When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it–always. Mahatma Gandhi

This Sunday is the International Day of Non-Violence.  The UN General Assembly established this by resolution in 2007, setting it on the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, a great pioneer of the philosphy and stragegy of non-violence.

According to the resolution, the purpose of this day is to communicate a ”message of non-violence” through both education and expanded public awareness.   It reaffirms ”the universal relevance of the principle of non-violence” and the desire ”to secure a culture of peace, tolerance, understanding and non-violence.”

Let us examine our own interactions, language, and hearts to transform internal and external violence into life-giving, gospel-affirmed peace.

from Gandhi’s words

I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.

”Non-volence is the greatest force at the disposal of humankind.  It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of people.”

Non-violence is not a weapon of the weak. It is a weapon of the strongest and the bravest.

The common factor of all religions is nonviolence.

Nonviolence is a quality not of the body but of the soul.

Jesus was the most active resister known perhaps to history. His was non-violence par excellence.

If one does not practice non-violence in one’s own personal relations with others and hopes to use it in bigger affairs, one is vastly mistaken.

Love is a rare herb that makes a friend even of a sworn enemy and this herb grows out of non-violence.

• 1 Kings 3:5, 7-12. Solomon prays: Give your servant an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong.
• Romans 8:28-30. God makes all things work together for the good of those who love him and have been called according to his decree.
• Matthew 13: 44-52. The reign of God is like a buried treasure for which people sell all their possessions. Every scribe learned in the reign of God brings forth both the new and the old.

Thoughts for your consideration: By John Gonzalez

The Gospel passage for this week ends a series of parables offering teachings and instruction concerning the Kingdom of God. I personally find it interesting that after Jesus gives these series of parables he ask the question “Have you understood all this?” and the people respond back a resounding “Yes.” This surprises me. Have they really understood this instruction regarding the Kingdom of God that is based on the use of metaphors and symbols depicting so many different aspects of this fundamental teaching? Did the people have such clarity of thought? Even Jesus’ disciples at one point request an explanation about one of his parable but then Jesus goes on to offer these more enigmatic parables and now they declare their full and complete understanding. Have you ever been in a class or in training and realize that the topic being discussed is confusing but rather than ask for clarity you look to your peers and shrug your shoulder while hoping that as the lesson continues someone will ask a clarifying question or perhaps the instructor will offer a helpful example. I  assume that Jesus had many such listeners with him that day.

Do these parables offer a clear understanding of what the Kingdom of God is? Hardly, but then again how are we supposed to learn about a mystical concept such as this? Jesus gives us these metaphors and images to offer us some ideas regarding our relationship with God but a full and complete comprehension is simply out of our reach. Knowing this Jesus wraps up his teaching with one final instruction. A scribe that is trained for the Kingdom of God must use all the resources of his or her faith tradition, new as well as old. The person who wishes to comprehend and understand the treasures of our faith must take the richness of our tradition and allow it to communicate and adapt to the new ideological and social developments. We tend to see tradition in competition with progress but Jesus offers this final lesson suggesting that wisdom happens when tradition is allowed to grow with the progress of human development. The pearl and the hidden treasure tell us that the new is not something we hide away from for the sake of that which we possess but instead we are to invest our traditional resources in the new from which we will find greater meaning.

But this process requires wisdom and the right use of wisdom will temper our judgment. The second reading from St. Paul uses a word that has caused much theological problems throughout the historical development of Christianity. Predestination is a concept that caused a severe rift between the ideals of freedom and grace. This rift was born between the theological arguments of Augustine and Pelagius and eventually was the theological point of contention that resulted in the split between Protestants and Catholics. The principle of predestination makes it sounds like God’s grace is in control of everything and that freedom in actuality does not exist. What is needed is wisdom to help offer the clarity that freedom does not compete with grace but is actually in relationship with it. Many of us our learning that freedom also belongs to God and that God has freely offered his love to His creation with the intent of respecting our freedom to engage in this universal divine love (agape). Freedom flows from grace and St. Paul can say that we have been predestined without limiting either our freedom or God’s freedom to grow into this mystical relationship since “we know that all things work together for good.”

But again what is needed is the gift of wisdom which Solomon recognizes as an essential quality for being a good king. Wisdom is an essential quality for us all. Going back to the idea of the new and old we must temper our desire to align ourselves as traditionalist or progressive without seeing the merit and necessity of engaging both elements for moving ahead with a faith tradition that speaks to a developing post-modern world. It never hurts to keep in mind a simple prayer that I like to use as a mantra for wisdom.

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things that I cannot change, the courage to change the things that I can and the wisdom to know the difference.”

• Wisdom 12:13, 16-19. Through God is the master of all power, he judges with clemency. He taught us that justice must be associated with kindness so that there is always good reason for hope.
• Romans 8: 26-27. The Spirit groans within us, expressing thoughts and instincts beyond the reach of words and enabling us to pray in ways otherwise impossible for us.
• Matthew 13: 24-43. Several parables: the weeds which grow till harvest, the mustard seed which becomes a very large bush, leaven which enables the dough to rise into a loaf of bread.

Thought for Your Consideration: By John Gonzalez

There is an inspiring Cherokee tale that offers the same moral message that we read in the scriptures this weekend. A grandfather tells his grandson that there are two wolves constantly fighting within him. There is a good wolf with all the virtues that we recognize such as peace, love, kindness hope and compassion and a bad wolf with vices that we also are familiar with such as greed, arrogance, selfishness and hatred. This fight is going on in him and in every single person. The grandson then asks, “Which wolf will win?” and the Grandfather responds, “The one you feed.”

The three reading for this week offer instruction on the task of forming our habits towards the good.  In the first reading the book of Wisdom describes how God teaches by example. God has the power to bring about justice but He exerts His power through the virtues of “clemency” and with much “lenience.” Thus, the author tells us, that God teaches by His own example so that “those who are just must be kind.” Throughout his writings Paul uses a similar dualism that is used in the Cherokee legend but in place of the evil and good wolves he uses the image of the “flesh” vs. the “spirit.” In the second reading Paul discusses how the “Spirit” can and should be utilized to help form one’s habit. Prayer is obviously an important area where we should be mindful of the intercession of the “Spirit” as it offers instruction for our ability to talk with God. In pursuing the habit of being good it is vital that we constantly place ourselves at the service of “God’s will” and not our own desires so it is important that our prayer be a sincere moment where we can place ourselves and all our actions within the aid of the “Spirit”.

As for the Gospel passage we are given a number of parables regarding the Kingdom of God. Many of the parables offer the image of a process of growing into some form of fulfillment. The mustard seed and the leaven both articulate that the Kingdom of God is an ever growing process. This can be read in two ways. One way of reading this is to identify the Kingdom of God as an ever evolving reality that is slowly developing into a future where it will finally be established. The other way to also consider this image is to identify that we are called to nurture this almost insignificant mustard seed or leaven so that the Kingdom of God can grow within us. The other parable about the weeds and the wheat takes us back to the first reading in describing the compassionate way that God allows for all of us to grow within his field so that even though God does bring about justice he will do it with clemency and leniency.

Life is always offering us trials and opportunities for us to feed either our good or bad wolf. Sometimes, in our pursuit of justice or righteousness we exemplify a style that ends up inadvertently moving people away from a just cause by offering harsh condemnations or condescending criticisms. The example that we hear this week is to blend the prophetic message with a pastoral approach so that we can invite people to contemplate what is good and just through our example of being welcoming, hospitable and of course charitable. Without these virtues those of us who offer the teachings of the faith will be guilty of bringing people closer to sin and error even if our message and instruction is based on God’s word. Lest we forget the two wolves our also struggling within those of us who our instructors of the faith.

Fr. Daniel Harrington, SJ wrote a book “Why do we suffer” where he comments on a similar imagery to the Cherokee legend that is used in the “Rule of the Community” which was one of the Dead Sea scrolls. In it the “instructor” talks about the two forces that our battling within our souls. The instructor identifies these forces as the “Angel of Darkness” and the “Angel of Light.” Both powers our struggling within us for supremacy and of course, like the grandson Fr. Harrington contemplates the question of who will win.

“How do you know which group you are in? The instructor admits that everyone has some share in both groups, but goes on to say that it depends on “whether each one’s portion in their two divisions is great or small.” A later Jewish teaching sees in each person both a good inclination and an evil inclination, and contends that one’s destiny depends on which inclination predominates.”       

• Isaiah 55:10-11. God’s word comes mysteriously and gently from above, yet powerfully achieves its effect with us.
• Romans 8: 18-23. The earth groans in travail, awaiting the revelation of the Son of God, the glory hidden within it, which the Spirit brings to fruition.
• Matthew 13:1-23. The parable of the sower and several explanations.

Thoughts for your Consideration, By John Gonzalez

Socrates is known to have said a phrase “I know that I know nothing.” The idea behind this statement and the Socratic Method is that true knowledge comes from our ability to be open to the hidden wisdom of possibilities when we question certain certitudes. If we investigate our assumptions it may unnerve us to find out that our dogmatic beliefs may not be so obvious and clear but if we stay on track what we will discover is the universal truth that our dogmatic statements attempt to convey imperfectly. In the letters of St. Paul he refers to this when he makes his distinction between living under the law versus living in the Spirit. The mystical truths are in some ways beyond human comprehension. But nevertheless it is God’s desire that we share in His eternal word and wisdom and the readings for this week instruct us on how we are to receive his divine word. The caution of course is to not be fooled into thinking that we actually fully understand this divine wisdom by ardently and unreflectively defending some dogmatic statements or beliefs. This will only result in a false sense of knowledge and a limited appreciation of that which is mystical.

The readings for this weekend follow from last week’s lesson about the wisdom of God being accessible to the ignorant while being hidden from those who are socially considered wise or clever. This week the three writers describe the mystical access and effect of God’s divine word. Jesus’ famous parable of the sower seems to borrow directly from the first reading where Isaiah describes God’s great wisdom within the metaphor of a gentle precipitation which saturates the ground and is expected to produce a good harvest. In the second reading Paul offers us an image of the effect of God’s word as it rains down upon all creation. Not only humanity but indeed all creation will be glorified as it is reborn with the Spirit of God’s message. In the gospel passage Jesus offers and then explains the parable of the sower. He lets his disciples know that God’s wisdom is self evident for all to see and hear but social conditions will compromise the access to this wisdom for many.

The human condition is one that desires to pursue the truth. God does not wish to keep His great truth from us. Through the elements of revelation and reason we have had access to the self-evident truths that are revealed to us by the Spirit. We must consider two things as we contemplate this divine wisdom and the meaning that these truths have in our own lives. The first limitation that we must accept is our own subjectivity. While we may yearn for the truth at times we may find ourselves redefining the truth so that it does not challenge our social reality. Many of Jesus’ teachings on nonviolence and uncompromising charity are very much socially disturbing and we continue to have theological debates regarding how we can incorporate this wisdom within the social context. The ideas of the “common good” or the “preferential option for the poor” continue to produce massive theological discussions. We can observe, for example, how these gospel principles are accepted in the underdeveloped context of Latin America is very different from the way they are perceived in the North American context. As we listen to the challenging word of God we ought to be aware of our own subjective approach to this message and recognize the cultural and social bias that we bring to our own interpretation.

The second limitation comes from our imperfect humanity which can comprehend universal truths from narrow perception of our human experience. The reason that Jesus uses parables is because the only way we can comprehend the ineffable is through the use of metaphoric images that are based on our natural reality. To say that God’s house in a mansion with many rooms does not mean that I must literally accept that God has a large and expensive domicile and that one of those rooms has my name on the door. Instead it gives us a symbolic image that conveys the fact that there is another existence after this one and that we (in some way) are expected to partake in this existence. Our knowledge of the mystery of creation is ever evolving and as a result our knowledge of God’s creative mystery (as revealed through creation) is also evolving. In the second reading Paul asserts that creation is not a stable unit that is passively waiting for God to transform it. Instead creation is depicted as a living and active organism that is at this moment undergoing a process of transformation.

God’s word has been given to us to aid us as co-workers that are commissioned to help bring about this transformation. Let us treat this divine word gently and habitually so that each and every aspect of the divine message will grow within each and every one of us.

With that in mind I would like to offer this reflection on the values of this nation from the consistent values of the Christian/Catholic faith (since my American identity is colored by my own Catholic perspective). This year I would like to reflect on the issue that Pope Benedict XVI calls us to reflect upon during his 2011 World Day of Peace message, the belief and support of religious liberty and expression. It is good to consider this particular concern especially during this occasion since it is an expressed value of our nation.

The Declaration of Independence which was authored by Thomas Jefferson is very much a theological statement even though its sets the values for a secular society. It is a theological statement in so far as it recognizes its values and inalienable rights as self-evident truths that are “endowed by their Creator”. Furthermore it recognizes a supreme equality that again is derived from the “Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God”.  For us who are Catholics this statement is particularly meaningful since it attributes natural law as the force behind these divine principles. From these statements the founders extrapolated the concept of religious liberty and they eventually incorporated it within the legal framework of the U.S. Constitution.

Reflecting on his social concerns for 2011 Pope Benedict XVI raises this issue on a global scale sharing his concern for the development of religious fundamentalism on the one hand and secularism on the other. Vatican II set out this defense of religious liberty in the document Dignitatis Humanae and in this recent message Benedict asserted his support for this principle which as you can see follows the language of our own American founders.

The right to religious freedom is rooted in the very dignity of the human person, whose transcendent nature must not be ignored or overlooked. God created man and woman in his own image and likeness (cf. Gen 1:27). For this reason each person is endowed with the sacred right to a full life, also from a spiritual standpoint. … Respect for essential elements of human dignity, such as the right to life and the right to religious freedom, is a condition for the moral legitimacy of every social and legal norm. – Pope Benedict XVI, 2011 World Day of Peace Message

Religious fundamentalism and secularism are two opposing polarities that compromise the principle of religious liberty. Religious fundamentalism occurs when a particular religious view dominates and oppresses the rights of others to freely engage in their own spiritual relationship with God from the rich tradition of their own faiths. It starts by establishing unfair judgment and criticism on a particular religion or religions and then eventually moves to curtail those religious practices. Secularism acts independently of religion and extols a secular ideology that is used to put down the right of communal religious expression. The Constitution gives us the right to practice our religion individually and as a community. We are not allowed to superimpose our faith or secular ideology or to critique and degrade the religious belief and expressions of another. This is not only a legal issue for us but also a moral position that is based on our faith. Even though the Catholic Church defends the faith as revealed by Jesus Christ it still recognizes that the universal Divine truth transcends religious institutions and that all people have access to the Divine truth from their own faith tradition. Pope Benedict supports this belief and defends it by  quoting St. Thomas Aquinas who says that “every truth, whoever utters it, comes from the Holy Spirit.”

This being the July 4^th weekend let us reflect on the historical episode where our founders wrestled with this very question with great consideration for the purpose of defending religious liberty. The Constitutional debates of 1788 considered this issue but not so much with regards to its protection under the first article of the Bill of Rights. Instead they were concerned with the language of Article VI of the Constitution which stated that “no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any office of public Trust under the United States”. Two concerns were recorded with regards to this clause: that “Pagans, Deists and Mahometans might obtain offices among us”, and that “the Pope of Rome might be elected President”. These concerns were addressed by a Federalist delegate from North Carolina named James Iredell.

In his response he respects the concerns that have been raised but he believes that the creation of a dominantly pagan society and the threat of Papal rule were both slippery slope fallacies. Instead he argues that the historical reality of religious persecution through the sponsorship of the state to a religious creed is very much a real and valid concern. Delegate Iredell defends the clauses for religious liberty in this way:

But it is objected, that the people of America may perhaps chuse Representatives who have no religion at all, and that Pagans and Mahometans may be admitted into offices. But how is it possible to exclude any set of men, without taking away that principle of religious freedom which we ourselves so warmely contend for? This is the foundation on which persecution has been raised on every part of the world. The people in power were always in the right, and every body else wrong. If you admit the least difference, the door to persecution is opened.

As we celebrate the birth of our nation let us reflect on the concerns that our founders had in making sure that religious liberty would be the law of the land. Let us also value the universal truth that transcends all religious institutions and allow ourselves to value the truth that we all speak from the goodness of our own religious tradition.

• Zechariah 9:9-10. Your king comes, a just savior, to proclaim peace to all nations.
• Romans 8:9, 11-13. The Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in us to bring our mortal bodies to new life.
• Matthew 11:25-30. Jesus offers thanksgiving, praising the Father for what has been revealed to merest children but hidden
  from the learned and the clever. If we take Jesus’ burden upon us, we will find rest.

Thoughts for your consideration: By John Gonzalez

In the Gospel passage for this week Jesus is offering an unusual prayer of thanksgiving to God his Father. It is an ecstatic prayer that professes a mystical union with God but it takes place after he encounters some unrepentant towns that are not quite receptive to his message or great works. Jesus is taking some criticism from the established religious and social leaders and in an earlier verse (16-19) he offers an interesting comment about the criticism that he and John the Baptist received from the leaders of his day even though their styles were very different. John shunned the world and all its social trappings preaching from the wilderness and thus having people come to him. Jesus immersed himself in the world and accepted the hospitality that he received as he went about preaching and ministering throughout all of Judea. Ironically they both received their criticisms amidst the fact that they had completely different styles, John was deemed possessed while Jesus was labeled a sinner.

This is the context from which Jesus offers this prayer where me makes a strong statement about the social impact of God’s wisdom. The point of Jesus’ prayer is to place God’s wisdom apart from human wisdom. In this prayer Jesus suggest that it is the ignorant and simple who will have a greater chance of understanding the idea that God does indeed love them and cares for them in a way that those who are caught theologizing within a particular social context (in support of the Temple authority and their
collaboration with the Roman Empire) cannot fully appreciate. Gustavo Gutierrez tells us in his discussion of this passage that the “little children” or “babes” are the poor, the suffering and the sick, the people who have been marginalized by their society. In this passage Gutierrez comments over the odd sense of gratitude that Jesus expresses at having the revealed truth hidden from the learned and the clever.

The fact that God hides “these things” from the wise and reveals them to the simple is the concrete occasion for grasping what is behind this behavior and gives it meaning – namely, the free and unmerited love of God for every human being and especially  for the poor and forgotten. … This predilection, which does not imply exclusivity, is underscored by the hiding of revelation from the wise and important. An entire social and religious order is hereby turned upside down. [1]

The poor and marginalized are the ones who stand on the periphery and because of that they are not corrupted by social commitments. This liberated perspective will help them comprehend a meek and humble messiah who preaches an altruistic message of peace that will not be compromised by social conventions.  This is the messianic image that Zechariah attests to in the first reading and in the second half of the Gospel passage Jesus invites the poor and marginalized to again find their hope within this countercultural image of the messiah.

Paul guides us along this same lesson but we must be careful not to interpret his dichotomy between the Spirit and the flesh as an attack or condemnation of the natural world which we theologically accept as good. Instead Paul dichotomy refers to motivation. Will our disposition and actions be determined by our social conventions and values whose self interest will be contrary to the Will of God? Or will we be motivated by the Spirit of God that chooses to serve all life within a pledge of peace (verse 6)? If our preaching and actions serves a specific political or economic interest then it should be held suspect. But if our ministry and analysis considers and addresses the actual plight of those who are poor and marginalized than “the Spirit of God dwells in you.”

Our Catholic Church struggles to offer the prophetic and pastoral positions of our faith on a number of social issues that by moral
right must be addressed. This is a responsibility that our Church has and we (the faithful) are obliged to engage in this responsibility as we are all part of the “Body of Christ”. It is fair to critique the angle and positions offered however especially if the social and economic burden continues to fall on those who are poor and marginalized. The Gospel message we hear this weekend  gives us a clear orientation to serve those who are most burdened by our social and economic policies. May we continue to serve God by relieving the burden from those who our society has weight down.

Have a wonderful summer,

With many Catholic and Christian voices advocating for a position of economic fairness and justice we now encounter a series of counter-argument that conservatives are using regarding their defense for Chairman Ryan’s budget. I have seen a couple of these positions and at best I can suggest that they make some grand assumptions, at worst they use rhetoric to twist and confuse the issue. Catholic presidential candidate Rick Santorum recently went on to defend the Ryan budget at an online conversation with voters. Candidate Santorum provides us with an example of how this budget plan is trying to twist the moral argument.

With regards to defending the tax cut for the wealthy Santorum suggest that there exist studies (although he could not recall them) that arbitrarily say that if people are taxed over a third of their income that they will not be willing to invest their money in a way that will stimulate domestic economic growth. He then goes on to say that this proven fact for stimulating economic growth is a greater value than a perceived notion of promoting economic fairness. Considering that the tax rate to the wealthy in America have not been lower than 25% since the New Deal it would be curious to see how such an assumption can be considered a proven fact. What we do know is that middle and low income Americans invest their money towards basic necessities such as paying their mortgage or rent and purchasing essential and local products that will keep local businesses operating. Giving further purchasing power to corporations and the wealthy have generally created streams of foreign investments that enhance their own financial gain at the expense of an unemployed American workforce. There are good arguments for lowering the tax rates related to economic growth but such a plan must specifically design a comprehensive policy for getting corporations and wealthy investors (both foreign and domestic) to invest in our own economy growth and not just assume that they will do so.

In that same talk Candidate Santorum goes on to address the concern that some people have about the current lack of basic food and healthcare services to children and how he plans to remedy this in light of his support of this budget. Santorum goes on to respond to this issue by interweaving his support for traditional marriage and argues that by supporting traditional marriage this will remedy the issue of child poverty. I support any
program that promotes the family and safeguards marriage but this position by Santorum is classic red herring argument.

We cannot allow assumptions and rhetoric that seem counter-intuitive to dictate this crucial debate. The Bishop’s and Catholic theologians called on Congress to develop a creative solution that is responsible in both reducing the deficit and protecting the poor and vulnerable. This calls for congress to lay aside all their partisan ideology and work together in a spirit of compromise and mutual respect while letting go of the sacred cows that have severely limited their creative vision. Moving on from Chairman Ryan’s budget we should draw our attention to the work of the Bipartisan Policy Center task force which developed a deficit reduction plan last November under a bipartisan team that came up with some creative albeit challenging ideas. Members of the Brookings Institution were part of this collaboration and they defined their goal in this way:

A fiscally responsible plan must be bold and comprehensive – and involve shared sacrifice by all except the most vulnerable. It must restrain spending across the federal budget, slow the increase of health care costs, reform the tax code and make Social Security strong for the next 75 years and beyond with modest changes to current law.

Members of Congress need to put aside their ideological plan and engage again with the creative wisdom of the group. In looking over this bipartisan plan I see some creative and challenging ideas that authentically lead to a plan that will actually reduce the budget without destabilizing our economic recovery while being attentive to necessary social programs. Jonathan Rauch, A guest scholar for the Brookings Institution, likened the deficit debate to the Israelis and Palestinian conflict. In what he calls “the contours of a fiscal settlement” Mr. Rauch offers some compromising points that need to be taken into consideration. He suggests that “there are going to be tax increases” and “There are going to be more spending cuts than tax increases.” He advocates for developing a tax reform law that will lower the tax rate and eliminated loopholes as a comprehensive way to increase tax revenue. As for the sacred cows he basically says “We can’t exempt defense. We can’t exempt entitlements. We can’t exempt anything. Not even farmers!”

The deficit issue must also be considered through other policy interventions outside of the budget. We must comprehensively review our military expenditures and consider shifting our effort to reshape our influence on international affairs by transferring part of our extensive military budget over to the State Department and the Diplomatic Corps of the US. Our banks ought to be given every incentive to expend their greatly expanded income by lending generously to small business enterprises and reduce unemployment. The home foreclosure procedures of these banks ought to be slowed so as to allow home-owners to keep money in their pocket for a longer period of time, to meet living expenses, instead of seeking governmental tax-supported subsidies to meet their necessary expenses while the banks hoard and invest their holdings. The legal status of the corporation must continue to be challenged until the Supreme Court reconsiders its fateful “Citizen’s United” case and recognize that a “corporate person” carries much more influence than an individual person in the election procedure, because of financial resources able to purchase avenues of communication. These are just some interrelated issues that need to
be considered as we attempt to face a new economic future.

The deficit crisis can be seen as an opportunity, a teachable moment that calls us to be open about new ideas and possibilities that our former partisan ideologies frowned upon. The strength of our Republic lies in the capacity that we have in setting aside our differences and listening intently at the creative wisdom that comes from the rich tapestry of our American experience. We do not have to reinvent the wheel since the Bipartisan task force has already given us enough food for thought with this debate. What remains to be seen is the political will and the congressional leadership that will move this process along.

• Acts 2:1-11. The awesome descent of the Spirit, so that all are caught up in wonder and hear the marvels of God spoken in their own tongues.
• 1 Corinthians 12: 3-7, 12-13. There are different gifts but the same Spirit. In the one Spirit all of us were baptized into one body [and] have been given to drink of the one Spirit.
• John 20: 19-23 Jesus breathed upon the disciples, gathered together in a locked room; he conferred the Holy Spirit and the power of forgiving sin.

Thoughts for your consideration: by John Gonzalez

The message of Pentecost Sunday offers us a curious lesson on the virtue of unity. Whoever attend the Pentecost vigil mass will hear the famous Hebrew account of Babel. In this account God is seemingly nervous of human ambition and He sows chaos by fragmenting the unified human community through the use of different languages. In the first reading for the Sunday Mass however we encounter God unifying the human community by the power of the Holy Spirit through the preaching of the Apostles. Language becomes the instrument that is used to sow division in Babel while for the Apostles language becomes the instrument of unity in preaching to the people of Jerusalem. How are we to understand God’s apparent contradiction during these two historical moments?

In the story of Babel the early Hebrew community tries to explain how the human community eventually migrated everywhere and became such a fragmented group. No social or ecological phenomenon could be explained without God’s intervention so of course in trying to respond to this reality they employed God’s divine intervention. Without taking this story as a literal historical account one can reflect on the spiritual lesson that is to be learned here. Of course God does not fear our human capabilities; instead we see what happens when the human community is organized on a project that goes against the will of God.

Babel may or may not have happened, but Babel like moments have happened in our human history where civilizations and societies have developed unifying agendas that goes against the will of God. For a time a particular culture or group may achieve great projects and pursue a policy of dominance based on the achievements. But such power that is wielded outside of the will of God or the Holy Spirit becomes corrupted and divisive. Consider for example the situations of the Athenians and the birth of democratic Greece. This was a noble and virtuous endeavor. The immediate result of this revolutionary achievement was that they were able to organize the Greek peninsula to defend themselves from the overpowering tyranny of the Persian Empire. Yet no sooner had they reached their own moment of power when they began to make plans to overpower others with their perceived supremacy. Their downfall came soon enough with the start of the Peloponnesian war.

St. Paul declares that all our gifts and talents are given to us by the one Spirit. These gifts are not given to us to serve our own interest but to serve the one Body. These gifts that we each have can certainly profit us and our own communities but they are not put to their authentic use if they do not serve the common good of the one Body. If we use these talents toward that purpose then we will achieve an authentic unity where our motivation is for the service of God and all of creation.

The Gospel passage tells us that an essential element of this authentic unity is a spirit of peace. As he shows the wound on his hands and side Jesus keeps offering the disciples this spirit of peace. If you had seen a friend inflicted with terrible and unjust wounds what feelings would surface? Possibly anger and revenge, a desire to see that justice is served perhaps. I would like to assume that is why Jesus keeps enforcing this call to peace. He wants his disciples to witness the truth but to do so through an attitude of peace and compassionate love. Only through a spirit of peace can the disciples begin to approach the wisdom and understanding of God’s plan through the Holy Spirit. In breathing the Holy Spirit to the disciples Jesus’ first instruction is to have them forgive others. In this way they truly become a witness to God’s love.

The readings for Pentecost Sunday invite us to adopt this spirit of peace and forgiveness and to contemplate the authentic unity of the human family. In order to be open to the wisdom of the Holy Spirit we need to recognize the power of that one Great Spirit within each and every one of us.

• Acts 1: 1-11. Between Easter and Ascension Jesus instructed the apostles and advised them to “wait… [for] you will be baptized
  with the Holy Spirit.” Eventually Jesus will return gloriously, the same way by which he ascended from their midst.
• Ephesians 1: 17-23. Christ’s “fullness fills the universe” and so the Lord distributes “the wealth of his glorious heritage” and
  “the immeasurable scope of his power in us who believe.”
• Matthew 28: 16-20. Stresses the Lord’s universal authority and the commission of the apostles to “make disciples of all nations.” It was spoken by Jesus in Galilee.

Thoughts for Your Consideration: By John Gonzalez

As I consider the lectionary readings for this weekend I cannot help but place the interaction between Jesus and his disciples within the context of the rapture which was suppose to take place a couple of weeks ago and which is now being slated for October. The disciples, like so many of us, were also looking for quick and definitive answers. As Jesus prepared to ascend into heaven they eagerly asked him if now was the moment for final culmination of God’s Kingdom here on earth. Jesus offers the sobering response “It is not for you to know the times or seasons.” Instead of passively dwelling with the “end of the world” phenomenon Jesus offers his disciples a call to action to be agents of God’s great love for the entire world. Comically, as Jesus ascends, the disciples simply stand there naively waiting for God to yet intervene so that even angels are commissioned to shoo them away and get them moving on to their appointed task.

The fact is that it is easier for us to sit back and let God do all the work than for us to take responsibility and be an active part of God’s plan for the redemption of the world. The disciples in the first reading and St. Paul in the second reading confront the divine kingship that belongs to Christ but they are reminded that this divine citizenship does not allow them to sit back and judge the world under the false pretense that they are the chosen ones. Instead they are instructed to be actively involved in transforming the world in the vision of justice and peace.

The Gospel passage is very instructive with regards to the challenge of our faith. As with the first reading Jesus again is commissioning the apostles to “make disciples of all nations” and even though he is ascending Jesus assures them of the Holy Spirit and reminds them that he will be with them always. What impresses me is just how human the apostles are in this one passage “When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.” The promise of eternal life and the belief that God’s vision of justice and peace will prevail are articles of faith. Jesus promises to be with us always, this too is an article of faith. We are asked to believe in the promises of our revealed religion even though there is no tangible proof that these promises will come to pass. There are moments where we struggle to believe in the midst of our doubts and disillusions. If the apostles who witnessed the resurrection and the ascension doubted in the presence of Christ how much more difficult is it for us who struggle to believe 2000 years after the fact?

Many times we strive to do what is right on a personal level or to promote what is just and fair on a social level and many times we wonder “what’s the point?” This past week I have been undergoing my own spiritual dryness and I went out to the ocean where I was able to witness God in the power of His own creation. I was able to witness God but I could not feel His presence. And then, as I began to contemplate the universe beyond the sea, the words of the psalmist came to me:

“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?” (Ps. 8:3-4)

At that moment I was reminded that in many ways I am nothing more than a cosmic germ. Just like a bacteria evolves within my body so too am I like a bacteria in the cosmos, physically insignificant yet empowered to shape the evolution of creation in ways I cannot imagine. We are part of something grand, on the surface it may not seem so, but in the depths of our soul we know that there is purpose and meaning in what we do and in all that happens. So it is that the psalmist could continue with the following verse:

“Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor” (Ps. 8:5)