So who is it that has the power to raise someone from the dead? Christ, right? Who is it that has the power to heal the sick and to bring them back to the form of life? Christ. Who has the power to work miracles, to walk on water, to make and multiply loaves and fish? Christ.
It’s often said that people will say, “I wish I lived He lived. I wished I could have been there 2000 years ago to really see Him and to see His miracles performed” and I have to tell you, that we are more blessed now than they were at the time of Christ. We are more blessed right now, 2000 years later, than they were at the time when Christ walked. Why? Because of Pentecost. Because he sent the Holy Spirit to be in our hearts.
So we are people on a 50 day celebration. During Lent we fast and pray and give alms for 40 days and 40 nights and since Easter we have been celebrating the resurrection of Christ for 50 days. As He suffered, died and then rose from the dead, He turned to His disciples and He worked miracles in their midst. He allowed them to see Him, to touch Him and Thomas had put his hand into His side, into His wound. Then He ascended into heaven but before he ascended He said, “I am going now to the Father but I will send my Holy Spirit upon you to be your advocate. To be with you always.” Then He ascended into heaven and 50 days after the resurrection, the Holy Spirit was sent into the house of every single believer in the world. We are more blessed right now than they were back when Jesus physically walked on this earth.
Why? Because of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit is sent now into your hearts. We are a people of Pentecost. Anytime the Holy Spirit comes into something, anytime the Holy Spirit is invoked or anytime the Holy Spirit is plunged into something, that thing or that person becomes Christ.
Think about this, Mary and the moment she received the Holy Spirit, the Angel Gabriel came to her and spoke these words to her and Mary said, “Yes.” And when she said, “Yes”, the Holy Spirit came into her and she conceived who? Christ. The Holy Spirit coming into her brought Christ in her life. She conceived Christ. At Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was sent into all the hearts of all believers, the hearts of all believers became Christ.
In just a few moments as I go towards the altar and consecrate those gifts of bread and wine and invoke the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit comes down upon these gifts of bread and wine, the bread and wine become . . . Christ and you are going to walk forward and hold out your hand and you’re going to receive the body of Christ into you and you’re going to become Christ.
So who can raise the dead? You can. Why? You’re Christ. Who can work miracles? Who can really bring about healing? You can. Why, because you’re Christ. Who can pray and intercede and bring about faith and work miracles right now, 2000 years later? You can. Because you are Christ. In a very real way you become Christ during this sacred celebration.
There are four ways that this can happen. The first way is a gathering assembly. Just by coming together today at Mass. You who are gathered together become Christ. Jesus promised where two are gathered in my name, I am present among them. You are Christ right now. And if you’ve heard the word proclaimed the readings and the gospel from the amble, the Holy Spirit spoke those words to you and Christ entered your mind and your heart.
In just a few moments I’ll walk to the altar and the gifts of bread and wine will be changed into the body and blood of Christ. And as I take my place at the altar, I you can become Christ. I stand in the person of Christ.
Yesterday we had ordination so we ordained five new guys for our diocese. Five young guys were ordained and I’m only six years ordained and it is so hard for me to sometimes believe that I’m a priest. And a beautiful part of the rite is called the laying on of hands. So first the bishop does it and then every priest in the diocese walks down on these men. There’s a kneeling in front of the bishop and then lay hands on them. And one of them is a boy name is Adam, he was in one of my last place. He was in the seminary while I was there and now he’s ordained. So I got to lay my hands on Adam and I looked down and there’s my hands who are now the hands of the priest invoking the Holy Spirit in Adam and he became a priest yesterday. Christ.
The idea is, anytime the Holy Spirit is invoked or sent out or kind of brought into someone that someone or that something becomes Christ.
Now I’m going to talk about the Novas here for a minute alright. I got to go to their farm the other day. They had these huge Clydesdale horses, oh they’re Belgian horses, sorry. Huge OK? You might have seen a picture of me in El Salvador. I got to ride this little donkey. This horse is like this big theirs are like this big, I had to get a ladder to get on it. When I was there at your farm with you it was like I was in a stable because you are Christ and I’ve never met Christ like I’ve met Him in you. Karen, you are Christ. I’ve never met him like I’ve met Him in you. Morgan, right? You are Christ and I’ve never Him like that smile like in I see in you. Carl if you’re playing “Veni Sanctu Spiritu” playing and singing, I just met Christ in you and I’ve never known Christ like I’ve known Him in you. Because all of you have been given this gift of the Holy Spirit. And I’m not complete and you are not complete unless we come to know the Christ in each other.
Today we celebrate the Pentecost, the gift of the Holy Spirit that came into the hearts of all believers. When that happens, Christ is no longer limited to one body the one flesh. That Holy Spirit dwells in every single heart of all believers for all time. And now I can experience the Christ in all of you can experience Christ in me. Because any time the Holy Spirit comes into anyone or something or someone, that person or thing becomes Christ. And Jesus said when He appointed the disciples He said, “You will go out and baptize all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and you not only to do the things that I have done, you will do even greater things. You know what that means? You have the power to do not only what Christ did on this earth, who raised the dead, who healed the sick, who restored sight to the blind, who brought people to the father. You have the power not only to do what He did but to do even greater things. Wow.
The Holy Spirit is in you but I am not complete until I see Christ in you, until I meet Christ in you and you are not complete until you realize that Christ does dwell in you. And if you realize that the way that Christ is going to reveal Himself to the world for you He’s never done before because you are such a unique creation. The world has never seen Christ like Christ wants to be manifested in you.
So I just invite you to reflect on that to ask God what the gifts are that you have been given that you are called to use for Him in church. As you prepare to receive the Eucharist, ask the Holy Spirit to come into your hearts and to use you to work miracles. What do you think about that in your life right now? Is there any miracles that you would like? Is there anybody sick that you would love to lay hands on and to watch them and be healed? Is there anyone you would love to pray for that miracle and their conversion of heart? Is there any other miracle that you might need to have faith, pray for that? Ask God for that and try it. So pray over that person that you love and want to be healed and ask God for the healing. You may have that gift of healing.
Pray for the gift of the Holy Spirit and realize that you are Christ. We are more blessed now than they were when Jesus walked on this earth. And so we celebrate that on the Feast of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit ascends upon us anything or anyone that the Holy Spirit enters into and becomes Christ.
