A few weeks ago, I was reading the Toronto Star and came across a headline which read: “Compassion drives judge to join army veteran in jail cell.” Now since it is not very often that we can find a good news story in the newspapers, this story grabbed my attention. The article was about a former special service soldier who had fought four tours of duty in the Green Barets of the United States Army in Afghanistan. While away fighting, he had escaped death three times. The name of the retired soldier was Sergeant Joseph Serna. His bravery and efforts while he was away fighting had won him three purple heart medals— a medal given to those who are injured while fighting bravely. Unfortunately, since the time that Sergeant Serna had returned from battle, his efforts to return to civilian life had been very difficult. He had struggled with post-traumatic stress and drug and alcohol addiction. He was left with a great deal of fear after all of the very stressful experiences that he had while away at war. As a result of his many run-ins with the law, a judge had been assigned to Sergeant Serna’s case and he had the responsibility of reporting into this judge about his progress. The name of the judge in the story was Judge Lou Olivera. The story reported how recently, when Sergeant Serna had to admit that he had failed to remain sober and had retuned to using alcohol, against his probation order, it was necessary for Judge Olivera to sentence Sergeant Serna to one night in jail. However, what makes the story amazing, is that Judge Olivera knew that because of all his past traumatic experiences, Sergeant Serna would be afraid to spend the night alone in jail. In order that he might have the courage to face the situation, Judge Olivera drove Sergeant Serna from the courthouse  in his own car to the jail and then spent the entire evening in the jail cell with him. Judge Olivera stayed with Sergeant Serna the whole evening, spoke with him about how he might handle his problems and gave him reason to hope that he could return to take his proper place in society, despite all of his difficulties and problems. By staying the evening with him, Judge Olivera showed this broken soldier that he believed in him, that he had dignity and that he was worth saving.

I think that anybody who read the story about this great judge would think that he was indeed a generous and compassionate man. As we celebrate Pentecost this Sunday in the Year of Mercy, it is important that we understand that this is what God wishes to do for us, not just for an evening, but for a lifetime. In the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we hear how the Apostles are hiding away in a room for fear that the Romans and the Jews would do to them as they did to Jesus. As they hide there, Jesus has been coming into the room to be with them throughout the Easter season. On this final day of the Easter Season, we hear how He will send from His Father in Heaven the gift of the Holy Spirit, who will dwell in the hearts of His disciples and allow them to know that He is with them always. Jesus and the Father send an “Advocate” into the hearts of the believers that they might always know His loving presence and guidance in their lives. God’s Holy Spirit is sent upon them not just for a day, but so that He might be with them always to instruct them and give them courage to confront the challenges of their world and their mission. Because the Holy Spirit is sent into their hearts, these first disciples are changed and they recognize the dignity which they have as sons and daughters of God. Because of this gift of the Holy Spirit, they are changed and begin to preach the Good News of salvation to all people. As the Holy Spirit empowers their hearts to believe in the resurrection and God’s love for them, they have the courage to go out into the world and transform it by spreading the Good News that Jesus has destroyed death and is always with them. The presence of God in their lives, changes them, leads them to accept their mission in the Church and sends them out to preach the Good News to all of creation. Pentecost marks the foundation of the Church and the beginning of the mission entrusted to believers to make Christ present to all people.

This weekend at the 5:00 pm Mass on Saturday, about thirty young people from our parish will celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation. As they are confirmed, they remind those of us who have already been confirmed of the special gift of the Holy Spirit that is given to each of us in Confirmation. While every sacrament involves a gift of the Holy Spirit which allows us to encounter Christ in our lives, the gift which comes with Confirmation is directly related to that gift of the Holy Spirit that was given to the disciples on the day of Pentecost. Jesus wishes to give to all of us in Confirmation a gift of the Holy Spirit which shares with us the gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, knowledge, fortitude, piety and fear of the Lord. Just like the judge who went to be with the army sergeant in his time of difficulty, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell with us at all times in our life so that we may turn to Him and seek the correct path to walk. The Holy Spirit comes to us to remind us of our dignity as God’s children, to speak to us of the way we should walk in life and to remind us of Christ’s victory over death in those times when we are frightened. Christ promised to send His disciples an advocate that they might always know how to act and behave in His name. This is the work of the Holy Spirit.

What is proclaimed to the young people who are confirmed in our parish this weekend, is something that the Lord also wishes all of us to be aware of at all times. The Lord is always with us. The whole story of His being born into the poverty of the world, into a simple family, prepares us for the Pentecost proclamation. God wishes to dwell with all of us in the depths of our hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit. Each one of us is a child of God and He never wishes to leave us alone. In this Year of Mercy, the message of Pentecost is that there is nothing that can prevent God from being with us through the power of the Holy Spirit. In our times of difficulty, we need simply seek a quiet place where we may seek the Lord in order that we might hear him speak. He will guide us with His scriptures, through His sacraments and by His Holy Spirit if we pray and listen in order to discern His presence in our lives. Like the judge who went to live with the soldier in prison, God wishes to be with us through the power of His Holy Spirit to help us in our difficulties and times of trial and to show us how to walk. We should be as free to talk to God through the power of the Holy Spirit as the soldier felt free to speak with the judge in this story about his hopes and dreams. Through the Holy Spirit, God can be a familiar friend to all of us.

One of the beautiful reasons why this judge went to live with the solder for a night in prison, was because he saw that he had something to offer society and should not be written off. This is the same reason why God comes to dwell with each of us. We are all part of His plan for the salvation of the world. One of the beautiful realities of our Catholic faith is that we believe that we are intended to be saved together. God does not want us to be saved as individuals. Jesus came to start a Church. There are no resurrection appearances where Jesus appears to one person. It is always to two or more that he appears and he tells us to pray in community and gather to celebrate as a community. He calls each one of us to be a member of His body. This is what we have been reading about in the Acts of the Apostles these past few weeks of Easter. Once we come to accept the Holy Spirit and allow the grace of the Holy Spirit to transform our hearts, we all have a role to play in God’s Church. The call that is given to each Christians is called a vocation. From the Latin word “vocare”, which means “to call”, it signifies that we are all called to respond to God’s love for each of us. The disciples heard this call and accepted their mission of taking Christ out to the world. The disciples were heard to speak in many different languages as they went. These languages are now spoken by the many different nationalities that make-up the Church. Here in Toronto alone, Mass is celebrated in more then 30 languages every weekend. This is how the Church speaks many tongues today. We are also called like the disciples once we realize how much God loves us to respond to His love for us by announcing His Good News in our community and to the world we are sent out into each week. As we receive the Eucharist at every Mass, we are sent out into the world to make Christ present in our homes and work places. This is the mission of the Christian. To make Christ present in the world. This is done by single people, married people  and those who have a vocation to the priesthood and religious life within the Church. I hope our young people and all who come to our Sunday Masses think of their lives and their vocations. Some are already confirmed in their vocation, others need to consider how God might be calling them.

This week our parish will have a wonderful example of how we are called to witness to the faith as a result of the gift of the Holy Spirit that we have received in Confirmation. A group called the Neocatechumenal Way will be outside of our church beginning this week for six weeks. They will be there on Sundays from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. They will be taking part in something called Evangelization in the Square. They will be praying, singing and Evangelizing those who pass by our church for the next six weeks. It is important that they start on Pentecost as it witnesses to the reality that through our baptism and the gift of the Spirit we receive in Confirmation, we are all called to witness to our faith in the world. One does not need to stand out in front of the church to evangelize and witness to the faith. We do so in the small words of hope and generosity that we speak to others and by witnessing to the value of our brothers and sisters in the world. The Church is founded on Pentecost Sunday. Our celebration of this solemnity calls all of us to recognize that we are all of us members of the Church called to witness to God’s love for all people in the world. We can not witness to this love if we do not know it ourselves. In this Year of Mercy, let us ask the Lord to help us know His love through the power of the Holy Spirit, so that we may make it known to others— as this is our mission given to us by the Holy Spirit as members of Christ’s Church.

Fr. Michael McGourty
Pastor— St. Peter’s Parish, Toronto