MAY 11, 2008: PENTECOST

Readings:
Acts 2:1-11
I Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13
John 20:19-23

Those who believe the true church never changes know nothing about first century Christianity.

The late Karl Rahner often reminded us that there have been only four basic changes in our Christian faith, and that two of them happened within fifty years of Jesus' death and resurrection.

The first was a switch from a short term faith to a long term; from the equivalent of training for a 100 yard dash to preparing for a marathon. As we know from Paul's earliest letters, Jesus' first followers presumed he was going to return in the Parousia in a relative brief period of time. Some in his Thessalonian community, for instance, appear to have believed none of them would die before Jesus' Second Coming. It's only when we read Luke's gospel and his Acts of the Apostles (written around 85 CE) that we first encounter the belief that Jesus won't return during the lifetime of any of the evangelist's readers.

While this short/long concept of faith is playing out, the Christian community is also having to confront the unforeseen switch from being a Jewish church to becoming a Gentile church. The historical Jesus was a Jew, all his followers were Jews. It was against the background of early first century CE Judaism that this Galilean carpenter preached his reform. How could a 100% Jewish church transform itself into an almost 100% Gentile church within three generations?

Did biblical Christianity have a John XXIII leader who guided them through this tumultuous period? Though heroic figures like Peter and Paul were on the cutting edge of both changes, our sacred authors tell us the real guiding force in those days was the Holy Spirit.

That's why today's Pentecost celebration quickly came into existence. It was both a way to sing the praises of the force behind change and a reminder to the community that no one can imitate the faith of Jesus without giving himself or herself over to the Spirit of Jesus.

With these two basic changes still creating problems for some in his church, Luke's description of the Spirit's Pentecost arrival is very significant. "Suddenly from up in the sky there came a noise like a strong, driving wind which was heard all through the house where they were seated. Tongues as of fire appeared which parted and came to rest on each of them." There's no gentle dove here, hovering peacefully over the community. The Spirit's arrival is accompanied by the disturbing images of wind, noise and fire.

Luke's simply giving concrete forms to his own experience of the Spirit. No one can live through such drastic, Spirit-inspired changes without being disturbed.

Yet, on the other hand, the Spirit also has other roles in the church. Paul reminds his Corinthian community, "To each person the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good." The same Spirit which creates havoc also is a force of unity. "It was in one Spirit that all of us, whether Jew or Greek, slave or free, were baptized into one body." Divisive elements are molded into one, unified force by the Spirit's power.

John tells us on what this unity is built. "Jesus breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive someone's sins they are forgiven; if you hold them bound, they are held bound.'"

We presume Jesus never wanted any of his followers to withhold forgiveness. He's just reminding them here of the power they have over others for good or bad. John's Jesus informs us that the most important daily element of the Spirit's presence in our lives is forgiveness; the thing many of us find the most difficult to offer. Yet no Christian community can exist without that element, just as they can't exist without the Spirit.

MAY 4, 2008: ASCENSION OF JESUS

Readings:
Acts 1:1-11
Ephesians 1:17-23
Matthew 28:16-20

One of the most fascinating aspects of today's celebration of Jesus’ ascension is that the gospel we employ for our liturgical reading mentions nothing about Jesus' ascension. Though most of us presume the next thing Jesus does after he assures his disciples, "I am with you always, until the end of the age," is to start rising into heaven, Matthew never says that. His gospel ends at this point.

Scripture scholars have been warning us for a long time that we can't take for granted one evangelist knows what any other evangelist wrote. Experts debate whether John was familiar with Mark, Matthew and Luke. But everyone agrees Matthew and Luke knew only Mark (the first evangelist) and they're also convinced Matthew and Luke didn't know one another. So we can't argue that Matthew didn't need to finish his narrative with an actual ascension because "everybody" already knew that's what happened. Unless someone reads Luke/Acts, he or she doesn't know that. (There's no ascension in Mark's canonical gospel.) Besides, the meeting Matthew describes between Jesus and his disciples takes place on a mountain "in Galilee." The ascension event Luke depicts in our first reading takes place outside Jerusalem on the Mt. of Olives, at least 60 miles south of Galilee!

Knowing this, Luke's opening Acts narrative of Jesus ascending into heaven after 40 days of instructing "the apostles he had chosen" is, to say the least, problematic.

One key to unlock the confusion is to understand that it took Jesus' earliest followers a long time to "sort things out." They certainly didn't have everything together by Pentecost evening. Most people don't realize there's at least a 40 year interval between Jesus' death and resurrection and the writing of the first gospel.

Paul's letters are the only writing which have come down to us from that interval. That's why our Ephesians passage is so significant. Though Paul originally expected Jesus to triumphantly return during his lifetime, he doesn't seem to have been too worried about Jesus' zip code before that return. The Apostle certainly believes the risen Jesus is present in the midst of his followers. (He even told the Corinthians, "Jesus appeared to me!") But at the same time he can theologize, "(God) worked in Christ, raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens ... And he put all things beneath his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body . . . .”

Paul's being more poetic than geographic. He's concerned his readers understand that the risen Jesus is at the center of their life and faith. He employs symbolic language to convey that reality.

In a parallel way, Matthew wants to convince his community that Jesus both commissions them to carry on his ministry" to all nations," and guarantees; "I am with you always, until the end of the age."

Luke, the first author of the Christian Scriptures to believe Jesus isn't going to return in the Parousia during his lifetime, has a somewhat different agenda. He's concerned with those in his community who are still "looking at the sky," spending their time planning for Jesus' return instead of carrying on Jesus' ministry. The "two men dressed in white garments" are telling Jesus' followers, "Ok, you've got work to do; so do it!"

Perhaps the theological diversity in today's three readings should inspire us to respect the theological diversity that exists in Christianity even today.

Our sacred authors constantly tell us that one theology doesn't fit everyone's faith needs.