overcome adversity and
to persevere in faith. Come, Holy Spirit!
