As SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule was transmitting breathtakingly beautiful live shots of the face of the earth this week, what was hidden miles below in cities across America was the ugliness of human hatred, anger, and greed. In this week’s episode of By Your Life, we discuss a three-part strategy to address these events and renew the face of the earth.

Mass Readings Audio
http://ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/2020/20_05_31.mp3

Pentecost Sunday – May 31, 2020

Welcome to the one hundred and fourteenth episode of By Your Life. I’m Lisa Huetteman and I know that you have a hundred different things you could be doing right now, so I thank you for choosing By Your Life.

My goal is to inspire, empower, support, challenge, and encourage you to connect Sunday, with Monday-Friday, in a secular business world. It’s my desire to help you live our Catholic faith in the marketplace. I hope to offer you practical ways to go forth and glorify the Lord by your life.

In this edition, we’ll reflect on the readings for the Pentecost Sunday, Mass during the day. This week, in a historic partnership between NASA and SpaceX, two US astronauts, Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, were set to be the first to fly to the International Space Station in a commercially built spacecraft. It was also the first time that human passengers were to be launched into orbit from the U.S. since NASA retired its space shuttle fleet in 2011. Although the first launch attempt had to be scrubbed because of weather, the team returned three days later to try again. This time, at 3:22 PM on May 30^th, the Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched the Crew Dragon capsule into space.

When asked about why NASA had turned to the private sector to do something that it had done for itself for decades, Phil McAlister, NASA’s head of commercial spaceflight development said that NASA’s sights are set deeper in space, to go back to the moon and onto Mars. He said, “You look at the mission and tailor your strategy to the mission.”

Low-earth orbit, while still very complex, has become a relatively routine function that could be turned over to the private sector. They have done it over 100 times so NASA could turn over more responsibility to SpaceX and Boeing and therefore focus their attention to their deep-space mission. To get to deep space and to Mars will be pushing the state-of-the-art technologically and it will be very, very expensive, so it is more appropriate for NASA to take a more prominent role.

What does any of this have to do with Pentecost? You tailor the strategy to the mission and the mission of the Church is to be Jesus’ witnesses to the ends of the earth. To accomplish this mission, Jesus commissioned his disciples. He said to them, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” (Jn 20:21) He had worked with them for three years and they learned from him and when they were ready to take on more responsibility, “he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” (Jn 20:22), but that didn’t mean he was out of the picture. Just as NASA didn’t leave SpaceX on its own but instead worked together in partnership with them, Jesus has invited us into a partnership with him to go and make disciples of all nations. (Mt 28:19)

We’ve got our work cut out for us. As the Crew Dragon capsule was transmitting breathtakingly beautiful live shots of the face of the earth, what was hidden miles below in cities across America was the ugliness of human hatred, anger, and greed. What started out as protests against the unconscionable behavior of Minneapolis police that led to the death of George Floyd, turned violent and spread from Minneapolis to LA, New York, Atlanta, Columbus, and Charlotte, among other cities. Many of the protestors were peacefully seeking justice, however, some vandalized, looted, and burned private property. This behavior was equally unconscionable. If there ever was a time when we needed to pray, “Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.” (Ps 104:1), now is the time.

The three-part strategy to address these events in current human history, a man dying at the hands of the police and angry people senselessly destroying their neighbor’s property, is found in the readings for this Pentecost Sunday – peace, forgiveness, and love.

Come Holy Spirit. Make me a channel of your peace.

John’s gospel tells us that when Jesus entered the room, he said to the disciples, “Peace be with you.” (Jn 20:19) Then he showed his hands and his side and again said, “Peace be with you.” (Jn 20:21) The risen Lord did not come for revenge; he came to share peace, and as the Father sent him, so does he send us to share his peace.

Those who have taken an oath to protect every citizen of this country, need his peace. Our neighborhoods where neighbors are attacking neighbors, need his peace. Our communities that are being looted and destroyed, need his peace. And, our cities that are being set on fire, need his peace. We should all be appalled by the atrocities that deny respect of every human life, but as St. Pope John Paull II said, “Social justice cannot be attained by violence. Violence kills what it intends to create.”

Now, you and I may not be part of the violence that has sprung up across our country, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t part of the solution. St. Mother Teresa said, “Peace begins with a smile. Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person. Whenever you share love with others, you’ll notice the peace that comes to you and to them.”

Come Holy Spirit, help me to forgive.

The second part of the three-part strategy to our current situation is forgiveness. After Jesus breathed on the disciples and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (Jn 20:22), he said, “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” (Jn 20:23) The Council of Trent defined that this power to forgive sins is exercised in the Sacrament of Penance, which I believe to be true. But, I was thinking about a different message in this that applies to all of us, not just the ordained. That is, we are all called to forgive each other, and when we don’t, we are the ones who retain their sins. We’re the ones who are harmed by being unforgiving, holding a grudge, or harboring resentment. We are the ones who become bitter by retaining bitterness. It is like the old saying goes, “Cutting off your nose to spite your face.” Why would you do that?

Many people are asking that question about the riots, and looting, and arson. Why would you do that? Because you’ve chosen not to forgive. And, as St. Pope John Paul II said, “Forgiveness is above all a personal choice, a decision of the heart to go against the natural instinct to pay back evil with evil.”

Forgiving doesn’t mean we do not fight for what is right nor does it mean choosing to ignore injustice. But it is only by choosing to forgive that we can respond with love. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time; the need for mankind to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence. Mankind must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.”

Come Holy Spirit, let me show your love

Which brings me back to our readings from this Sunday. In the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we heard about the miracle of tongues, where “each one heard them speaking in his own language.” (Acts 2:6) How could this be? Surely, with God all things are possible, but there may be a simple explanation. The people said, “we hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty acts of God.” (Acts 2:11), and what is God but love? Since we are created in the image and likeness of God, of love, perhaps the language they spoke that was understood by all was the universal language of love.

We have a natural capacity for love and love, not hate, is the third of the three-part strategy to our problems. Nelson Mandela said, “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”

In celebrating the Solemnity of Pentecost, we are being sent on a mission to be Jesus’ witnesses to the ends of the earth. Let’s implement the three-part strategy of peace, forgiveness, and love so we can achieve this mission. We’ve got a lot of work to do, so let’s start small. As St. Mother Teresa said, “Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.” So, one person at a time, extend a smile, forgive, and respond with love. It may not immediately change the other person, but it is sure to change you.

Let’s join the psalmist saying, “Lord, send out your Spirit and renew the face of the earth. The earth is full of your creatures. If you take their breath, they perish. When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.” (Ps 104)

May God bless you abundantly with his Spirit and may you offer peace, forgiveness, and love this week and glorify the Lord by your life.

If you liked this episode, spread the word. You know what to do, forward, share, or click to post. Also, check out the Resources page where you can find a link to the books and other resources mentioned in other episodes of By Your Life. I’m always interested in what you think, so give me some feedback by leaving a comment.