Before Jesus ascended to heaven, his disciples asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). That’s a direct question. But if you are familiar with the Gospels, you know that Jesus rarely answers them directly. According to biblical scholars, Jesus was asked over 180 questions in the Gospels, but he gave direct answers to only a handful. Yet to this question, he gave a direct answer, even though it clearly wasn’t what his disciples expected. What did he say? “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:7-8).
Across the centuries, people have been captivated by the question of when the Kingdom of God will arrive. Why? For some, it is the time when human suffering will finally be addressed. For others, it will be the fulfillment of the promise of eternal peace, justice, and the restoration of a broken world. Some simply want to know so they can be ready. We also have people driven by cosmic curiosity; you can call this group “spiritual busy-bodies.” Like the disciples, we are all interested in knowing when God's ultimate promise will be realized. When will that be? Jesus says, ‘Don’t worry about that. Don’t be overly concerned about when this and that kingdom will be realized. Rather, be concerned about receiving power when the Holy Spirit comes. Be concerned about being empowered and equipped to continue the Lord’s work on earth. Be concerned about cooperating with the Spirit and doing God’s work in the world.’ Don’t worry about when this or that will happen. That’s up to God. People are fixated on the end times. Please, don’t be. Rather, focus on the task of building God’s Kingdom. Having been equipped by the Holy Spirit, you can do something, either here or elsewhere. Use your gifts of time, talent, and treasure to build God’s Kingdom here in St. Bridget. Look at the lives of the saints throughout the ages. The saints in our tradition come from different backgrounds, experiences, styles, and personalities. But what do they have in common? In the course of their lives, they all discerned and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit wants me to do right now.” They were not particularly concerned about the definitive end of the world. Francis of Assisi was inspired to rebuild the Church. Thomas Aquinas was inspired to think through the mystery of the faith, and he spent his life doing so. Mother Teresa of Calcutta believed she received a specific and direct calling from Jesus to feed and care for the poor, as did Mary Jo Copeland. This is also true for you. The Holy Spirit has something for you to do. Discern what that is and get on with it.
I will close with this. In describing the coming of the Holy Spirit, St. Luke, the author of the Acts of the Apostles, writes: “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different languages, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.” The languages spoken by the early Christians were heard and understood by thousands of Jewish pilgrims who had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Festival of Weeks (Shavuot in Hebrew). As we celebrate Pentecost, what is that one language that can be spoken by all, heard by all, and understood by all? That language can be understood by those who talk and those who don’t. It can be understood by those who hear and those who don’t. It can be understood by those who see and those who don’t. It can be understood by all God’s people everywhere. On many occasions, you don’t even have to say a word. You just have to show it. It is the language of love. Some of us are more fluent in English; others are more fluent in Spanish, French, Igbo, or even signed language. But the language that everyone can speak, hear, and understand is the language of love. What is love? It is to will the good of others and to act on it. I tell you, when you speak this language, even the deaf can hear it. When you speak this language, the blind will see it, and the mute can understand it.
God bless you!
Fr. Marcel E. Okwara, CSsR
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