The Feast of Pentecost: The Church's Missionary Essence
Summary of Headings
- The Missionary Essence of the Church
- The Four Marks of the Church
- The Role of Bishops and Apostolic Succession
- Sins Against the Holy Ghost: Presumption and Despair
- Finding Peace Through the Holy Ghost
The Missionary Essence of the Church
Truly one of the holiest days in the liturgical year, the second most important and holiest day of the liturgical year, the Feast of Pentecost. We are tremendously blessed to have this celebration today, and it is a blessing for us to remind ourselves, during these times of confusion, what is really the power and the influence and the heart and soul of the Church in these times. First and foremost, let's look at the words of our Lord, because, He speaks very clearly. This is before, in the Gospel, this is before the, during the Last Supper, before the Passion begins, but He is reminding them that all of this is necessary because the Father has commanded it.
The Four Marks of the Church
The Father sends the Son, and the Son, when He leaves with the Father, will send the Holy Ghost. And the Holy Ghost will send the Apostles, and the Apostles will send their disciples. This is why the Church, in its very essence, is missionary. It is there for us to conquer the world. The Church is the four marks, one, holy, Catholic and Apostolic. What does this mean? Well, one, the Church is one. It is unified in its authority, it is unified in its teaching, it is unified in its sacraments. It is holy, not because each and every person who is in the Church is holy by themselves, but it is the source and the fount of all holiness.
All holiness comes from and depends on the Church. There is no other path to grace. It is the only one. It is Catholic, meaning universal. It is for each and every human being on earth. Every person must search for truth, must search for the grace of God, and the only way for it is through the Catholic Church, so therefore it is universal. It is absolute. It is the one way that is for everybody. And it is Apostolic. It was entrusted to the Apostles as the Father entrusted the mission of the passion and death and redemption of humanity to the Son. And the Son, sorry, not the Holy Ghost exactly, but the, it is important for us to remember that it is a hierarchical thing.
The Role of Bishops and Apostolic Succession
As the Father sent the Son, as the Father and the Son sent the Holy Ghost, so we also are sent into the world. The Bishops are sent into the world. The Bishops are the direct heirs of the Apostles. The Church in its essence is Apostolic. It depends upon and comes from the Bishops. Because they are the sons of the Apostles. They are the heirs of the Apostles. Each Bishop can trace his lineage all the way back to one of the Apostles. Archbishop Lefebvre can trace his back to Saint John. Each and every Bishop has that grace that one of the twelve Apostles is the Father, ultimately the Father of that grace. Which means each and every Bishop is directly receiving the grace from this Feast of Pentecost.
They are receiving their authority from the Holy Ghost here at Pentecost. They are receiving their power of preaching from the Holy Ghost at Pentecost. They are receiving the power to distribute and consecrate and sanctify all grace through the Holy Ghost at Pentecost. The problem is we get distracted from this reality by the fact that many Bishops and I think we can say safely at this point, the vast majority of Bishops are failing in this mission. Our Lord Jesus Christ said that He that loveth me not keepeth not my words. If somebody preaches anything else but what the Holy Ghost taught the Apostles to preach and inspired them to preach which comes from the Father and the Son, then it is not the Catholic faith that is being taught.
If someone preaches other than what the Gospel has been given, it is not of the Catholic faith. If someone preaches anything against what the Holy Ghost has given us in clear revelation, then it is not of the Catholic faith. Knowing that and seeing the scandalous comments and preachings and doctrines and philosophies that have been perpetuated through the Church for several decades now and we can even say more than a century, it is easy for us to lose confidence and encouragement and we can lose faith in the episcopacy because of this. But that would be wrong to do so. So on the one hand, there are two sins against the Holy Ghost and being the Feast of Pentecost, we can talk about these.
Sins Against the Holy Ghost: Presumption and Despair
On the one hand, there is the act of presumption. Presumption is effectively saying we don't take any responsibility. We know that God will save us regardless. It is the same mentality as so many Protestants. I have accepted our Lord Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I am saved. That is not how this works. I am a practicing Catholic. I go to Mass. But I do not repent my sins. I do not try to improve. I do not try to actually become a Saint. That is presumption. That is not how we are supposed to practice the faith. That is not how the faith is supposed to be lived. That is not the message of the Holy Ghost.
That is not the message of the Apostles. And that is not the mission of each and every Catholic. That is the sin of presumption. That is the sin of presumption. The second sin against the Holy Ghost is despair. And this is very common, shall we say, in our circles and tradition. We look and see all the scandals and all the problems and we see and hear the horrible things going on in the world and in the church. And we see to call out a specific thing, we see the calls for peace in this world. But the peace of the world. Of course we should want peace for everybody. But the peace that our Lord speaks of.
My peace I give unto you not as the world giveth do I give unto you. Let your heart be not troubled nor let it be afraid. That is the peace we need to possess. Not the peace of the world. Not the absence of war which is not what peace is. But the peace, the absolute peace that comes from the knowledge that God is present and that He is still the force behind everything and that He will save our souls if we give Him the chance. If we try to collaborate with His grace, He will save our souls. If we try to repent of our sins and try to love Him above all things. If we make the effort to correct the things in our souls, the tepidity and the laziness and whatever else that is holding us back from truly loving God then He will save us. That is what brings us peace. Knowing that He will not give up on us. That He will save us if we just let Him.
His presence, the knowledge of His presence gives us peace even if we suffer persecution, poverty, loss, death, etc. It gives us peace knowing that He is there. Knowing that He is with us. Not as the world gives. Not the lack of suffering. Not the lack of war. But the absolute knowledge regardless of what happens around us. What happens to us. That we are with God. That is the peace we should strive for. That is the only way to conquer these two sins. Presumption and despair. These sins are very prevalent in our day and age. Very prevalent. The discouragement and the frustration that so many people feel looking at the situation in the church. It is easy for us to lose sight of the thing that is essential which is the presence of God.
Seeing the scandals by the hierarchy in the church and the bishops and the pope and everything else we forget the very essential doctrine of the presence of the Holy Ghost in the church regardless of the people who hold offices. And it is easy for us to be angry at them and even to loathe and hate them. But that is wrong. The power of the Holy Ghost still flows through them. Not because of who they are. Not because of what they say. But because of the office that they hold. And if we have any doubt about that we can see the fact that despite all the corruption and all the problems and all the confusion and all the doubts there are still pockets of Catholicism that are growing explosively.
There is ever any doubt about the presence of the grace of the Holy Ghost or the presence of the Holy Ghost in the church. We can see how despite what the popes and the bishops have done that there is still growth and there is still sanctification and there is still grace. That is the presence of the Holy Ghost. Therefore we have an obligation, a solemn obligation to be charitable with them, to pray for them, to support them and to encourage them. We listen only for the voice of the Holy Ghost. But we still hope and pray that they actually speak with that voice. We look for the reign of the Holy Ghost in the church but we have to pray that they actually follow His inspiration, His guidance and His authority. That they speak in perfect union as their calling demands.
Because that is how the church will start to heal and start to fix itself and that is how grace can be explosive in a way that we cannot possibly imagine. The problem is that takes a tremendous amount of humility that most people are not willing to accept. So we need to pray for that. We need to pray hard for them. We need to offer sacrifices for them. Rather than despise, rather than be discouraged, rather than
Finding Peace Through the Holy Ghost
turn away. We must fight for their support and their help and their salvation. But they may use the tremendous grace that they have at their fingertips through their office. We must pray that the Holy Ghost overwhelm them and they begin to speak with His voice as the apostles did on the feast of Pentecost. That they may have the strength to stand up to the world and like Saint Peter, just a little bit after this event, in the Acts of the Apostles, declare to the Sanhedrin we must serve God rather than men. We must obey God rather than men. That is what the church is supposed to do.
The church is supposed to bestow peace, not confusion and division. It is supposed to bring knowledge. It is not supposed to bring confusion. It is supposed to bring light, not darkness. That is the grace of the Holy Ghost. We must fight to stay close to that light and we must make sure that we are bringing as many people as we possibly can. But we need to make sure that the fount of grace is reopened in the hierarchy of the church because that is where healing is supposed to be done. That is where the light is supposed to come from. Because the Holy Ghost works best when it works through them.
That is where our hope in the church must lie. That is where Archbishop Lefebvre insisted. We will not save the church. That comes from Rome. But while there is darkness and confusion, we must hold the light aloft. We must call others to that light. We must be missionaries in this world of chaos. Maybe not dragging people into this church by their ears to make sure they hear the word of God and see the sacrifice of the masses that should be performed, but rather through our example, through the peace of soul that we should possess despite suffering, despite confusion, and despite darkness.
That we don't get frustrated or discouraged or despair. That we don't start presuming that just because we have all these graces, we will be saved, that we are the elite, that we are the best. But rather on the contrary, humbly accepting the grace of God and being grateful for it so that we may be able to share it in charity with all around the world. That we may be active participants in the calling of the apostle of the apostolic work and the missionary work of the church so that we can go forth as the apostles did, preaching through our actions and through our example to everybody on earth the great news that our Lord Jesus Christ has risen, that he is in heaven, that the Catholic Church is the one true voice of salvation, and that we may be able to achieve sanctity and holiness and true peace by following the voice of the Holy Ghost in all things because through him we find the Father and we find eternal happiness in heaven. In the name of the Father
and the Son and the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Summary
The homily begins by emphasizing the significance of Pentecost, highlighting the Church's missionary essence as commanded by the Father. The Holy Ghost empowers the Apostles to spread the Gospel, making the Church one, holy, Catholic, and Apostolic. The preacher discusses the role of bishops as heirs of the Apostles, receiving grace from Pentecost. Despite challenges and failures within the episcopacy, the faithful are encouraged to maintain confidence and support for Church leaders. The homily addresses the sins of presumption and despair, urging Catholics to seek peace through the presence of God. By collaborating with His grace and following the Holy Ghost, believers can overcome these sins and achieve true peace.