Pentecost Sunday and Memorial Day

My Dear Parishioners,

This weekend, our nation and our Church invite us into two profound moments of remembrance: Pentecost Sunday, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles and gave birth to the Church, and Memorial Day, when we honor those who gave their lives in service to our country.

At first glance, these two commemorations may seem unrelated. Pentecost is rooted in the Blessed Trinity, in the promises made by Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and in our Holy Catholic faith. Memorial Day is rooted in civic life and in a sense of civic duty. However, they both have much in common. Both Pentecost and Memorial Day call to remember, to give thanks, to pray, to trust in Divine Providence, to hope, to champion justice, to conquer sin, and to live in the freedom we have been given.

On Pentecost, the Apostles were transformed. They had been fearful, hiding behind locked doors. Yet, when the Holy Spirit came upon them like a rushing wind and tongues of fire, they were filled with courage, truth, and love. They went out into the streets, proclaiming the Gospel in every language.

The Spirit’s gift was not just for their comfort and peace, although the Holy Spirit is known as the Comforter. The Gift of the Holy Spirit was for mission. The Holy Spirit gave them the freedom to live and speak the truth without fear, to give themselves completely for the love of Jesus and the love of souls. The Holy Spirit gave them the deepest kind of freedom: not simply the absence of constraint, but the ability to live fully for love of God and love of neighbor.

As St. Paul reminds us this weekend, these Gifts were not just for the Blessed Apostles and their Successors, but for the entire Church: Brothers and sisters: No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit. As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit (I Corinthians, Chapter 12).

So, through the power of the Holy Spirit first received in Baptism and renewed in Confirmation, we all have become “soldiers” of Christ, living our lives for love of God and love of neighbor. This then brings us to our civic observance of Memorial Day.

Memorial Day calls us to remember those who laid down their lives for our nation. They, too, acted out of a mission. Whether they had enlisted or were drafted, their mission was one rooted in love of country, in a sense of civic duty, in the defense of human dignity, and for the protection of the freedoms that we enjoy. Their sacrifice reminds us that freedom is never free. It is always the fruit of courage, selflessness, and a willingness to place the good of others above one’s own safety. In this way, their witness mirrors the Gospel truth: “Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13).

As President Kennedy wrote: Whereas the high courage and the supreme sacrifice of Americans who gave their lives in battle have made it possible for our land to flourish under freedom and justice; and Whereas the ideals and patriotism of those who answered the call to service stand as an inspiration to every new generation of Americans; and Whereas the same principles and revolutionary beliefs for which our forbears fought and died are still at issue in the world and the challenge against them can be met only through the same qualities of courage, strength, and unflinching determination shown by our noble dead……. I, John F. Kennedy, President of the United States, do hereby urge the people of the United States to observe Memorial Day, by invoking the blessing of God on those who have died in defense of our country, and by praying for a new world of law where peace and justice shall prevail and a life of opportunity shall be assured for all (Memorial Day Proclamation, 1961).

The common theme of both our celebration of Pentecost and our observance of Memorial Day is remembrance. Our remembrance is also a living commitment; a living commitment to allow the Gifts of the Holy Spirit to help us never tire of overcoming evil and to help us always foster true freedom. Our remembrance is also a living commitment to be grateful; a living commitment to be grateful to God for His Goodness and grateful for those who gave all so that we may enjoy freedom. This weekend, as we give Praise and Thanksgiving for the Gift of the Holy Spirt, we shall pray for an increase of those beautiful gifts of the Holy Spirit on ourselves and our nation. This weekend, we will also lift up in prayer those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms and for our families.

Under the guidance of St. Joseph and by the power of the Holy Spirit, may we live as people who remember well. May we live as a people who honor the past by the way we live in the present. Moreover, may the Spirit of Pentecost give us the courage to use our freedom correctly, not for ourselves alone, but for the glory of God and the good of all.

St. Joseph, Patron of the Church, and our Patron, pray for us and our nation!

Fr. Michael J. Pawelko, Pastor