In the first reading for mass today, Paul was traveling and when he came to Ephesus he found some disciples. It seems like Paul wanted to make sure they really were believers. If you remember the Gentiles received an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon them when they came to believe that Jesus was the Messiah, the son of God. Their reception of the Holy Spirit was convincing evidence that indeed, the Holy Spirit was affirming their belief in Jesus, so Paul took up for them and thought they should also become disciples with the Jewish believers too. He convinced the newly formed Christians to accept the Gentiles even though they were not circumcised and did not follow many of the Jewish traditions and beliefs.
Paul discovered that this group of believers had encountered John and was baptized by him with the baptism of repentance. Evidently, since this group of believers had not yet heard about the Lord Jesus. It sounds like Paul taught them about Jesus. When they heard more about the Lord, they were baptized. We can’t tell this by the scripture readings but it sounds like it didn’t take very much time for this new group of believers to understand about Jesus Christ and accept him as the messiah.
What happens next is rather difficult for modern Catholics to accept. After this new group of believers were baptized, Paul laid hands on them and the Holy Spirit descended upon them. Through this outpouring of the Holy Spirit they began to speak in tongues and prophesied. First of all, this was visible proof to Paul that the new believers did indeed receive the Holy Spirit as soon as they were baptized.
The second very important thing to take note of is that these new believers immediately began to speak in tongues and prophesied as soon as they were baptized. Many quite reserved, traditional Catholics have a problem with this. They don’t believe it is real and it is a great deal out of their comfort zone to witness such an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, considering how reserved our masses are. Speaking in tongues seems far fetched and they actually think these Catholics could be faking it.
The modern Charismatic movement that is growing in our country and throughout the world right now contains the same outpouring of the Holy Spirit as the newly baptized Christians in the first reading today. The Charismatic movement is genuinely inspired by the Holy Spirit and truly is a beautiful thing. The Pentecostal religion is the most well known Christian denomination that has received this outpouring of the Holy Spirit and Catholics often make fun of them. But – don’t. Pope John Paul II believed in the legitimacy of the gifts of the Holy Spirit that has been poured out upon the members of the Charismatic movement. Pope John Paul II officially gave his approval of this movement and blessed it and prayed for this movement to assist the rest of the Catholic church in a revival of the Spirit. Not only did the pope approve of the movement and bless it, but he also signed official Vatican documents to protect the survival of this movement for future generations. No local priest or bishop may exert any authority over this movement because it is not under the local authorities in the church, but by the Pope himself so that this movement will continue to exist and not be discouraged by anyone.
Even if this movement seems really strange and “out there” for most traditional Catholics we should give it a chance and maybe educate ourselves about the Charismatic movement. If Pope John Paul II approved, encouraged and protected the Charismatic movement, there must be something legitimate in it.
The Charismatic movement has conferences throughout our nation and around the world, especially in England and Africa. Attending one of these conferences with an open mind and heart might surprise you not only by the legitimacy of the profound presence of the Holy Spirit, but how the outpouring of the Holy Spirit may affect you as well, even if you do not become a member of the Charismatic movement. Many priests who did not believe in the gift of prophecies and tongues in our modern times, have changed their mind. Actually, at the Charismatic conferences some of the guest speakers will walk you through a prayer session (as a group) and lead you to try it out and see if you have the gift of prophecy. The audience pairs up and they pray and one person may be given the legitimate gift of prophecy. After this exercise, approximately 80% of the audience that received the prophecy from the other person, said that they were told things about their lives that the person who prayed for them could have never known. So, give it a try sometime! You might be amazed by what you discover.
However in the Gospel reading today, Jesus’ disciples were more than a little grateful that the Lord spoke plainly to them and not in any “figure of speech”. The Holy Spirit had not yet descended upon them and they did not understand Jesus sometimes when he spoke in parables and “things to come”. But that is a good thing too. Because they simply believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. They took him at face value, believing he was who he said he was. However, even their faith could be shaken once Jesus left them. That is the true test of faith. Many people are strong when they are with a group of Catholics at church, or in a conference or retreat, etc., but after they leave and face the rest of the world the powerful presence of the Lord begins to dissipate under pressure and influences in the outside world. That is why prayer and the sacraments and the company of other Catholics is so important.
Jesus told his disciples that they would be scattered and abandon him though, because he understood human weakness. Later, his words would return to them after his death and they would believe ever more deeply in him because he told them in advance that would happen. Jesus understands human weakness. We do not have to be perfect, however we should never be over confident that our faith can withstand anything either. The Lord Jesus Christ can withstand anything, not us. He is the rock we depend on. Our peace does not lie within ourselves, but within the Lord Jesus. We look to him as the example of our lives and draw courage from what Jesus experienced in life and how he handled it. Because the Lord Jesus is without sin and his life is the greatest teacher we could ever have.
Prayer is important every day. The gifts of the Holy Spirit only comes through prayer and a right relationship with Jesus. We should continue to remember this today and make a more committed resolution to our prayer life.
