My friends, this weekend is a special one in that today we celebrate Pentecost, 50 days, or thereabouts since Easter, which should remind us of our own confirmations, when we received a new name, and promised our almost adult “yeses” to live our best selves in the footsteps of Jesus of Nazareth.  We will come back to this later.

   This long weekend also includes Memorial Day on Monday – a day to remember all those who have lived and died for our country, some giving their all for their beliefs, through military service, but also all those who have gone on before us who have been models and mentors to and for us, for a better world.  I believe that Pentecost, the coming of Jesus’ Spirit and the remembrance of all those who have lived and died, bear a resemblance that it is good for us to consider today.

   In the purely spiritual realm, we know from Jesus’ words in Scripture that his physical work on earth was done and that he couldn’t stay on – but that he was entrusting us with his words, his actions, basically his life of love – God’s love for all – to see that this message lived on.  Quite a responsibility, and one that we shouldn’t take lightly. 

   In the social realm, Memorial Day, no doubt, calls up all kinds of images of those who have gone on before us, both good and not so good.  When I have done Celebrations of Life over the years, I have reminded families of “allowing” their deceased loved ones to “live on” through them as they try and emulate the good they saw in a loved one.  If the relationship hadn’t been a positive one, then there is the opportunity to make a difference in one’s own life going forward. 

   Now that we have established a connection between Pentecost and Memorial Day, let’s go deeper…  All three readings today proclaim well I think what we are to “be about” as Pentecostal people, and again, I think we can see similarities as we likewise try to emulate the goodness of loved ones who have passed on. 

   In the 1^st reading from Acts, for Pentecost, we see a wonderful truth – our God wants all people, each one of us to be “recognized and heard.”  Scripture says, [Everyone heard the apostles speaking in their own tongue]. Now, to me, this speaks of a God who wants to reach, in some way, everyone.

   Many times, in the past, today, and into the future, I have, and will continue to lift up for us the “fruits” of people’s actions, trying very hard not to be “political” or to take sides.  Our brother Jesus was always very conscious of watching “the fruits” of people’s actions in searching for the truth. 

   I just finished reading Kamala Harris’ book, 107 Days about her run for president in 2024.  Again, looking at “the fruits,” her book is full of her desire to first, listen to the people, and then work to make their lives better.  Checking “the fruits” then, we can compare this with verbiage coming out of Washington from the commander-in-chief, that “he doesn’t care about people’s financial troubles” [!]  Kamala Harris’ deep pain in losing the election was of all the things that she wouldn’t be able to do for our nation’s people. 

   Pauls’ letter to the Corinthians today is all about how the Spirit of that 1^st Pentecost was intended for all and that all, each one of us, in receiving the Spirit at our own confirmations, is given a gift, unique to us, to share with the world in Jesus’ memory.

   John’s gospel is affirmation of that – he speaks of how we will have the strength, the calm, and the peace to affirm the good and deny the bad we see in our world. 

   One of the symbols that we always see as part of Pentecost is “tongues of fire” – my stole today, and the banner are reflective of that – as John’s gospel speaks of “the fire of God’s love” and “this fire” always comes with peace – Jesus’ words to his frightened followers, we hear twice in today’s gospel, “Peace be with you!” 

   Reflecting then a bit further on the “fire of God’s love,” I think we could agree that “passion” for and about others in our world, is a quality that Jesus had in his earthly life and wants us to have as well in sending us his Spirit.  Someone said, in speaking about the combination of passion and peace,” [Come with the] “power of a tornado, and the gentleness of a whisper.”  Today’s Scriptures speak of “a violent, rushing wind.”  In the Old Testament, God comes to Elijah in “a whisper.”

   A special mentor of mine, Jim Fitzpatrick, an active priest in this diocese for 10 years, and one of my high school religion teachers, a man little more that five feet in height, had this wonderful combination of passion for word and action, and an acquired peace that came to him in following the Spirit’s lead. 

   Jim left active priestly ministry after he went to his bishop with the knowledge that certain of his brother priests were sexually abusing children, and the bishop’s response was to do nothing claiming that it was more important to protect the good name of the Church!

   It was ultimately a joy to be taught by this passionate man who when we as students weren’t responding with some of that same passion would say, “C’mon people, catch fire!” 

   My friends, Pentecost is all about that, “Catching the fire” of our faith and moving with strength, peace, passion and ultimately in love, in Jesus’ footsteps in our world.  Those at the first Pentecost were said to be “amazed and astonished” at what they saw – would any in our world be “amazed an astonished” at what they see in us? A good question to ponder perhaps on this Pentecost Sunday. 

   At Jim Fitzpatrick’s funeral a few years back, one of his colleagues, a religious sister did the homily for the service.  She used one of Jim’s favorite Scripture quotes to emulate him  — I learned that day that Jim lived and acted upon one of my favorite Scripture quotes too! These words come from the apostle Peter at the Transfiguration, [Rabbi] “it is good that we are here!”  In conclusion then my friends, “it is [indeed] good that we are here!” And because we are, there is the possibility that our world can be better…. Amen? Amen!

My friends, first of all today, I want to lift up for our appreciation and blessings, all mothers – grands and great-grands, seeing that I wasn’t with you last Sunday to do this.  And as you who have been with us for more than a year have come to realize, and for those who have more recently joined us – this will be new, whenever I speak of “mothers,” or “fathers,” for that matter, I mean more than just the physical mothering, giving physical birth.  There are many in our world who while never having had the privilege of bearing a child, have “mothered” others, emotionally and spiritually into adulthood and beyond – and we applaud them all! 

   And unfortunately, there are those who have given birth to children who have never been able to “mother” in the other ways, emotionally and spiritually that are so important. And then there are those moms and grammas who have had the privilege of physically bearing children who have been able to mother in the other two ways as well. For all these mothers, in all the ways that they have tried, we send our thanks and gratitude. 

   Additionally,  I want to thank each one of you, all those who have supported our parish, All Are One Catholic church, both those alive now, and those who have gone on to God.  As of May 10^th, we have supported each other, guided by the Spirit of Jesus for 18 years! And here, special thanks goes out to Shannon Hanzel – gone home to God, who always advocated wholeheartedly for our parish from its beginnings.   I am continually humbled to be your pastor, and in saying that, I need to publicly thank Robert as well for his steadfast love and support, which, without, this little experiment in Winona wouldn’t have been possible. 

   And with that we are led right into the theme of today’s liturgy which is to carry on what our brother Jesus started and entrusted to his followers.  Today, as you know, we are celebrating both his ascension from the physical world, and the end of the Easter Season, as we prepare for the coming of his Spirit, in a special way at Pentecost, next Sunday. 

   With each of these events, Easter, Ascension, Pentecost, totaling 50 days from beginning to end, we are called, as Jesus’ followers, to believe what we can’t logically explain – that’s called faith – head versus heart stuff.  And in the realm of the heart, it is basically, and simply about a God who has loved creation, us and all life in an “over-the-top” way as Episcopalian Bishop John Shelby Spong was fond of saying.

   “Theologian-types” over the centuries have tried to “box-in” God’s love for creation, saying that Jesus’ coming was all about making reparation for our sinful humanity, and only the “death of God,” in a sense could make us “right” with God again.  John Shelby Spong, who left us in 2021, was all about saying, “No, our God’s love is so much bigger than that!”  Jesus said when with us, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” – follow me.  That’s what this Easter Season has been about – preparing us, once again to take the life of our brother Jesus, into the world, in all the many ways that we engage our world. 

   You will have noticed that I combined the Ascension and the last Sunday of Easter in the readings today, being that we didn’t meet specifically this past Thursday for the Ascension.  Our 1^st reading then from Acts was used in this past Thursday’s liturgy.  The apostles are understandably afraid as they experienced, in some way, Jesus’ physical parting from them, after three years with him in a very special way.  He has assured them that they will be baptized in the Spirit in the coming days, and that baptism will give them the strength to, as he said, “be my witnesses.” “Apostle” in the Greek, literally means, “one who is sent out.” 

   My friends, on this Sunday, as we conclude the Easter Season, I believe it is important to “sit with” the purely human emotions these first apostles were experiencing.  I think sometimes we have heard this story so many times that we simply take it as fact, and don’t try to imagine or put ourselves into the story and ask, how we would have acted. 

   In the 2^nd reading today from 1^st Peter, he lets new converts know that in following Jesus, there will be suffering  – in other words, it won’t always be easy.  And, he goes on to say, that the only suffering we should take on in life is in “following Jesus.”  He continues, don’t bring suffering upon yourself by choosing evil in your life, only the suffering that can come from following the “ways” of Jesus.

   While in Ireland, from time to time, in visiting with Irish relatives of our daughter-in-law, Lauren, we would hear the term, “chalk and cheese.”  After a few times, we inquired, just what, “chalk and cheese” meant.  The explanation they gave was like saying, “black and white,” or the difference between “night and day.” 

   As I was preparing this homily, it came to me that claiming to be a “Christian,” a follower of our brother, Jesus, has to be about “chalk versus cheese” – are we Christians in name only, (chalk) or do we prove it by how we act? (cheese). If we are truly Jesus’ followers, we have to act as he would, if we believe, we must follow even when it is hard. For any Star Wars fans out there, you will recall Yoda’s famous words, “Do, or do not, there is no try.”

   Then my friends, we come to the lovely gospel from John that speaks to the beginnings and the continued life of our parish.  John’s gospel for today includes our brother Jesus’ words for us and all who would “try and hopefully do,” in his footsteps, “Protect those you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.”  This prayer, for each of us, is a blessing that should give us strength to welcome any and all to our table, and community here.  Amen? Amen!