Sunday Scripture

In today's Gospel, Jesus is praying in solitude, even though His disciples were with Him. All of His attention is riveted on the Father. When Jesus asked His disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter responded, "The Christ of God."

Today Jesus asks us this same question, "Who do you say that I am?" How deep in communion are we with Jesus at Holy Mass?

I think that the Pharisee in today's Gospel reveals the Pharisee in each of us. (If you are not included in the above statement, I suggest that you read no further, for you might get infected with the truth!)

Today's first and third readings are all about God restoring human life through His spoken word. In today's first reading, a widow has just lost her only son. Elijah, a powerful prophet, prays over the dead boy saying, "O Lord, my God, let the life breath return to the body of this child." God revived the child, and Elijah gave him back to his mother.

Already in the Book of Genesis we are introduced to the priesthood of Melchizedek, with his gifts of bread and wine. Bread and wine became part of covenant celebrations in the Old Testament. The energies they produce in the human body are symbolic of the energies that are produced by a covenant mutually agreed to. When two people agree to a covenant relationship, they are then free to use their energies for things other than attacking each other. In short, they are at peace with one another.

Today as we celebrate the feast of the Most Holy Trinity, I am reminded of the time during my seminary formation when my classmates and I were assigned to teach catechism in the grade school one afternoon each week. I was teaching second-graders.

Pentecost belongs to sinners only! Pentecost is neither for the angels nor for the saints. They do not need it; we sinners do. Every day every sinner is confronted with an inner rebellion. There are no exceptions! We all have a choice to follow our human spirit, the Evil Spirit or the Holy Spirit; all too often we follow the human spirit and sometimes the Evil Spirit.