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Sixth Sunday of Easter May 5, 2013
Church of Saint Ignatius Loyola
Rev. Joseph M. O’Keefe, S.J.
“The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will
teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.”
This coming Thursday we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension, which
commemorates the bodily ascension of Jesus to the Father. The communion
antiphon for that mass is taken from Jesus’ words, “Behold I am with you always.”
In light of his bodily ascension, how was Jesus with the first disciples? Because this
promise was made to all who follow Him in every age, we need to ask ourselves, in
light of his bodily ascension, how is Jesus with us here and now?
In today’s gospel, we hear a passage from the Last Discourse, which John
places in the context of the Last Supper. Jesus is telling his often-too-slow-to-learn
followers what will come in the future. What he promised them is that He would
remain with them if they would open their minds and hearts to the Advocate, the
Holy Spirit, whom the Father would send in a His name. In two weeks, we will once
again ponder the coming of the Spirit on the Feast of Pentecost. We will once again
hear a rather fantastic story of Pentecost from the Acts of the Apostles about a
multilingual gathering of tongues where everyone miraculously understands the
babble, and a descent of flames (I always found that image quite frightening). This
view of the Holy Spirit seems exotic, otherworldly, so far from our experience; the
coming of the Holy Spirit is something that happened to people far removed from
our experience many centuries ago; an interesting story dredged up from an
unfamiliar past.
According to one Bible concordance, there are over 3,000 descriptions of the
Holy Spirit in sacred scripture. Not to worry – I won't describe them all. Among the
more common descriptions of the Holy Spirit are some with which, I am sure, you
are familiar: advocate, counselor, comforter, guide, teacher, intercessor, witness.
And if I were to give you a quiz in Catholicism 101 would you remember the seven
gifts of the Holy Spirit? Wisdom, understanding, right judgment, courage,
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knowledge, piety, and reverence.
Let me suggest another description of the Holy Spirit: the Holy Spirit is the
refresher. And the gift that the refresher gives is memories. Understood in this light,
the coming of the Holy Spirit is not an interesting story dredged up from an exotic
past. The Holy Spirit comes to us in our down-to earth everydayness through the
faculty that shapes our identity and makes us who we are: our memories. The Holy
Spirit is the refresher of memory.
Psychologists have many theories about how memories get triggered. I was
speaking to someone the other day who was describing her experience of spring.
She talked about forsythia, which we see everywhere these days. The sight of these
beautiful yellow flowers after a long dead winter transport her back to her
grandparent’s home, where love and nurturance and caring were as ubiquitous the
forsythia in May. She said that every spring the forsythia bring her to a prayer of
gratitude for her grandparents and for all those who have loved her over the years.
Take a moment to reflect: is there a sight, or a sound, or a scent, or a taste that
transports you back in time and place for which you are deeply grateful? Or, put it
this way, when you sift through your memories, do moments emerge that make you
feel close to God? In your past, are there times when you have experienced in a
palpable way Jesus's promise to be with you always? For me, these blessed
memories are our tongues of flame.
As we all know, not all of our memories are those we want to cherish. Just as
sights and sounds and scents and tastes can trigger moments of nurturing and
consolation, so too they can dredge up memories of hurt and desolation. Sometimes
those memories come not from the spirit of God; we can be haunted by the evil spirit
of darkness and death. But sometimes those painful memories are in fact a gift from
the good spirit. God never raises painful our memories to torture us. If God raises
painful memories, if God opens up old wounds, God does so to bring healing and
hope. Is there a sight, or a sound, or a scent, or a taste that resurrects something
that you hurt you? Is there a sight, or a sound, or a scent, or a taste that resurrects
something you regret? Is God’s spirit yearning to set you free by refreshing
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memories of shame and guilt? Maybe God wants to remind you that all is forgiven
and that it is time to let it go and move on. As the Scriptures tell us time and time
again, God loves to set people free. If we open our hearts to God's Holy Spirit, to the
refresher, God will take our sufferings and transform them into compassion. Notice
that, in the post-resurrection appearances, Jesus’ wounds had not disappeared. The
wounds were still there, but they had been transformed. By His wounds, we were
healed. Through the Holy Spirit, our transformed wounds can also become a source
of healing for others.
My friends, invite the Holy Spirit to refresh your memories, and your hearts
will no longer be troubled or afraid. Invite the Holy Spirit to refresh your memories,
the good and the bad, and you will experience the peace that Christ promises, the
peace that the world cannot give. Invite the Holy Spirit to refresh your memories,
and you will come to believe Jesus’s words, “Behold, I am with you always.”