Feast of Pentecost
SERMON FOR PENTECOST [A]
Imagine yourself as Hercules. You’re a superstar, but you’re not immortal. You associate with those who do have a claim on immortality. You make your case, and soon you find yourself being presented with an ultimatum: accomplish these twelve assigned labors, and your wish will be granted. It’s agreed upon, and so you get right to work.
You’re breezing along, at least initially. If the task involves strength or fighting ability, you’re more than up for the challenge. However, your fifth labor will require a domestic touch: the stables belonging to Augeus are due for a thorough cleaning. It’s explained to you that three thousand oversized oxen are housed within these stables. And it’s been thirty years since any sanitation efforts have been carried out.
The impulse is to refuse. It’s out of the question!! I can’t be seen doing that!! I’m on my way to becoming immortal!! As far as you are concerned, this is too much to ask. It’s too tedious, too humiliating. Nevertheless, after a period of reflection, you decide that there is a way forward. It’s possible to fulfill this chore without having to sacrifice your dignity. You’ll do this the “Hercules” way; not on your hands and knees, not behaving like a slave.
So, what’s the plan? The plan is to redirect a mighty river: the River Alpheus. With your impressive strength, you dam up the current course of the river, such that it is now flowing directly through the property of Augeus. You’re responsible for the first step in the process, and then the river does the rest of the work for you. With the stables now sufficiently cleansed, you can proceed with the remainder of your list. That fifth labor was seemingly too much to ask. But you went on to learn otherwise.
Now, let’s consider the demands of the faith. Perhaps it seems like too much, being what the catechism wants you to be, or being what the scriptures want you to be. I’m expected to go the extra mile? To turn the other cheek? To avoid the near occasion of sin? To bear my cross? It strikes you as an overwhelming prospect, as completely unrealistic. And it probably is too much to ask—at least if you have to rely upon your own efforts, your own resources.
Maybe it’s time to walk away. Isn’t that what Hercules did—or rather ALMOST did? What was it that caused him to stick it out? He recognized that another resource was being made available to him. Why not use the force of the river? I’ll combine my personal level of strength with the intensity of the river. And as a result, too much is no longer too much. The situation becomes increasingly manageable—when you have the benefit of an outside resource. Your own resources are still being brought into play (i.e., your strength). But you also have another resource standing by, ready and waiting (the river).
Give some thought, then, to sticking it out. Yes, it’s difficult being an authentic Christian. Soon you discover that your own resources are too limited. That’s why the Lord gives us the Feast of Pentecost!! See it as his way of reminding us that help is being provided, from Above. Ask the Lord to come to your assistance (borrowing perhaps words from Psalm 70). Count on him to direct the Holy Spirit so that it can flow—to your personal advantage.
For Hercules, the objective was to gain immortality. From a mythological standpoint, he succeeds. You have the opportunity to out-perform Hercules. There is nothing “mythological” about the Bible’s promise of eternal life. As St. Paul points out, sowing in the Spirit means reaping the gift of eternal life (Gal. 6:8). When you tap into the Spirit, you’re tapping into something far more powerful than the River Alpheus. Jesus compares the Spirit to a river in John chapter seven (7:37-39). It’s the River that will bring about a new status for you—a status surpassing anything featured within the annals of Greek mythology.
