Something new for Pentecost

Today, there was a very special gathering which took place on the grounds of the Motherhouse of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Sault Ste. Marie.  At the invitation of the Diocesan Bishop, Catholics across our Diocese have been encouraged this weekend and next to take part in a series of encounters with Indigenous peoples who live side by side with us.

… they began to speak

Two years ago, many of the parishes in our diocese began to prepare for a parish-based faith enrichment program called Arise together in Christ!  Participants were invited to encounter Christ in their own lives (Season I), and then to become aware of the ways in which knowing Christ can and often does change our hearts (Season II) and challenge us to follow in his footsteps (Season III).  Every disciple of Jesus must follow these same steps in the development of our relationships with Jesus and with others: from the day of our birth, we are continually learning about ourselves and about others; from the day of our baptism, we are continually learning about ourselves, about others and about Jesus, thanks to the words and example that we receive from our parents, our godparents, and from other people of faith who are part of our lives, but at some point, we realize that knowing about Jesus is not enough; we also need to know him personally.  As we come to know Jesus, he helps us to change our attitudes toward others and to share the joy of knowing him with those we encounter on our journey through life.

The same is true for every relationship we share.  We need to encounter one another – not just pass each other by, but truly encounter one another.  We need to take time to speak with one another, to share our stories, the stories we share in common, and the stories that are part of our own unique journeys.  We need to share the stories of our histories so that we can truly come to know one another, and we need to allow our hearts to be changed by such encounters, so that we can be more compassionate toward one another, so that we can learn how to celebrate with one another and so that we can learn how to help one another along the road.

A few months ago, reflecting on the experiences that were shared by participants in the Arise! program about the ways we were recognizing the call to follow in Jesus’ footsteps, our Bishop observed that we sometimes live side by side with people who we don’t truly know, and so he invited the people of our Diocese to organize a series of encounters which would allow us to meet one another and to begin sharing our stories.  The first of these gatherings took place yesterday in Fielding Park in Sudbury.  Today, we are gathered here at the Motherhouse of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, and next weekend, there will be another gathering in Sault Ste. Marie.  Each of these encounters is unique, because the people who are participating bring their own stories and their own particular experiences to be shared.

It is significant that our gathering today is taking place on the liturgical Solemnity of Pentecost, the day when the Church all over the world commemorates the disciples’ encounter with the Holy Spirit.  While he was with them, Jesus had told them: When the Advocate comes … he will testify on my behalf, and you also are to testify (Jn 15:26-27).  The Spirit of truth, who is the gift of the Father, is the one who teaches us how to be people of faith, how to share the stories of our own experiences of encountering Jesus, how to learn from one another and how to be faithful disciples. 

On that day, when Jesus was telling Peter and his companions about the Advocate who would declare the things that are to come (Jn 16:13) they really didn’t understand what he was talking about, nor did they understand how it would come to pass.  In fact, even when the day of Pentecost had come, they were still surprised by the way in which the Spirit appeared among them … and rested on each of them (Acts 2:2-3).  If the disciples themselves were surprised by this grace, we too should not be surprised if the Holy Spirit should grant us the gift today to begin speaking with one another, sharing our stories and recognizing the work of the Spirit among us.

Beginning before the dawn, we have had a privileged opportunity today to experience a Sunrise ceremony.  This moment in time furnishes us with a unique opportunity to listen to the story that we share as modern-day disciples, and to share in the Eucharistic feast that Jesus offers for us.  Later today, we will have an opportunity to learn more about the spiritual practices of our Indigenous brothers and sisters, including the significance of drums, the meaning of the smudge, the spirit plate and how rosaries are made.

Bishop Plouffe wanted us to have an opportunity to learn about those who live side by side with us.  May today be the first of many days, opportunities for us to speak with one another, to learn from one another and to share our experiences and learnings with each other.  When the Jewish people who were living in Jerusalem heard the disciples speaking in various languages, they were amazed and astonished (cf Acts 2:7). 

Perhaps to others who hear about our gathering here today, it might seem appropriate to be amazed and astonished, but let us not allow our amazement to be without purpose.  Rather, let us recognize in this moment, the work of the Spirit, and let us give thanks to God for this opportunity to appreciate the varieties of gifts that are being offered, and the fact that all these gifts are given by the same Spirit (cf 1 Cor 12:4) … that there are indeed a variety of activities, but it is the same God who is at work within us.

Today, we have a wonderful opportunity: to celebrate side by side with one another and to recognize that in the one Spirit, we were all baptized into one body – Francophones, Anglophones, Ojibwe, Cree … we have all drunk from the one Spirit and we are all members of the one body (cf 1 Cor 12:12-13).  Let us ask the Holy Spirit who is capable of renewing the face of the earth (cf Ps 103:30) to renew our resolve to walk together, side by side with one another on the journey that lies ahead.