[Greetings, Church fans! Here is the homily. Actually, the first part of the homily. The rest deals with some issue particular to the parish. You can catch the whole Mass on our Facebook page or just the homily on our YouTube channel here. ]
Long before the FaceBook post or the meme, my mother, (who turns 90 this weekend) loved to put little framed quotations all over the house. Such things as: “A little explained, a little endured, a little forgiven—the quarrel is cured.” or “Engage brain before putting mouth in gear.” Of course with our family heritage, Irish sayings held a place of honor. The Irish, being a great and noble race of people, have many wonderful expressions. My favorite in the house is this: “May the love of God warm your heart like a great fire, so that a friend may come and warm himself there.”
I cannot celebrate Pentecost without this saying coming to mind. When we understand what and who the Holy Spirit is, it makes a lot of sense.
As Christians, we believe in the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit—one God, three persons. It only makes sense if you think of it terms of relationship. The Father loves the Son and the Son loves the Father. The dynamic intensity of this relationship, by its very nature, radiates out beyond the Father and Son, much like the heat of a great fire. But we don’t just feel its effects, we are loved ourselves. We are invited to participate fully in the power of this love, and to invite others.
A good marriage also helps us understand. The two spouses love one another, body and soul. The best expression of the intensity of this relationship, is by its very nature live-giving, and nine months later, you may have to give it a name! But it’s not just children. While I was growing up, my parents were always inviting other people to share in the life and love of our home. There were always neighbor kids and friends and neighbors who were enlivened by the relationship my parents had. Their love, such as it was, invited others to be a part of it and share in its joys, its sorrows, its triumphs and its tragedies. The love of God warmed their hearts like a great fire, and many were warmed in its glow as they were invited to be a part of that relationship.
The Holy Spirit is nothing less than the power of the love of God alive in the heart of every Christian. The God who is perfect relationship and perfect communion invites us to share fully in the intensity of that dynamic love. This, I believe is one of the most profound ways that we are made in the image and likeness of God. We are made for communion, for that perfect relationship at the level of our very being with God and others. The gifts and the fruits of this relationship we call the Holy Spirit, are readily available to all through the sacraments of the Church.
Come, Holy Spirit! Fill the hearts of Your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Your love.