Pentecost 2013 Terrace

by Fr. Terry Brock, Sacred Heart Parish, Terrace, BC

In Genesis we read the story of our first parents who rebelled following the temptation to “be like God” and in the story of the tower of Babel, we read about those people who attempted to build a tower to heaven. In both stories we see two things: 1. Rebellion against God’s law; 2. Being scattered. Jesus came that “they might listen to my voice and there will be only one flock, one shepherd.” (Jn. 10:16) Jesus came that he might “gather together into one the scattered children of God.” (Jn. 11:52)

In today’s Liturgy of the Word, we read about the Spirit’s action bringing the many languages together, not scattering them as in the story of Babel, but creating a Body of believers that understands one another, “in our own language we hear them speaking of God’s mighty deeds.” Who are those gathered not scattered? It is the Church; we are the gathered flock with one voice. In a sermon by a sixth century African author, we read that the Church speaks all languages and that we understand one another as we are one in Christ. As they worship in China, in Africa, in Rome; we worship in Terrace. We are the Body of Christ. The speaking of tongues is not an elite privilege for some but belongs to the whole Church. We all speak in the tongue of the whole Body united to the Head, viz. Christ himself. Our language is being united in doctrine, in liturgy, in morality. Pentecost is the opposite of Babel!

Ascension,  2013 Terrace ©

by Fr. Terry Brock, Sacred Heart Parish, Terrace, BC

The reading from the Acts of the Apostles begins with the following words: “In my first book … I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning until the day when he was taken up to heaven …” i.e. in the Gospel of Luke. In the second book, i.e. the Acts of the Apostles we have been reading about the Church’s growth and development in witnessing to all Jesus did and taught. Today marks the fortieth day, in Canada the forty-second or third day, since Jesus rose from the dead. These days were by no means uneventful. The women who went to the tomb on Easter Sunday morning discovered the tomb empty and were the first to receive the message from the angel. Peter and John entered the tomb; John “saw and believed.” Peter met Jesus on the road; Jesus walked through the door while the disciples gathered in the upper room; he met them by the lake and told them to throw the net overboard for a catch; he ate fish in their presence; he encouraged them to touch him to dispel their fear that he was a ghost and he met the disciples on the road to Emmaus. All of these occasions were meant to drill home the truth that he was truly born into this world, truly suffered, truly died on the cross and is truly risen from the dead. This is the Church’s proclamation, this is the reason we sing “Alleluia” this is the reason we burn the paschal candle and this is the reason for our faith, hope and love.