Fr. Franco's Letters

The Flame: May/June 2024

Dear Readers of the Flame,

The original Pentecost was an event that was amazing, transformative and prophetic all at the same time. First, people were amazed at the signs and wonders that accompanied the coming of the Spirit. There was a strong driving wind, tongues of fire resting on 120 disciples of Jesus and a polyphony of voices and many languages proclaiming the praises of the Living God.

And Pentecost was certainly a transformative event. We see the effects of the Spirit in the lives of the apostles in three distinct ways.

1. The Holy Spirit transformed the apostles thinking. In Acts 1:6 we hear the Apostles ask Jesus, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” They were asking the wrong question! They seem to be still looking for something of an earthly Kingdom for Israel. After the coming of the Spirit they understood what Jesus had done by his death and resurrection. They understood Him and they knew what they were to be about: witnessing to Jesus to the ends of the earth.
2. The Holy Spirit transformed the apostle’s approach to life and ministry. During the passion and death of Jesus we see that the apostles ran and hid from Jesus. And even after Jesus was raised from the dead, the apostles were still a bit timid. It was not until Pentecost that they proclaimed Jesus Christ with assurance and boldness (Acts 4:13).
3. The Holy Spirit also transformed their way of relating to each other and to people. Before Pentecost, their relationships with each other seemed to be infected with a bit of self-service and rivalry. (See Mark 10:35-45). After Pentecost, they stood with each other. Acts 2:14 says that “…Peter stood up with the Eleven…” and focused on the ministry at hand. They sought to wash each other’s feet and live out the command of the Lord, “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.” (John 13:34)

Finally, Pentecost was a prophetic event. The signs and wonders of that Sunday morning point to creating the world all over again. The “rushing wind” hearkens back to the creation of the world (Genesis 1:2). Pentecost is the beginning of the New Creation. The “tongues as of fire” point us to Mt. Sinai, where Moses received the Law amid thunder, lightening and a smoking mountain. The Spirit, who inscribes the New Law on the hearts of believers, comes with a fire that purges the heart of the 120 gathered in the Upper Room.

Finally, the Spirit inspired the praise of God in many languages. This prophetic action tells us of the undoing of Babel (Genesis 9). At Babel, God punished people’s pride by creating many languages. Unable to understand each other, people became divided. At Pentecost, people of many languages were united by the truth of God’s glory in the person of Jesus Christ.

The focus of the Catholic Renewal Ministries conference this summer underscores this unitive work of the Holy Spirit. One Body, One Spirit is a phrase from St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians 4:4. The whole passage reads:

…striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace: one body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:3-6)

St. Paul’s description of this unity is not some sort of amorphous feeling. He describes this unity in seven ways by using the word “one”. It is to be a unity of one: body, Spirit, hope, Lord, faith, baptism and God the Father.

Yes, we need the work of the Spirit to transform our thinking and embolden our timid hearts. However, I believe we especially need this uniting work of the Spirit. Much of the divisiveness of our time is rooted in a philosophy called dialectical materialism by Karl Marx (Marx wrote The Communist Manifesto) and Friedrich Engels that pits people against each other (rich vs. poor, race vs. race, gender vs. gender, et cetera). Dialogue seems to have been replaced by accusations and hatred. This seems to have become the norm in our society.

As Catholic Christians filled with the Spirit, we need to become agents of unity. This requires a transformation of heart and mind. By God’s grace we need to root out fear and prejudice from ourselves. We need to work at understanding people even when we will be misunderstood. We need to be especially observant to love our brothers and sisters, our fellow Catholics and Christians in other communities.

In the early Church, Christians were accused of all sorts of things, like starting a catastrophic fire in Rome (Nero’s accusation in 64 A.D) or cannibalism (referring to the Eucharist). However, they responded with love. They sought to forgive their persecutors. And unbelievers noticed how they cared for each other. In the second century unbelievers noted, See how they love one another! (from the writings of Tertullian, 197 AD).

As we approach Pentecost, let us pray that the Holy Spirit renew us and the whole Church. Enlightened and empowered by the Spirit, let us become fountains of charity and instruments of unity.

In Christ,
Fr. Bob Franco