SPIRIT UNITES

Principles of Unity: Communication, Conciliation and Christ

Solemnity of Pentecost: May 28, 2023
Acts 2:1-11; 1 Corinthians 12:3-7,12-13; John 20:19-23

We are people of the Spirit - that is the reminder we are given with today, the day when the Church was born! We are people of the Spirit - in contrast to the people of the world (if at all we can make that distinction). But being people of the Spirit is not merely a namesake understanding. Our life has to show that we are people of the Spirit. 

What does it mean to be people of the Spirit? The fruits and the gifts of the Spirit that we are well aware of, inspires in us a lifestyle that is ideal and an inspiration to everyone around. If we are truly the people of the Spirit, it has to be seen; seen in our daily life, our daily choices, in our very way of life. Infights, ego clashes, misunderstandings, jealousies, misgivings, hidden agenda, exploitation of persons, manipulation of vulnerabilities - these are signs of the lack of Spirit, or even a spirit that is against the Holy Spirit of God. The sad fact is that even some so-called spiritual people give into these deficiencies and that is a clear sign that they are 'spiritual people' only in their name and title.

First and foremost, we need to understand that the Spirit inspires love; love inspires unity; unity is the fundamental mark of the people of God, the people of the Spirit. Let us have a look at the event of Pentecost that we celebrate today and that which is narrated in the first reading. The coming of the Spirit cause three movements: first the movement of the Spirit from within the apostles and disciples - they who were all absorbed in themselves go out of themselves and reach out to others; the second movement is beyond all limits - the limits of fear, the limits of ignorance, the limits of weakness, the limits of timidity; the third movement is the stirring all around - not just the apostles, every one who heard them speak were moved by the Spirit to understand the message that was spoken! These are the very same movements that the Church and the world needs even today and the Spirit alone can cause them, for the good of everyone, for the good of humanity, for the good of the universe! Today we need to feel moved from within from egocentricity towards benevolence. We need to move beyond limits that we set for ourselves, the limits of creed, colour, language and other communal polarisations, towards the feeling of One humanity. We badly need to feel the stirring from within to understand the obvious message that is written all around us in the events and experiences like poverty, disease, climate crisis, eco-imbalance, criminalities and violent terrorism, towards humanity, compassion and true love for each other.

Apart from the traditional fruits and the gifts of the Spirit, there is a nature that the Spirit instills in those persons within whom the Spirit resides. This nature is the very essense of the Spirit: Oneness. The unity and love between God the Father and Mother and the Son of God, is the Spirit. Spirit is the communion! Spirit is Union of hearts! Spirit is the principle of Unity! And there are certain principles of unity that the Spirit ensures in a Spirit-filled person.

The first of those principles of unity is Communication. Simple blocks in communication among persons are the primary cause of big unresolved issues. Husband and wife, parents and children, brothers and sisters, kith and kin, friends and neighbours - when communication stops, understanding disappears. Communication stops due to blocks like prejudice, taking the other for granted and ego trips. Even when one talks, the other doesn't really understand because the other is listening from his or her own prejudice or pre-understanding. When each one hears only what one wants to hear, there is either lack of communication or gross miscommunication!

Spirit enables communication - which is fundamentally and literally, 'making something common' or 'rendering something common to'. Communication means that some thing that has been known to me, I make it common between you and me, which means you and I share a common space from where we are able to understand each other, speak to the other and listen from the other, without creating any blocks or transformers in between us. The Spirit makes us communicate - I and the Father are One said Jesus, and said, the Advocate that the Father sends will receive everything from me and make it known to you! The Spirit makes us communicate, that we are able to find that common space between us where we are able to see what the other sees, hear what the other says, and feel what the other feels.

Conciliation is an important principle of unity. We are human persons, each with our own limitations and weaknesses. We cannot avoid misunderstandings and misgivings, little or grave, but what is detrimental here is, not being ready to find a way out of these misunderstandings and misgivings. A truly Spirit-filled will take the initiative of reconciling with the other. He or she will not look for reasons to blame the other or excuses to prolong the stand off. The Spirit-filled persons will find ready reasons to reconcile, to rebuild relationships and build up the Body of Christ.

Look at the recent events in the world scenario - the whole world is reeling under the pandemic and there are those who are waiting, striving and fighting hard to pin the blame on someone and call for a 'retaliation'! Blaming the other, calling names, fiery talks, unfounded accusations, underground instigations: these will take us nowhere! When shall we understand this? Are they truly Spirit-filled persons who spit fire and cry vengeance? Pope Francis, unfortunately right from the beginning of his Papacy, has had to confront already so many moments of crisis and standoffs among world leaders and international powers. Every time, he has insisted with the leaders 'to be responsible, to be promoters of peace and not war'! That is the sign of a truly Spirit filled person.

Christ is the invincible principle of unity. The Spirit unites us in the Lord. We become One, one in the Lord, one body of Christ and this is possible only through the Spirit. This oneness has to be felt at all levels and it is a sheer gift of the Holy Spirit. Let us begin with the personal oneness - the oneness that is seen within a person; where words and actions are one; where hidden thoughts and outward speech are one; where inner convictions and external expressions are one! Another level is interpersonal oneness - the oneness of hearts and minds among persons in relationship; families, spouses, friends, communities etc. The next level is the communitarian oneness - the oneness of the people of God; feeling compassion for the other, respecting and being open to the other even though he or she is different from me, and has convictions and beliefs different from mine.

Believing in Christ, has to unite us not divide us. As St. Paul would complain, do not say, I belong to Paul, I belong to Apollos or I belong to Cephas...saying thus you are dividing the Lord. Today the factions that we have among the believers and the way one group vies with the other to increase their numbers or prove their strength is an outright counter witness to the One Lord and that is why, a divided church is the greatest scandal in the world. If we truly believe in One Lord and pledge our allegiance to that One Lord, where does the division and fight come from?

A true sign of a Spirit filled persons is the person's longing for unity and his or her concrete initiatives towards unity. Are we truly persons of the Spirit? Then let it be seen in our oneness of heart and mind, in our love and compassion for the other, in our respect and loving coexistence with the others, who are different from ourselves! May the Spirit unite us among us and unite us with God, the Father and Christ, the Son and Saviour.

Winding up to begin anew

WORD 2day: Saturday before Pentecost

May 27, 2023: Acts 28:16-20, 30-31; John 21: 20-25

As we have a close look at the readings today, we get a sense of winding up... be it in the first reading or in the Gospel. A type of, 'and-they-lived-happily-thereafter' narration! 

The Acts of the Apostles, which itself as a book is in its closing verses, presents Paul who seems to settle down for good in Rome as an honoured guest in house arrest. It says he welcomed all who came to visit him and continued to proclaim the Reign of God...with complete freedom and without hindrance. 

In the Gospel we see Jesus who seems to be bidding his final goodbye as also the book of John comes to an end. The closing lines say it all, that what has been recording is only a fraction of all that took place, which were really creating new history. However, there is an end to the epoch. 

The end is for a new beginning... the Church awaits the all important feast of the Pentecost tomorrow, an outpouring of the Spirit that led to a renewed life and radical witness -  a new beginning at the end of an epoch making series of events with Christ Jesus. The Christ-event takes an eternal turn at this point.

The message today is our call to 'follow Christ' in season and out of season, whether we are free or captive, whether we live or die, whether we eat or drink! Good news has to be announced by all means and the responsibility is ours, irrespective of our state of life or situation at present. 

How prepared and willing are we, to begin anew every time it is possible?

The Challenge of Christian Leadership

WORD 2day: Friday after Ascension 

May 26, 2023: Acts 25: 13b-21; John 21: 15-19

Jesus seems to be preparing the second level of leadership. Peter he had appointed already before he goes and Paul he seems to be taking to the all the ends of the earth that he may bear witness, true to his promises. We find in this phenomenon, a very important insight that Jesus offers into Christian leadership; it does not consist in power and position but in bearing witness and serving the community of faith. 

Infact, from a Christian leadership perspective, every baptised person is called to play a role as a leader: in witnessing and serving! When Pope Francis speaks of the "Missionary Church" or the "Church that goes forth", we see this perspective underscored with clarity and challenge.

Today looking at our communities, be it parish communities where the laity wish to scheme their way to positions of honour and fame, or the members of the religious congregations or the clergy playing dirty politics and divisive games for their selfish motives... true understanding of Christian leadership seems to have taken a back seat. 

The Gospel Acclamation reminds us today that the Spirit will teach us the truth and all the truth. May the Spirit of the Lord rekindle our faith and lead us towards true sense of Christian leadership.

That we may be one, in the Spirit

WORD 2day: Wednesday after Ascension

May 24, 2023: Acts 20: 28-38; John 17: 11b-19

From parting mood to prayer mode... today the readings capture both Jesus and Paul praying for and praying with, their beloved followers. They invoke the Spirit who unites and warn the followers of the spirit of discord, prolonging in us the reflection of yesterday!

The passages today give us a cue as to how we can discern the right move in the face of differences among us. Be it in a family or in a community of faithful, given the fact that we are thinking individuals, there is bound to arise differences of opinion. As long as they are from the Spirit these differences will only lead to growth and renewal. 

However, we are warned against the differences caused by the ravenous wolves and treacherous beasts. Ruled by ego and dominated by envy, these differences are aimed at destroying the unity of the people of God. And certainly, they do not come from the Spirit of the Lord. 

What comes from the Spirit unites us, for the Holy Spirit is the Spirit that makes us one! The call is that we remain in the Spirit and remain united in love above everything else. May we live worthy of the prayer that Jesus made for us: that they may be one!

The Spirit of Oneness

WORD 2day: Tuesday after Ascension

May 23, 2023: Acts 20: 17-27; John 17: 1-11

We see both Paul and Jesus in a parting mood; Paul is sensing an imminent trouble and Jesus is sure of a fast approaching end. But both have a sense of fulfilment, having completed the task given to them. Apart from that, both have a note of passing on the mission to those around them - Paul to the presbyters and Jesus to the apostles. There is one thing in both cases that ensures the continuity: the One Spirit.

The One Spirit because it was the same Spirit that was in Jesus, which Jesus gave to his apostles, that was given to Paul and then Paul to the elders...the Spirit of courage and strength, the Spirit of truth and love; as Paul would explain in 2 Tim 1:7, the Spirit of power, of love and of self discipline. Power, which makes us fearless; love which makes feel for the others; and self discipline which enables us to do the will of the One who calls us, come what may!

The One Spirit also because it was the Spirit of Oneness, which had to unite the disciples of Jesus althought they were persons of varied temperament and background, which had to unite the people around Paul who were so divided and had so little in common that could bring them together. However, the Spirit brought them together, built them into one and made them One people... One people of the Spirit of Oneness. 

The Spirit of the Conqueror

WORD 2day: Monday after Ascension 

May 22, 2023: Acts 19:1-8; John 16: 29-33

No one probably understood Jesus when he was around. They were only making their guesses, putting together things that they saw, the things they heard and the things that were being reported. Today in the Gospel, as many other times, Jesus confronts them with the truth! When the disciples presume that they knew and understood what Jesus was saying, Jesus makes them realise their folly and their weakness - not out of despise - but out of genuine concern. 

They still had not known the Spirit, as those men of Ephesus whom we come across in the first reading. Jesus introduces to them and speaks to us of the continuous presence of God, which is the indwelling Spirit. It is with the coming of the Spirit that the apostles come to understand Jesus and Him, they become conquerors.

From this day, for a week we shall prepare ourselves towards the coming of the Spirit of Christ, the paraclete promised. We are invited to contemplate this Spirit of the Lord, who will make of us too, "conquerors of the world and all its viles"!

A joy that cannot be taken away!

WORD 2day: Friday, 6th week after Easter 

May 19, 2023: Acts 18: 9-18; John 16: 20-23

The joy that things give will be gone when the things are gone. A mere feeling, or a moment of happiness that comes from an external reason and or some fulfilled desires, will last just as long as the situation does! There can be a moment soon when no traces of that joy will remain, but experience of stress and sadness may prevail.

Today the Lord promises us a joy that no one can take away from us, which no situation can diminish. The dimensions of this joy is completely different from the joy that the world and its attachments can give. This joy comes from within, not from something out there. This joy comes regardless of pleasure or pain, for it is not merely a feeling of exuberance, but a sense of serenity and security notwithstanding any odds.

The source of this joy is none less than God! The joy that the Lord gives comes from the Spirit residing within, and just as the Lord is, so is this joy: unchanging and ever present! It comes from the fact that God is with us, as the Lord promises in the first reading - with us always, strengthening and empowering us in the daily struggles of life.

Sorrow or Joy - what is our choice?

WORD 2day: Thursday, 6th week before Ascension Sunday

May 18, 2023: Acts 18: 1-8; John 16: 16-20

What would be your choice, your natural spontaneous choice: sorrow or joy? Of course, we would choose joy or that is what we think we would do. But today, there is so much sorrow in the world because we think we choose joy, while in fact we are constantly adding to our sorrows. Is that confusing? Not really. It is an easy perspective that the Word offers today to understand our situation. Let us contrast these as the 'perspective of the world' and the 'perspective of the Word'.

The perspective of the world says, with a faulty understanding of the phrase 'here and now', choose what gives you utmost happiness at any given moment and that will add to your joy. This is why people end up frustrated, ruined and wrecked in their life, making all the wrong choices possible, adding to their own woes and to the others'. The disciples could not understand what Jesus was telling them, because they only had a limited perspective of the here and now, until the Spirit arrived to open the eyes and their hearts.

The perspective of the Word says, have the ultimate Joy, the Joy that the Lord alone can give, in your mind. You would then be ready to choose at a given moment even a bit of pain and struggle, because you know you have a joy, a glory, an eternal happiness that awaits you! Look at Paul, Aquila, Priscilla, Titus Justus... they were wantonly choosing trouble and opposition, because they had their ultimate joy in perspective. Paul said that emphatically: I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us (Rom 8:18).

Now let us consider that question again- what is our choice: sorrow or joy?

The Spirit of Truth

WORD 2day: Wednesday, 6th week after Easter

May 17, 2023: Acts 17:15,22 -18:1; John 16: 12-15

We reflected yesterday on the Spirit that convicts. Yes, the Spirit of the Lord convicts, because the Spirit leads us to the truth. We have all the truth right in front of us. We fail to see them and understand them; we are tempted not to see them or understand them; we choose not to see them and understand them!

When we fail to see, the Spirit gives us the wisdom and leads us to see it, leading us to light, as St Paul tries to lead the Athenians.

When we are tempted not to see, the Spirit fills us with the courage to see it, making us free and bold as children of God, as Jesus promises his disciples.

When we choose not to see, the Spirit convicts us, as we heard yesterday and makes us understand how mistaken we are. Peter, Paul, the other apostles and everyone who owes his or her rapport with God to a dramatic conversion, would vouch for this role of the Spirit.

But for all of these... I need to open my mind to the Word. If not, I will laugh at the Word or postpone listening to it, to another convenient moment, as the people do in the first reading today.

The Spirit that Convicts

WORD 2day: Tuesday, 6th week after Easter

May 16, 2023: Acts 16: 22-34; John 16: 5-11

Jesus wishes that his disciples moved on to the next level. We reflected on that message last Sunday. Jesus seems to be trying his best to introduce them to the Advocate, the Divine Counselor! Today's readings bring out one important aspect of this advocate: the aspect of the Spirit which convicts the individuals, communities and all those who truly believe.

Receiving the Spirit is not an ordinary task. It is a divine mission that the Lord promised to those who sincerely ask for it. For when the spirit comes... the Spirit would convict the person. Convicting means critically verifying one's convictions - what goes right and what goes wrong in one's choices!

What should we do to be saved... that is the question that is expressed today by the people as they listen to the Word of God. In true submission to the Word, in the Spirit, what would fill our hearts is a sense of living our life by the Word, by the choices inspired by the Word. 

In the Spirit, one question we are inspired to ask, not just today, but every day of our life is: what should I do, here and now, to be acceptable in the eyes of God?