Homily – May 30, 2009 – Seventh Week of Easter - Saturday

We are rapidly coming to the end of the Easter Season – and St. John rightly puts it that there really are not enough words to describe what Jesus actually did and taught while he was among us on earth: "I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written." And so it is summarized mainly in the One Book of Scriptures; and the Living Book of the Action and Teachings of the Apostles; and the Great Interpreting principle of the Teaching Authority of the Holy Spirit given to the Church!

It is the living Christ that Paul preached about in Rome and that is still preached throughout the entire Church day in and day out. Jesus is the "hope of Israel" and he is our hope! Jesus is not a dead letter, any more than the communion we receive in our hand is a dead piece of bread! Jesus is living! The consecrated bread is the living Jesus! When we eat the bread we become more and more the living bread: Jesus – so that we can become more like him in the way we deal with our fellow men and women and ourselves.

Tonight we will begin to celebrate Pentecost when the twelve will be filled with the gifts of the Spirit and sent out to make the world ONE, one in faith, one in hope, one in charity, one in baptism, one in confessing that Jesus the Christ is truly one only Son of Man and Son of God – now risen, ascended and glorified with the Father – and who will come again – at a time known only by the Father – to judge the living and the dead.

May we rejoice always in the Father's gift of the Spirit of truth; we so desperately need to be guided to what is true and right – and this is now our guarantee of having it – if we keep wanting it and choosing it!