My friends, this week we are called to ponder the second of three themes after Easter,  before returning to Ordinary Time.  This theme is hard to get our heads around, and as I always suggest, in such cases, it is best to come at these issues through our hearts—as someone said, “the heart is wiser.” 

   So, our theme today, to ponder, is that of a “Triune God” –or three distinct persons, Creator, Savior/Revealer, and Spirit—all in one entity.  At face value, it does seem “wise” to come at this “wonderful dilemma” with all of our abilities, to shed as much light and intelligence, plus, understanding that we can find, in making sense of this. 

   In my mind, besides intelligence, and heart, it will take a great deal of faith to entertain the notion that our Loving God has all these capabilities:  that of creating, revealing, and a healing—protectiveness in Spirit, and to such a degree that each capability shows itself as an individual being—person!  Now, that’s the wonder part—let’s look at what that means in our everyday lives.  Scripture is always a good place to start. 

   As I read and ponder the scriptures for this feast, I see a collective and general theme of our God wanting to be close to us, wanting us to know “who” the Creator of all life, including us is, and that this “creating force” wants, in the end, to simply share life with us, wants us to take our one, precious existence, and grow to our potential, and be willing to share that potential with others. 

   The first reading from Deuteronomy says this:  “Know this today, and take it into your hearts, your God is God indeed, in heaven…and on earth—there is no other.” I think it is significant here that we read, “take this into your hearts” to know who God truly is, as the Old Testament people were known for “chasing after” all manner of “gods” who seemed more powerful than they were.  From the chosen readings today, we see that  our God wants us to consider a relationship that is about love given, and received, and then shared in like manner. 

   Our God will not be one who imposes, “power over others,” but one who “loves powerfully,” in order that we, each of us, will be strengthened and encouraged to, “return that love” through our ministry to others in the world.  The psalmist in 33 says of it, “The Creator loves justice and right and fills the earth with love.”  Our prayer then, with the psalmist must be, “May your faithful love be upon us, … as we place our hope in you.” 

   Our “Salvation History” as we long spoke of it, prior to the Second Vatican Council, was so much about, “awaiting a Messiah” who we might say, “would come and save us from ourselves.”  Our Loving God let us know, through prophets galore, that we were loved and expected to love in return—the words of the prophet Michah are probably most familiar to us:  “Act justly, love tenderly, and walk humbly with your God.” 

   Yet we, as a people, continued to get “stuck” in “small boxes” of understanding—devoid of “heart,” so that we missed the one, over-riding message that our God wanted us to get—we are loved and are part of “God’s family,” as “beloved children,” as Paul speaks of it today in his letter to the Romans.

    Thus, it was then important that our Loving God would become present in the person of Jesus, who became the Christ, by showing us, once and for all, just how “to do” the “human thing”—that in the end, it was all about love—not redemption, or punishment spared, but simply, “over-the-top love” for God’s beloved creatures!  Jesus showed us this so beautifully in the stories of the Prodigal Child and the Good Shepherd, among others. 

   When our brother Jesus became the Christ, all humanity then had a common link, and never again, would any of us need to feel alone—Jesus sent his Spirit, the 3^rd of the 3 persons of our wonderful God-head to be with us. 

   Thus, when Jesus left us physically, he laid out quite clearly what our task as members of this great family would be—share this, all that you know, and have seen me do and say! 

   So, as always, my friends, we come back to our everyday lives—we ask for faith strong enough to believe what our minds can’t truly fathom, but which our hearts can more fully comprehend.  And with all faith, we come to believe that “hope” in all that we are capable of, is part of this too. 

   Additionally, as we heard in today’s alleluia verse from Psalm 8, in the face of “over-the-top,” or as Episcopal bishop, John Shelby Spong is fond of saying, “wasteful love” of our God for us, our stance must be humility:  “Who are we,[in all the heavens and the earth] that you should be mindful of us?”  Yet, our God is! 

   I will end then today with two concrete examples from this past week that show us a bit of the way to go in living out our one, precious life in the presence and shadow of, a God who loves us in a “triune” way. 

   You may have had the opportunity this past week to watch on CBS Nora O’Donnell’ s interview for 60 Minutes with Pope Francis.  Now, while I still take issue with this human male, who can’t seem to get past his cultural “machismo” where women are concerned, he is doing some ground-breaking work where popes of the recent past are concerned in encouraging our Church and world to open-up, and at least attempt to include as many as possible.  And understandably, he suffers criticism in his attempts. 

   Nora got into many current-day issues with Francis, and he shared his belief that, “people are fundamentally good,” but went on to say that “the inability to change,” when change is needed, holding onto, “teachings and traditions,” that no longer serve, is “dogmatic suicide” [!]  He also spoke of a “globalism of indifference,” naming too many of us as, “Pontius Pilates washing [our] hands” of any responsibility.  He named the stance of “zero intolerance” within the clergy to hear differing views as being in a “doctrinal box” which he called, “madness.” 

   But the highlight of the interview for me was when Nora asked Francis about “surrogacy” as a way to bring children into the world.  Francis was clearly against the procedure for a number of reasons to which Nora had what I would call, “an intimate moment” with him, where she smiled, and responded, “but for some, Holy Father, it is their last chance.”  Francis had the “presence of heart” to thank Nora as he noticed, “the care” on her face as she said what she did. 

   Therefore friends, as we ponder today, a God who comes to us, in several different ways, basically showing us that “we are loved,” let us respond in kind to God and our world to the best of our ability…Amen? Amen!

Friends, with today’s liturgy, we begin a series of three that speak to the mysteries of our faith—Pentecost, Trinity Sunday, and Corpus Christi, or the Body of Christ.  Let’s take each one separately, give as simple an example as possible and see where we are:

1. Pentecost—from the Greek means “50” and for our purposes here, 50 days have passed since Easter, and Jesus is preparing to physically leave his band of apostles and disciples.  In order that they could remain strong in their faith, he promised to send them, and us, his Spirit, which we are celebrating today.
2. That easily moves us into Trinity Sunday as we remember that our loving God is composed of 3 persons—Creator, Savior/Revealer and Spirit. 
3.  Then we have Corpus Christi, or the Body of Christ—a Sunday that should take us from the “Table of Welcome” (where everyone is indeed welcome!) into our world where; if we have “eyes to see, and ears to hear, our God will be presented in many, many ways—in all who we meet and engage with, and in all of creation—really! 

   Now, with these simple explanations, I believe it would be true to say that each week holds a mystery that our heads can’t fully explain, and that we do better to come at each one with our hearts.

   For this week then, I will simply comment on Pentecost.  Beginning with the 1^st reading from Acts, we hear about, “a violent wind” and “tongues of fire” to explain the “unexplainable.” The mystery continues in that “they began to speak in other languages.”  We might be thinking and asking, “why would Jesus’ band need to be speaking in “other languages?” The simple answer to me would be that they could be better understood by all the others present that day, thus completing their mission of “sharing the Good News to all.”  Additionally, Jerusalem was a place that drew many different people, cultures, and with different languages. 

   And I can’t help but reflect once again on our Bishop Barron’s stance of not making himself available to us until we, essentially, “speak his language!” This new message, and lifestyle, The Way, as Jesus’ first followers were often spoken of, wouldn’t have traveled too far, it seems to me, if these first ones had this mindset. 

   We are also reminded in Paul’s 1^st Letter to the Corinthians, that we, each of us, are “given the manifestations of the Spirit for the common good.”  In other words, “the story” shouldn’t be about the Bishop’s particular mindset, but about what the people are asking for and indeed needing, to grow closer to God. I have had some of you tell me, “if it weren’t for this parish, I wouldn’t be going to church!”  And after all, there is something called, “the sensus fidelium” or “the universal consent in matters of faith and morals from the bishops to the last of the faithful.”  In my mind, this needs to be taken into consideration from these bishops who feel they have the totality of the truth!

   When we visited with the canon lawyer, Father Will Thompson, we asked him if Bishop Barron accepted Vatican II, and he said that he did.  I for one have to question that, when he, along with the majority of bishops in this country are spending so much time on pre-Vatican II theology with their National Eucharistic Celebration this summer running counter to Pope Francis’ synodality process that speaks well to Vatican II theology. 

   Our final reading today from John’s gospel gives hope to the “fearful” band, locked in the Upper Room, as well as permission, inspired by the Spirit, to do what is needed, “for the common good,”  which in my mind would include those who see things differently.  Our brother Jesus first brings “peace” and then assures the fearful band that if, “they forgive, or retain,” in matters of faith, it is in fact, done! 

   So often, “Church fathers” say, “it can’t be done,” to any change that is called for, and is needed. And the truth of the matter, is that they don’t want to change—ultimately, it wouldn’t be good for them!  Pentecost is about being “grownups” in our faith—thinking a new story about what it is to follow in Jesus’ footsteps.  It’s about getting out of our teeny-tiny boxes/boats—whatever, about truly unleashing the Spirit’s power/fire, of love in our world—a love so needed now—today! 

   I think on this Pentecost weekend, it is significant to remember that this past week, the United Methodist church has taken a most historic vote to be accepting of LGBTQ+ pastors and others within their congregations.  Bishop Karen Oliveto, the first openly gay bishop within the congregation, made quite a statement when asked by PBS Newscaster, Geoff Bennett what she thought was the reason, that her congregation has split over the issue of LGBTQ+ issues, and she basically said that it was about who they were taught that God is.  Bishop Karen said, “we are learning now, who God is, and how that is different from what writers/teachers, [etc.] have said God is,”  [through time].  In other words, God is bigger, better, more inclusive, open, accepting than we have made God to be! 

   The month of May, besides ending the Easter Season this year, is also the month that we remember our sister, Mary of Nazareth, another one whom Church fathers have belittled by conveniently placing her out of sight with an agenda that is basically theirs, instead of someone to listen to in her Canticle of Faith (the Magnificat) —a strong woman who was cognizant of the gift that she received in bearing the Christ for our world—a woman who continually shared in her time, “do whatever he tells you!”  Mary challenges us today too, to see her son in our everyday lives, to choose love over law whenever given that chance!     My friends, I said earlier that Pentecost calls us “to be grown-up in our faith” –to always look beyond the confines of organized religion, to see the path our brother Jesus took, to not be “afraid” to include more, as he did, to “stretch the cloth” to fit the message, and perhaps, in some cases, create a new pattern, a new cloth with built-in strength that can encompass his message yes, but with the ability to grow too, especially when the old pattern, worn material doesn’t work anymore.  I see Pope Francis doing this, and we must, at the least, support him for taking this fork in the road. Amen? Amen!

   My friends, today is an ending of sorts, while at the same time, a beginning! How so? The holy season of Easter ends with today’s liturgy—a time that speaks of mystery, of end times, and so much more.

   This past Thursday we experienced, “The Ascension,” or we might say, the returning of our brother Jesus to a more “heavenly” state.  This action is not something we can entirely understand with our human minds, and for the apostles/disciples who were present, it was probably like, “he was there one minute, and gone the next.”  It is like many other astounding things that happen in life, an eclipse of the sun, a birth of a child, a creature from the animal kin-dom being born, the blossoming of every living thing this time of year!  For the one experiencing the phenomenon, it is hard to adequately put into words, just what we experienced!  And with Friday night’s light show, I can now add, the Northen Lights!  So it was with these 1^st followers of Jesus—they expressed it to the best of their ability. 

   In the beginning of my homily, I said this Sunday is an ending, as well as a beginning.  The ending for these followers of Jesus was the tangible time when he was physically close, within reach, and they felt at peace, knowing that he was near.  With all of us, today’s readings show us Jesus preparing his rag-tag band for the time when he would no longer be physically with them.  Through our minds’ eyes, but more so, through our hearts, we can appreciate their real fear, as Jesus prepares to leave them.  

   When we have a strong, good, and merciful leader, we naturally want to hold onto the assurance they bring us.  In our own personal lives, we know what it is like to have a good spouse, a dear friend, a capable mentor—but how will it be without them—we just don’t know, nor did these first apostles. 

   Jesus promises these fearful, but good friends, that he won’t ultimately “leave” them, but send his Spirit, to make them strong, and able to go out into the world, and with their renewed faith and love, do as he said, “even greater things than I did!” 

   With the readings specifically for this last Sunday of Easter from John, both in his Gospel and in his 1^st Letter, we see how in fact the apostles and disciples, both then, and now—in us, will do these, “great things.”  In John’s 1^st Letter he says, “if you love one another, God [lives] in [you], and God’s love is brought to perfection.”  We cannot forget that this “love” began with our loving God, for each one of us!

   God, in Jesus is simply asking that we, in modern parlance, “pay it forward!”  So friends, we get back to that simple to say, double commandment—“to love God and our neighbor as ourselves”—but oh, so hard to do at times! Jesus asks us, in any situation, to do the “most loving thing.” 

   Episcopal bishop, Michael Curry has addressed this issue by asking himself, and us, “How do we truly know that any action is the most loving thing to do?” His answer for himself and us is that “we must check again and again!”  In other words, it is not a “one-time decision.” As we learn more, understand more fully, we should be reassessing our decisions.  And for me, an additional check point would be if I have peace, for the most part, about what I am deciding to do.

   With this in mind, I find it curious that many of the hierarchical men (bishops) within our Church are spending so much time and energy trying to get “the faithful,” back to reverencing the “Divine Presence in the Body and Blood of Jesus” on the altar, when Jesus has already “sent us forth” to reverence “his body and blood in all who we meet in our world! 

   Pope Francis is attempting mightily to do that through the synodality process, while these same bishops, mentioned above, are conducting an alternate process alongside, that to my eyes isn’t willing to see the face, body, and blood of Jesus in all they meet, unless they present in a certain, acceptable fashion, to them—ourselves here at All Are One, a prime example!  What we do here each Sunday, at this table, which by the way, is not an “altar of sacrifice,” but a table of welcome, was always intended to “send us forth,” send us out to include—not to exclude, to place love before law—to in fact, live as Jesus did. 

   These past few days, I had the opportunity to read both our diocesan paper, The Courier, and the National Catholic Reporter (NCR).  To read both, side by side, is to make one think that you are living in an alternate universe, where one rules one place, and one in another!  In fairness to the diocesan paper, there is mention made of two sessions that were held preparing for the Synod in October in Rome, but in comparing the two issues, the Synod, and the Eucharistic Conference, it is clear which holds a higher place. 

   In addition to this slight mention of the upcoming Synod, The Courier has, article after article of local diocesan Eucharistic celebrations preparing folks for the big national celebration this summer, listing such aspects of “interest” as “eucharistic adoration” and lists of speakers proclaiming reverence for the Eucharist, in its very narrowest sense.  Missing from their agendas is any mention of all the places and people –the body and blood of Christ in our world that is presently being abused, at times by themselves, in the LGBTQ community, in women, to name just two.   

   Now the NCR lists probably more social justice issues then we care to even read about, challenging us all, “to reverence” these “bodies” that “bleed” physically, emotionally, and spiritually in our world.  And don’t get me wrong, I do value that “Jesus is made present” on our “table of welcome” each time we gather, but our “reverence, concern and love” was never meant to stay here!  In other words, the “reverencing” of these elements at Mass, or adoration, mean nothing unless we carry that reverence into every wonderful and new presentation of life and love we encounter in our world!

   Once again, this week, I viewed Ari Wallach’s presentation on PBS’ NOVA, entitled, A Brief History of Future Tomorrows.  He stated that we humans, “tend to be negative when we look forward.”  I for one can see that assessment as true within myself on certain days.  But he goes on to say that we have not only, “the opportunity” to make things better in our world, but “the imperative” to do so! 

   The hour-long presentation showed new concepts being tested to construct better buildings, better methods of travel—all that are safer-climate-concerned additions to our world, ideas that assure that the wealth of our world is equally shared. He said that if this kind of world is to be—”we have to think it first –we have to think and re-think everything—think and write a bigger and better story about being human.”  He talked about “smart” versus “wisdom,” asking, “how can I do this better?” 

   And friends, to me this is no different than, “walking in faith,” having a better idea perhaps about, “how to be Church,” “listening,” truly listening as Francis is encouraging us to do—because we don’t yet know what Church-belief-faith will call us to in the future, but I am quite sure that adoring the “Divine Presence on the altar,” with no concrete agenda for recognizing and ministering to the “divine presence” in our world will not ultimately bring more into our Church. 

   In conclusion then, Ari Wallach stresses in a holistic way that our world can be better than now if we each do our part, if we keep “checking” again and again as Bishop Curry says, and “listen, listen” as Pope Francis suggests.  Additionally, and finally, as we read in today’s gospel from John, let us strive, “to be one,” the name of our parish community, as Jesus prayed the night before he died—a better world, a better Church calls us to change, to openness, not to hunkering down.  Amen? Amen! Alleluia!