Summary
The Teacher is gone and there comes another! Jesus said unless he was gone the Paraclete won’t come. He had to go and He had to come. There is no interruption, there is continuity and the teaching goes on and will go on! The Teacher and the Teacher are different but not really? The work of the One gone is continued by the One coming. This was the mystery/magic/transformation that was brought about on the day of Pentecost.
Today the whole world is filled with knowledge; not sure if it has imbibed enough wisdom to sift through the world of knowledge. Knowledge is at the fingertips. However, the knowledge leading to wisdom flowing through the clasping of the fingertips doesn’t happen because they are no more clasped. Such clasping will give us a respite to reflect, recoup, integrate, interiorize and expand. Since we turned too introvert, and engrossed in the single fingertip’s action, we lose our own self and its need to relate and to be in communion. May be we need to change, be newly inspired and reoriented. We need the Spirit that did this to the disciples of Jesus on the day of Pentecost. The clasping of the fingertips should revisit our young and old. In the ‘collect’ (opening prayer) today we pray,
“O God, pour out the gifts of the Holy Spirit across the face of the earth and, with the divine grace that was at work when the Gospel was first proclaimed, fill now once more the hearts of believers.”
Yes, we badly need that refueling. Just like the day of Pentecost there are rushes of violent wind even today. That violent wind did not destroy as the winds of today do, but it did overturn the then dominions and principalities, leveled down many haughty mountains and leveled up many lowly valleys. There was fire on that day, tongues of fire which consumed the fear, timidity and tepidity and got them on their feet, on the march. That fire still continues to burn and that march is not yet halted.
We need to look whether we are part of this march and allow ourselves to be consumed by this fire. We need to clasp our fingers as individuals, as families and communities together and must wait for and allow Jesus to breathe over us and be sent. Then we must go, dare to witness and proclaim for which we were baptized and empowered. Unless we use the power given to us it will wane out and we will be dead. How much of us and how many of us are already dead? We are also given the power to resurrect and to resuscitate! Dare to!
Fr George