Pentecost Sunday

Our readings for Pentecost Sunday are:

1. Acts 2: 1-11
2. Psalm 104: 1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34
3. Romans 8: 8-17
4. John 14: 15-16, 23b-26

1. Our God is on the move
• The mighty acts of God don't seem to get a lot of press these days.  He enjoys a certain anonymity that would doubtless be the envy of many a celebrity.
• Who among us in the Body of Christ is qualified to read the signs of the times, the events of our day, and find the meaning in all of that?
• Where do we go to find such analysis?
• Once we had such findings in hand, how would we live differently?
2. Making room for others
• Driving over the Vincent Thomas Bridge into San Pedro affords you a sprawling vista of one of the largest ports in the world.  Unbroken human technology arrayed for maximum efficiency and throughput as far as the eye can see.  Magnificent in a way, and yet ...
• God shows His glory in His creatures, His creation.  How much room should we leave for those other inhabitants of this planet?
• As stewards of creation, what are our responsibilities to the rest of creation?
• How can we live sustainably, generously with our neighbors and each other?
3. Sharing the sufferings of Jesus
• One description of the Mass is "eternal unbloody sacrifice".  If that is the case, in what sense and by what means are the sufferings of Jesus with us today?
• Do you feel that those who have radically given themselves away in God's service share in Jesus' sufferings?  Think of Mother Theresa of Calcutta, Dorothy Day, Archbishop Ramiro, and others.
• Can the rest of us look to these great pillars of our faith and take comfort in the fact that they have that "sharing in Christ's sufferings" covered and we can go about our business?
• What makes you think that there is a "the rest of us"?
4. Without seeing You we love You
• The formation of our own conscience is one of the most important things that we do with our time on this earth.  What are some of the ways that we do that?
• It's perhaps easy to believe that if we stray from following Jesus' will in our lives, that our love for Him will cool, but what about the results of trying to follow Jesus more closely each day?
• What can we do to become more sensitive to God's will in our lives?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Do I spread the word of God's decisive actions in my life (give witness)?
2. What am I doing to become more humble?
3. What joy do I find in taking up the cross?
4. When was the last time that I took inventory of my relationship with Jesus?

Peace

Is something that grows and blossoms only with careful attention.
Like a cherished bonsai that has been passed down through generations.

Peace is dynamic, yet strong when well tended and founded.
Built upon discernment and listening, listening and discernment.

Peace is born of awareness and intimacy with the goings on
And kind attention to what that means to me, where I fit in.

Lose awareness, and authenticity suffers, I soon become
A shabby caricature of myself, and lose relevance.

Lose focus on where I fit into the unfolding salvation history
And all of that awareness sifts into chaos, meaning nothing.

The peace that Jesus leaves us is like the manna of the desert.
Harvested daily, consumed as it comes with faith for the morrow.

Come, let us share our stories together, see Christ in each other's faces
Find new perspectives on where God is on the move.

And in so doing learn where salvation history is taking us,
All of us together.

Shalom!