Magnify The Lord

Mary, Elizabeth, and John the Baptist teach us the fundamentals of worship in today’s gospel. John, the very first to worship Jesus, teaches us that joy is the primal response to a personal encounter with Christ. The infant leaped for joy within his mother’s womb at the nearness of God. Does the nearness of God make my soul leap for joy or do I miss it because I’m too consumed in my own issues? Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cries out in full voice, “Blessed are you among women and blessed of the fruit of your womb!” When Jesus reveals Himself to me, do I welcome the Holy Spirit in so that I can declare Him blessed above all with full confidence, faith, and trust? When people recognize Jesus within me, do I have the gracious heart of Mary to proclaim that it has nothing to do with me, and everything to do with the bigness of God’s love and mercy? Do I have the humility to acknowledge how God works in my life and in the world?  

The heart of worship is: the leaping of joy within our souls at the nearness of God, welcoming the Holy Spirit with enthusiasm, confidence, faith, and trust, so that God’s glory be proclaimed with full voice, humble gratitude for the workings of God’s love among us, a song to express it all, and don’t forget communion with one another. This one visitation of faithful women gives us the very essence of how to praise the Lord in all things. In Psalm 34:3, David sings, “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.” Worship is the act of magnifying God. Magnification allows us to look deeper, wider, and bigger into the heart of God. Mary, Elizabeth, and John the Baptist get it. 

Who helps you magnify the Lord? Who do you run to when life is overwhelming? Who recognizes Christ within you and tells you about it? Who sings your heart song back to you? The memory care dining room has windows overlooking the sidewalk that I use to get to my car. Before I walk by, I catch the attention of whatever friends have the window seat and there is much leaping for joy as we recognize each other, they knock on the window to say hi, they even stand up to wave at me, and then we madly blow kisses to each other. This is the kind of visitation that makes the presence of Jesus recognizable and magnified. May you have lovely visitations that invoke the heart of worship today. It is well with my soul.  

Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Lectionary: 572

Reading 1 ZEP 3:14-18A

Shout for joy, O daughter Zion!
Sing joyfully, O Israel!
Be glad and exult with all your heart, 
O daughter Jerusalem!
The LORD has removed the judgment against you,
he has turned away your enemies;
The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst,
you have no further misfortune to fear.
On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem:
Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged!
The LORD, your God, is in your midst,
a mighty savior;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
and renew you in his love,
He will sing joyfully because of you,
as one sings at festivals.

Or    ROM 12:9-16

Brothers and sisters:
Let love be sincere;
hate what is evil,
hold on to what is good;
love one another with mutual affection;
anticipate one another in showing honor.
Do not grow slack in zeal,
be fervent in spirit,
serve the Lord.
Rejoice in hope,
endure in affliction,
persevere in prayer.
Contribute to the needs of the holy ones,
exercise hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you,
bless and do not curse them.
Rejoice with those who rejoice,
weep with those who weep.
Have the same regard for one another;
do not be haughty but associate with the lowly;
do not be wise in your own estimation.

Responsorial Psalm ISAIAH 12:2-3, 4BCD, 5-6

R.(6)  Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
God indeed is my savior;
I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation.
R. Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;
among the nations make known his deeds,
proclaim how exalted is his name.
R. Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;
let this be known throughout all the earth.
Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,
for great in your midst 
is the Holy One of Israel!
R. Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.

Alleluia SEE LK 1:45

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, O Virgin Mary, who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelLK 1:39-56

Mary set out
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
"Most blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled."

And Mary said:

"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever."

Mary remained with her about three months
and then returned to her home.

Like A Glove

I know that sometimes I need to hear things over and over again for them to sink in and that is why I am so grateful that Jesus has really emphasized the gift that the Holy Spirit is to us for weeks now. Today he calls the Holy Spirit “The Promise of my Father.” The thing with promises is that human promises almost always fall short and so I tend to think of them as a really nice notion, but kind of impossible to stand by. I think perhaps a divorce might have imprinted that cynicism in me and definitely betrayal and I’m sure each one of us can recall a broken “promise” or two in our own lives. Jesus goes on to say, “stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” So the Holy Spirit is the promise of the clothing of power from on high. I can’t help but to picture any one of the iconic superheroes that don their superhero outfits for their superhero behavior and how most superhero clothing fits like a glove! I just recently heard a Bible study on the story in Judges of the fun character Gideon that speaks to this clothing business. Judges 6:34 reads, “Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him.” Apparently, however, the literal translation is, “The Spirit of the Lord put Gideon on like a glove.” What? This simply blew my mind because there is a huge difference between having the Holy Spirit on the outside and having the Holy Spirit fill my inside. This truth showed me how much God trusts us. He trusts us enough to clothe His very Spirit. We become the outward appearance, the protective armor, the face of, the glove that fits over the movement of God! Like a superhero outfit that gives the superhero identity, I am identified as the trusted one that clothes the essence of God. The only unforgiveable sin mentioned in the Bible is to blaspheme the Holy Spirit, suggesting that the Holy Spirit is God’s most precious gift, and today Jesus tells us that we are called to be clothed with God’s most precious gift. Now that is some serious trust. When I combine the idea that the Holy Spirit puts me on like a glove, and God trusting me to be the faithful steward of his most precious gift, I find myself humbled to tears at the amazing weight of glory that rests upon each one of us. It covers me in security like a blanket and that security empowers me to find the heroic virtue that the Spirit of God has entrusted to me. Each one of us has the superpower of the Holy Spirit for lack of a better word or analogy, and we are the superhero outfit that indicates that power with our lives. I know we have probably all pondered what superhero power we would choose and I always choose flying, but today I find myself getting a bit more deep and wanting to choose peace, freedom from shame, supernatural wisdom, and unfailing mercy as my superpowers. And guess what, because the Holy Spirit wears me like a glove, all I have to do is let Him move me and these powers are already mine. 

The ascension of Jesus (or his moving up and over us) is the imparting of the superhero outfits for us to clothe his Spirit like a glove. The promise of the Father is that we will receive power when we let the Holy Spirit fill us, and superpower from on high is the His most precious gift. There’s a fun scene in Grey’s Anatomy when brain surgeon Amelia Shepherd is caught posing like a superhero before a delicate surgery: feet planted firmly in a wide stance, hands on hips, chest out, and head up. When asked what was happening she explained, “There’s a scientific study that shows that if you stand like this, in superhero pose for just 5 minutes before a job interview, or a presentation, or a really hard task, you will not only feel more confident, you will perform measurably better.” Let’s firmly plant our feet on holy ground, widen our stance for stability, put our hands on our hips for strength, inflate our chest so that we fill it with love, and always look up to see the open heaven that is over us as Jesus ascends. We clothe Him like a glove and that is all the confidence we need to perform measurably better. It is well with my soul. 

Reading 1 ACTS 1:1-11

In the first book, Theophilus,
I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught
until the day he was taken up,
after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit
to the apostles whom he had chosen.
He presented himself alive to them
by many proofs after he had suffered,
appearing to them during forty days
and speaking about the kingdom of God.
While meeting with them,
he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem,
but to wait for "the promise of the Father
about which you have heard me speak;
for John baptized with water,
but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."

When they had gathered together they asked him,
"Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"
He answered them, "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."
When he had said this, as they were looking on,
he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.
While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going,
suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them.
They said, "Men of Galilee,
why are you standing there looking at the sky?
This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven
will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven."

Responsorial PsalmPS 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9 

R. (6) God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
All you peoples, clap your hands,
shout to God with cries of gladness,
For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome,
is the great king over all the earth.
R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy:  a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy;
the LORD, amid trumpet blasts.
Sing praise to God, sing praise;
sing praise to our king, sing praise.
R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy:  a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
For king of all the earth is God;
sing hymns of praise.
God reigns over the nations,
God sits upon his holy throne.
R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy:  a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading 2 EPH 1:17-23

Brothers and sisters:
May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
give you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation
resulting in knowledge of him.
May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened,
that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call,
what are the riches of glory
in his inheritance among the holy ones,
and what is the surpassing greatness of his power
for us who believe,
in accord with the exercise of his great might:
which he worked in Christ,
raising him from the dead
and seating him at his right hand in the heavens,
far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion,
and every name that is named
not only in this age but also in the one to come.
And he put all things beneath his feet
and gave him as head over all things to the church,
which is his body,
the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.

Or HEB 9:24-28; 10:19-23

Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands,
a copy of the true one, but heaven itself,
that he might now appear before God on our behalf.
Not that he might offer himself repeatedly,
as the high priest enters each year into the sanctuary
with blood that is not his own;
if that were so, he would have had to suffer repeatedly
from the foundation of the world.
But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages
to take away sin by his sacrifice.
Just as it is appointed that men and women die once,
and after this the judgment, so also Christ,
offered once to take away the sins of many,
will appear a second time, not to take away sin
but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since through the blood of Jesus
we have confidence of entrance into the sanctuary
by the new and living way he opened for us through the veil,
that is, his flesh,
and since we have a great priest over the house of God, "
let us approach with a sincere heart and in absolute trust,
with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience
and our bodies washed in pure water.
Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope,
for he who made the promise is trustworthy.

Alleluia MT 28:19A, 20B

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Go and teach all nations, says the Lord;
I am with you always, until the end of the world.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel LK 24:46-53

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer
and rise from the dead on the third day
and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins,
would be preached in his name
to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things. 
And behold I am sending the promise of my Father upon you;
but stay in the city
until you are clothed with power from on high."

Then he led them out as far as Bethany,
raised his hands, and blessed them.
As he blessed them he parted from them
and was taken up to heaven.
They did him homage
and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
and they were continually in the temple praising God.

Teaching Calculus To Toddlers

Have you ever tried teaching calculus to a toddler? Of course not. I often find myself frustrated in my spiritual life because I am not further along. I mean I spend every morning in prayer, I study the Word diligently, I incorporate my faith in God into every aspect of my life, I spend time in worship, I have a personal relationship with Jesus, and I work hard at all of these things! Why do I still struggle to understand? Learning is a journey and relationships are an unfolding and we cannot speed up the process. If we jump ahead, or skip to the end, we miss the story. Jesus speaks to this in today’s gospel, “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth.” Jesus tells us point blank, you cannot bear it all. Like a toddler learning calculus…nope. This totally takes the pressure off doesn’t it? I wish I could say that it does for me, but I still find myself expecting to be further along on the way. 

When I walked the Camino de Santiago (The Portuguese Way), I started out at a pace that was brutal. I walk fast anyway, and I had it in my mind that I was to plough through it for some reason. I was flying through my first day, with a full pack, and everyone I met along the way made the same comment when they asked where I had started, “Oh wow, you are making really good time.” By mile 15, my hips were on fire, and I was pretty miserable. I met a father/daughter couple from South Africa for my last 3 miles and the dad had walked it before. He told me to slow down. He said that pacing was very important and Americans generally tried to speed through, but he said don’t miss the walk. Slow down and you will begin to notice all the lessons of The Way. He said that our only responsibility on the Camino is to walk. We can’t get there any faster or we might as well drive. So I slowed way down and suddenly I could pay attention to what was all around me. I took more breaks to just enjoy the beauty of the small villages in Portugal and Spain. I lightened my pack so that my body was not so burdened. I listened to the wind, I stopped at every waterfall, I talked to every animal along the way, and I relished every opportunity to write. I got up each morning with an agenda to simply walk and no longer worried about when and where I would arrive. This simple shift in my thinking made all the difference in my receiving the gifts of The Way. I think this captures today’s gospel. The Holy Spirit is our guide on The Way and we go at the pace that is meant for us to pay attention, to receive, to learn, and to enjoy. If I were to have jumped ahead along the Camino I would have missed so many special moments, so many sacred unfoldings, so many sights and sounds, so many lessons, and so many whispers of the Holy Spirit. I could not have appreciated all that the Camino was without the slowing of my stride. 

I’ve heard it said “there is no urgency in the kingdom.” Eternity is a long time and because of that, we can slow down our pace and surrender our urgency to know it all right now. Jesus came that we might have life to the full. He gave us a walking companion to help us discover fullness as we walk. It is meant to unfold, it is meant to be discovered, it is meant to be an ongoing relationship, and it is meant to be enjoyed. Savor the walk today. Cherish the mystery. Let the Holy Spirit set the pace. Toddlers have no business knowing calculus, and I have no business jumping ahead of my own story. It is well with my soul. 

Reading 1 ACTS 17:15, 22—18:1

After Paul's escorts had taken him to Athens,
they came away with instructions for Silas and Timothy
to join him as soon as possible.

Then Paul stood up at the Areopagus and said:
"You Athenians, I see that in every respect
you are very religious.
For as I walked around looking carefully at your shrines,
I even discovered an altar inscribed, 'To an Unknown God.'
What therefore you unknowingly worship, I proclaim to you.
The God who made the world and all that is in it,
the Lord of heaven and earth,
does not dwell in sanctuaries made by human hands,
nor is he served by human hands because he needs anything.
Rather it is he who gives to everyone life and breath and everything.
He made from one the whole human race
to dwell on the entire surface of the earth,
and he fixed the ordered seasons and the boundaries of their regions,
so that people might seek God,
even perhaps grope for him and find him,
though indeed he is not far from any one of us.
For 'In him we live and move and have our being,'
as even some of your poets have said,
'For we too are his offspring.'
Since therefore we are the offspring of God,
we ought not to think that the divinity is like an image
fashioned from gold, silver, or stone by human art and imagination.
God has overlooked the times of ignorance,
but now he demands that all people everywhere repent
because he has established a day on which he will 'judge the world
with justice' through a man he has appointed,
and he has provided confirmation for all
by raising him from the dead."

When they heard about resurrection of the dead,
some began to scoff, but others said,
"We should like to hear you on this some other time."
And so Paul left them.
But some did join him, and became believers.
Among them were Dionysius,
a member of the Court of the Areopagus,
a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

After this he left Athens and went to Corinth.

Responsorial Psalm PS 148:1-2, 11-12, 13, 14

R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the LORD from the heavens;
praise him in the heights.
Praise him, all you his angels;
praise him, all you his hosts.
R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let the kings of the earth and all peoples,
the princes and all the judges of the earth,
Young men too, and maidens,
old men and boys.
R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the name of the LORD,
for his name alone is exalted;
His majesty is above earth and heaven.
R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has lifted up the horn of his people;
Be this his praise from all his faithful ones,
from the children of Israel, the people close to him. 
Alleluia.
R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Alleluia JN 14:16

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I will ask the Father
and he will give you another Advocate
to be with you always.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel JN 16:12-15

Jesus said to his disciples:
"I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth.
He will not speak on his own,
but he will speak what he hears,
and will declare to you the things that are coming.
He will glorify me,
because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.
Everything that the Father has is mine;
for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine
and declare it to you."

Last Dance

One of the only guarantees in working with the elderly is that there will be loss. One day they are there and the next they are not. I make a conscious effort every evening before I go to say goodbye to each and every person. There is eye contact, handshakes or hugs or kisses, calling them by name, and always a thank you for letting me be in your life. I do this because I never know who will be there in the morning when I come back. Of course, they love it, because eye contact is like gold, and if eye contact is like gold physical touch is like the jackpot, and if physical touch is like the jackpot hearing their name is like heaven. I give each one of my sweethearts face time to let them know that they are loved and cherished, but also for my own heart to remember that the main thing is to love the person in front of me. I know that I might be their last “I love you”, their last kiss on the cheek, their last “I see you and know your name”, their last song, their last dance, their last laugh, their last sound of their name. I say this not to make myself seem more important, because I am just one of many caring staff members who love this way, but I say this to remind myself and you that life is about presence in the present. Jesus knew that he needed to impart this to his apostles and so we see his active campaigning for the Holy Spirit in recent gospels, “But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” The Holy Spirit is our connection to the person of Christ: our eye contact, our physical touch, the sound of our name, and the presence of love. 

The Holy Spirit might be the most abstract concept to wrap our brains around and yet the most transparent notion to feel in our hearts. The Spirit is what moves in us when we choose love, when we connect with one another, when we feel for each other, when we pray, when we create, when we laugh, when we cry, when we know that there is more, when we worship, and when we believe. Even if we don’t identify it as the Holy Spirit, we are constantly breathing in its presence, soaking in its movement, and residing in its gifts. Jesus wants us to know the Holy Spirit within us because he knows that when we recognize that we have a Divine Advocate, we will be able to cooperate with this beautiful gift given to us from Love itself. When I imagine a world that cooperates with Love itself, I imagine a world where every single person knows without a doubt that they are favored and special. When we know we are favored, we behave in such a way that imparts blessing to everyone we meet. A world where abundant blessing is the standard is a world that Jesus wants to impart in today’s gospel. The Holy Spirit is the conviction of our hearts to bring peace, mercy, joy, love, goodness, kindness, patience, and presence. Jesus knew that his apostles were caught up in the grief of losing him in today’s gospel. What am I caught up in that keeps me from seeing the main thing? Pride? Need for approval? Fear of loss? Shame? Grief? The lies of this world? Not enoughness? 

Yesterday, I lost one of my sweethearts. I was sick for over 10 days and when I came back, he had been admitted to hospice, with little time left. One of my last encounters with him was one of those moments that I’ll never forget. He and I had our own language. He was pretty much non-verbal and expressed himself with various hand movements and sound affects. I was able to learn many of these and so he and I would have simple conversations in our non-verbal language. He loved music and often got up and just danced with me as I was playing. One day it was just he and I in the activities room and he seemed a bit down. I picked up the ukulele and started serenading him, this time with a song that I wrote called, “You Are My Favorite.” He closed his eyes and received this love song in such a way that I have never experienced. He started dancing to it with his hand movements communicating love back to me in his very special way that I was privileged to have learned. I sang and he danced and guess what, Holy Spirit fell on us as an Advocate. No words were necessary to transmit the love of that moment. I’ll leave you with the chorus of that song so that you can honor my friend, Chip, as he meets the Beloved. “Because you are my favorite. Arise my darling, come. In you I take delight. You are my beloved one. No longer be afraid, I am with you, for all time. I have called you by name, Chip, I am yours and you are mine.” It is well with my soul.

Reading 1 ACTS 16:22-34

The crowd in Philippi joined in the attack on Paul and Silas,
and the magistrates had them stripped
and ordered them to be beaten with rods.
After inflicting many blows on them,
they threw them into prison
and instructed the jailer to guard them securely.
When he received these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell
and secured their feet to a stake.

About midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying
and singing hymns to God as the prisoners listened,
there was suddenly such a severe earthquake
that the foundations of the jail shook;
all the doors flew open, and the chains of all were pulled loose. 
When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open,
he drew his sword and was about to kill himself,
thinking that the prisoners had escaped.
But Paul shouted out in a loud voice,
"Do no harm to yourself; we are all here."
He asked for a light and rushed in and,
trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas.
Then he brought them out and said,
"Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus
and you and your household will be saved."
So they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house.
He took them in at that hour of the night and bathed their wounds;
then he and all his family were baptized at once.
He brought them up into his house and provided a meal
and with his household rejoiced at having come to faith in God.

Responsorial PsalmPS 138:1-2AB, 2CDE-3, 7C-8

R. (7c) Your right hand saves me, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart,
for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple,
and give thanks to your name.
R. Your right hand saves me, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Because of your kindness and your truth,
you have made great above all things
your name and your promise.
When I called, you answered me;
you built up strength within me.
R. Your right hand saves me, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Your right hand saves me.
The LORD will complete what he has done for me;
your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;
forsake not the work of your hands.
R. Your right hand saves me, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Alleluia SEE JN 16:7, 13

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I will send to you the Spirit of truth, says the Lord;
he will guide you to all truth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel JN 16:5-11

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Now I am going to the one who sent me,
and not one of you asks me, 'Where are you going?'
But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts.
But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go.
For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you.
But if I go, I will send him to you.
And when he comes he will convict the world
in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation:
sin, because they do not believe in me; 
righteousness, because I am going to the Father
and you will no longer see me;
condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned."

Sailing

I used to live on a sailboat a long long time ago. My favorite moment in sailing was when we could cut the engine and let the wind do its thing. The first step is hoisting the sails. In order to do this you have to point the boat directly into the wind or else the sails will just be wild, unmanageable, and virtually impossible to lift. Once the mainsail is raised, one gentle turn of the rudder, the sail catches the wind, and the boat begins to move. Before this gentle turn, the sail was a flopping, whipping about, noisy kind of mess. After the sail catches the wind, it becomes full, graceful, and quiet. This leaning into the wind moves the vessel through the water graciously and purposefully and depending on the strength of the wind, fast or slow. This bringing the boat through the wind is called a tack and when it’s time, the boat must turn the other way, to allow the wind to catch the other side of the sail or else the boat won’t move forward and it will just keep going right or left. Wind is often wild, powerful, and cannot be fully contained, however, cooperating with its wildness and its power allows for a beautiful infilling that moves us forward, propels us through the standstills, and quiets the noise that make things seem unmanageable. A gentle leaning into here and there catches the grace needed to sail. We first start by knowing the direction of the wind, and facing it head on so that we can lift our wind catcher. For me our wind catchers are our gifts, our faith, our hunger for more, our desire to be free, our need for a savior, our worship, our belovedness, and our time in his presence. I have to orient all of these directly into the Holy Spirit and once I am pointed there I can lift them up ready to sail. I could simply sit there facing the wind and I won’t move at all or I can lean into it and let it fill my wind catcher so that I can soar. Every now and then I will need to change direction or else I will get stuck in a rut. The wind loves the dance of the tacking back and forth, the faster and slower, the gentle and wild, because it says that I trust in its energy. 

In today’s gospel Jesus tells that he will give us the wind to sail. “When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me. And you will also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning. I have told you this so that you may no fall away.” I know I’m being a bit whimsical with this whole sailing image, however, I do believe that whimsy is one of the qualities of the Holy Spirit and perhaps a good reminder for us to let that sense of wonder fill us to be able to dream big with Jesus today. When our wind catchers are raised up, ready to receive the Spirit sent by the Father and the Son, we will navigate through seasons of rough waters and seasons of smooth sailing. It is our infilling with this Holy Spirit, which is the love between the Father and the Son, that allows us to ride the ebb and flow of a world in need of grace. Leaning into the breath of God fills us with what we need to soar. I pray that we allow the wind to fill our sails today. Raise up your gifts, your worship, your heart, your faith, your hope, and let them catch the Holy Spirit so that your very life will testify to love.  It is well with my soul. 

Reading 1 ACTS 16:11-15

We set sail from Troas, making a straight run for Samothrace,
and on the next day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi,
a leading city in that district of Macedonia and a Roman colony.
We spent some time in that city.
On the sabbath we went outside the city gate along the river
where we thought there would be a place of prayer.
We sat and spoke with the women who had gathered there.
One of them, a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth,
from the city of Thyatira, a worshiper of God, listened,
and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention
to what Paul was saying.
After she and her household had been baptized,
she offered us an invitation,
"If you consider me a believer in the Lord,
come and stay at my home," and she prevailed on us.

Responsorial Psalm PS 149:1B-2, 3-4, 5-6A AND 9B

R. (see 4a) The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing to the LORD a new song
of praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in their maker,
let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let them praise his name in the festive dance,
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
For the LORD loves his people,
and he adorns the lowly with victory.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing for joy upon their couches.
Let the high praises of God be in their throats.
This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Alleluia JN 15:26B, 27A

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Spirit of truth will testify to me, says the Lord,
and you also will testify.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel JN 15:26—16:4A

Jesus said to his disciples: 
"When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father,
the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father,
he will testify to me.
And you also testify,
because you have been with me from the beginning.

"I have told you this so that you may not fall away.
They will expel you from the synagogues;
in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you
will think he is offering worship to God.
They will do this because they have not known either the Father or me.
I have told you this so that when their hour comes
you may remember that I told you."