“Father, I have made your name known to them” (John 17:26).
Acts 22:30; 23:6-11; John 17:20-26
As the liturgical year approaches Pentecost, the Acts of the Apostles focuses on Paul, now a prisoner sent to Rome to present his case to the emperor. In today’s reading we witness his skill in pitting the two main parties of the Sanhedrin, the Pharisees and the Sadducees, against each other on the question of the resurrection. The Roman commander must save him from the tumult and then send him to Rome. There he would spend the rest of his life under house arrest awaiting probable orders from the Mad Emperor Nero to execute him with other Christians to deflect blame for the burning city.
As his own life fades from the picture, Paul has only his faith in the power of the Holy Spirit to assure him that the church will survive these birth pangs and the many threats from within. and from the outside. He ran the race, kept the faith. The rest depends on the Spirit.
In our time, we have seen enough abuse, cover-ups, arrogance and deceit in our political and religious leaders to be unrealistic about the challenges we face as citizens and followers. Jesus’ promise to us was not to remove us from the world or save us from its temptations and snares. The Spirit he sent was not going to do everything for us. The Spirit is our advocate, guide, and helper as we face the challenges and work to overcome the obstacles and threats we face.
According to the words often attributed to Saint Ignatius of Loyola, we must “pray as if everything depended on God and work as if everything depended on us”. It is this collaboration that honors God while affirming our freedom and dignity to do our part. The Holy Spirit works through us, just as divinity needed humanity to make Jesus.
Pentecost will be the breath of God into our mortal bodies if we welcome it. The Spirit will enter our flesh, guide our steps, give strength to our hands and fill our hearts with love. If we present ourselves as we are, God will make us members of the body of Christ, sent to redeem the world through us.