Summary of Fr. Gerry Creedon's homily, May 31,
2009
"Lord, send forth your Spirit and renew the face of the earth." Ps 104:30
Fire, light, wind, breath, water, oil and the dove are all traditional signs of the spirit. They are all elements of nature. I am reminded of the phrase form the baptismal blessing, “The Spirit breathed over the waters making them the wellspring of all life.” Creation in all of its early summer glory speaks to us of the indwelling spirit of God. We need to be true to this dimension of the trinity in an era when the environment had been damaged by greed and exploitation. A new reverence for the web of life is founded on this belief in the presence of the Lord in his firmament. This presence is affirmed by the book of Genesis and by the story of Pentecost. Our church is the harbinger of a new creation.
The story of Pentecost is a counterpoint to the story of Babel. There the city is divided and separated. People could only "babble" because of differences of language and culture. That biblical event is seen as the cumulative effect of sin, from the Garden of Evil to Cain and Abel to the building of the tower of power and pride. The outpouring of the Spirit reverses that path. In the power of God's Spirit, Europeans, Asians and Africans and all of the different nations hear the word of God in their own languages. E pluribus Unum. Unlike the melting pot, which dissolves all differences in the interest of union, the Sprit safeguards and values the particularity of each language and colure while creating a joyful harmony. The new metaphor needs to be a salad bowl, a mosaic or an orchestra. Each unique instrument contributes to a rich and beautiful sound.
St. Charles celebrates Pentecost with a centennial picnic. On this occasion the general assembly of Virginia offered a Joint Resolution commending our parish in these words; "St. Charles Borromeo for the past 100 years, a source of spiritual enrichment and moral leadership, as well as a religious haven for immigrants from many nations and cultures." The church owes its origins to the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost. May we, the people of St Charles, rededicate ourselves to another century of service in the Spirit.
