May 9, 2010AD
Sixth Sunday of Easter
Put Us in, Coach!!
On the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Jesus re-assures us (viz., His Own) of the Presence of the Paraclete-Spirit.. Now that He is not physically present with us as He was then, He remains in the Holy Spirit Whom He sends as the Father’s Gift. All language about God and our relationship with God is inadequate. Therefore, religious language has to be metaphoric. Ergo, God is like a……
The two biblical words for Spirit are ruach ( in Hebrew) and pneuma (in Greek). Both words have multivalent meanings. First, ruach describes the wind, the unseen force that is life-giving, yet unpredictable in its effects. Second, ruach , pneuma describe one’s life-breath, when we stop breathing, we are “out of here”. Third, ruach describes the energy for ordinary folks to do extraordinary things.
The Shack, a very popular novel, appeared recently that sold literally millions of copies. For those who read the book, the “parable” or story presented a very different view of the Holy Trinity. While Jesus is rather easy to recognize, God the Father is hard to grasp at first. Yet, most Catholics (who read the book) catch on.
However, it is view of the Holy Spirit that confused many, with even Name changes of the Character as (S)He(?) is depicted. The Third Person of the Trinity becomes an non-descript but constant Presence in a variety of ways. This view of the Third Person of the Trinity reflects the ambivalent way in which the Holy Spirit is perceived by Christians. Like the wind, one’s breath, or energy, the Spirit is hard to describe. In addition, other images, such as the Dove, the Fire and the Water imagery which the Evangelists used represent Reality hard to pin down.
For example, the Holy Spirit is like the wind, one’s life-breath and an energy to do what God wants of us. Other theologians have adopted what St Paul, a Greek speaking Jew, who believed in Jesus, meant by the word. The Holy Spirit is a troublemaker, a taskmaster, a taunter Who prompts us to believe in Christ and to act what we believe.
Christ Jesus lives in me (and I live in Christ Jesus. The Spirit energizes us to behave as such. The Fourth Evangelist describes the Holy Spirit as the Paraclete. The surprising word has a variety of meanings as well. A paraclete has been described traditionally as a consoler, a counselor, a defense attorney, an advocate.
However, the understanding has recently expanded into other metaphorical ways to understand the role that the Paraclete-Spirit fulfills in, with and through us. Now, we see the Holy Spirit as a mentor in authentic human living, a significant Presence in our lives, guiding us how to live as God wants. In most traditional cultures, it was the mother’s brother, the boy’s uncle, who taught the young boy what it was to be a young man. In contemporary American Catholicism, we use the image of a teacher, a guidance counselor or a coach to telling us “to get the lead out and do better than we care to do in our lassitude and complacency”.
The Coach Spirit teaches us to do in the Spirit an honest self-evaluation to discover what my sins are (and they are there), rather than focusing on other peoples sin. It is less fun, but more honest to see oneself as the Spirit. I might not be the person as I masquerade (even fooling myself sometimes), others might not be so bad as I judge. “Get rid of the plank in your eye before you remove the splinter in your neighbor’s eye.”
Jesus tries to transform us from ritual religion to relational religion. Rituals are what we do; relationships are what make us who we are. Now, Catholics celebrate the Mystery of the Trinity, one God in three persons. We have stress that God is relational. What Jesus says is that, through the Holy Spirit, God brings us into the Trinitarian Life.
In this way, can we see the Paraclete-Spirit as the Christ Quantum, the Presence and ongoing effect of the Incarnate God. As a result, we are brought into the very Life of the Trinity because we are living, here and now, in the vibrational or force field, the energy of Christ Jesus.
Next Sunday, Jesus prays the Prayer of the Good Shepherd, in John 17, as our Gospel. He prays that God binds all Jesus’ Own into relationship with God the Father and Christ Jesus in the Holy Spirit. The following Sunday, we celebrate Pentecost (the Feast of the Holy Spirit) as we complete Easter with the outpouring of the Spirit. (Don’t forget to wear red to celebrate our belief that we are all clothed with the Holy Spirit!!) The following Sunday, we celebrate Trinity Sunday as we reflect on the Divine Indwelling in us and our dwelling in God.
Again, religious language has to be metaphoric. The Holy Spirit is like our Coach challenging and empowering us to live God’s life here and now. Put us in, Coach!! 050910AD jfq
