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SPIRITUALITY
May 23, 2017 | The Valley Catholic
By Father Brendan McGuire
Pastor of Holy Spirit Parish, San Jose, and Vicar General
for special projects, Diocese of San Jose. Email him at [email protected].
Graduation Time
May 28, 2017
This is graduation season for elementary schools, high schools and colleges. It is
an exciting time for students as they graduate and move on to another school or into
the work force. But it is also a time of a little fear and trepidation. There may even be
a little bit of doubting. Will they fit in at high school? Will they have a new group of
friends? Will they succeed in college? Are they ready for the world of the work space?
We call these ceremonies “graduations,” but at almost every graduation service there
will be a “commencement speech,” which actually means “the beginning speech.” It
is the beginning of something very new and very different. It is the closing of one
chapter and the beginning of another chapter.
The same thing is true with today’s feast day of the Ascension. It is a form of a
graduation. The disciples have been with Jesus for some time now. For three years,
they walked with Jesus, watched him heal the sick, comfort those who were burdened,
and inspire those who were downtrodden. For three years, they followed him from
one town to another.
Then came a massive transition. He was hung on the cross and killed! They then
went through another massive transition when they realized he was alive! He is alive
and he is with us now! For 50 days, he was with them in the Resurrection. During this
time, he was able to show them that there was something beyond death, but now they
begin the next transition, the Ascension.
This is the exact same path that we are on now. Although we have not seen the
Lord in the flesh nor have we seen the resurrected Christ, we live through the power
of his Spirit.
Today we celebrate the graduation of the disciples and the commencement of a
new period for them and for us. We celebrate annually as a reminder to us that we
too are sent to “make disciples of all nations.” As Catholics, we are not really good at
talking about Christ and God, but we are still called to bring the message of Christ
to all in our lives.
We don’t have to be in somebody’s face. We can just testify how important Christ
has been in our life. We are all here every Sunday. We have made a commitment. Our
life is directed towards Christ in some way. Why not share that with somebody? Why
not step out and talk to someone about it?
We are called to evangelize. We are called to spread the good news. Today we cel-
ebrate that Spirit and once again invite that Spirit into our hearts to come alive and to
help us to tell the story of Jesus to anyone who will listen.
So this week at least aim to do one person —to talk about Jesus and our own per-
sonal conviction and gift of the Spirit in your life. Today, we come to share the gift
that we receive.
Sunday Homilies
Symphony of Life
June 4, 2017
Think for a moment of a symphony orchestra with all the musicians on the stage
and the hundreds of people there to watch and to listen. Who are they all watching?
Most everyone watches the conductor. Ironically, he doesn’t play a single note. Yet
once he twitches, the music starts. Often the conductor is not even the composer. Yet,
the conductor has a great and powerful influence on what happens.
This is a wonderful metaphor for our Church. The conductor is Christ Jesus. Ev-
erybody looks to Christ for the nod. As members of the Church, we are the musicians.
Each of us has a different musical instrument to play, and each is called to play our
own individual part to add to the symphony. The Church is the music in action, the
symphony.
The musical score is written on our hearts by God, the composer. In a score writ-
ten for a symphony, there are many parts; each instrument has a different part of the
score, but all instruments play together in harmony. The music is written uniquely
for each one of us. Each note is written for the sounds of who we are. We are called to
make music together. The Holy Spirit is the gift of music, and through him we know
how to play.
Today’s feast of the Holy Spirit is Pentecost, and we celebrate the music we make
together as Church. The Holy Spirit is the one that allows for everything to ebb and
flow. As Christians, we believe that it is the gift of the Spirit for each of us in our own
lives that enables us to know the music.
It is this same Spirit that was given to the apostles years ago, on what we now
consider to be the feast day of the beginning of our Church. It is that same Spirit that
comes to every generation. Each one of us is unique in who we are, and then we are
called to play that music. We play our music not as a single instrument—but as a com-
munity, as a symphony of music. As St. Paul says to the Corinthians, each of us has a
different gift given for the good of the whole.
The music is one piece although each part is different for our particular gift. That is
what makes church “Church;” we come in at the instruction of the conductor—Christ.
When the conductor gives us the nod, the twitch, then we know to come in, that is the
way of Christ. He gives us that knowledge through the Spirit.
In the Acts of the Apostles we are told that everyone unde