Deacon Ray – A Pilgrim People
Today, as we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost, we mark the end of the Easter Season. In the Gospel, God-in-the Flesh appeared to His disciples on Easter Sunday to send them forth with Peace. In Acts, God-in-the-Spirit came at Pentecost to send them forth with Power. And in the Epistle, Paul teaches that we ourselves bear the Presence of God in the world.
Peace. Power. Presence. These are among the gifts of God’s holy people. More than a happy alliteration, however, God’s peace, power and presence are like the cloak, staff and sandals of the pilgrim people of God as we journey through this world. And as we walk our personal paths of faith, we are changed. But not only ourselves are changed. Rather, we also are duly-commissioned agents of God’s creative and sanctifying change for our fellow pilgrim travelers. Such has been my experience with you over the past twenty-four years that we have walked together.
In some ways it seems like only yesterday when, during my first homily at St. Victoria, in a very crowded Historic Church, my young son Sam wriggled himself under the last pew and chose to grace my nervous delivery with a bout of fake snoring. According to my wife, it sent giggles through the back pews, but thankfully I heard nothing. And after Mass, everyone welcomed me warmly to St. Victoria. In retrospect, perhaps the smiles were partly for Sam. But since that day you continued to welcome me and embrace me and my family as part of your family. For that gift, I will be forever grateful. The St. Victoria charism of welcome is a visible sign of God’s Presence among us.
This past Easter, we welcomed our largest OCIA-RCIA class ever: seven adult baptisms and fifteen confirmations. It was my pleasure and privilege to help lead them on this stage of their faith journey, as I have done with hundreds more of you over the years. During the past several months more than 50 of you joined the hundreds who have gathered with me in bible studies over the years to deepen our faith by immersing ourselves in the study of God’s Word. And just two weeks ago, we celebrated twelve infant baptisms — the most ever that I can remember in one weekend. Even in these few recent examples, the signs of God’s Power at work here at St. Victoria are unmistakable.
Meanwhile, so many other parish ministries continue to grow and flourish that I cannot begin to name them now for fear that I will leave something out. Just one more will I mention, because all of you are part of it: the ministry of of the assembly, who gather here for Mass every week, and the ministry of faithful stewardship. In twenty-four years, we went from taking a leap of faith as a small church to build a big church, to paying for it, to retiring the debt, and to caring for it, and for each other, year after year.
Some of my favorite experiences of God’s Power at work at St. Victoria over the years are things that I often had very little to do with directly, other than to see how you have put the power of God’s love into action. Caring for the poor and the hungry. Caring for the sick and the grieving. Caring for the lonely and the marginalized. Caring for each other, including our flourishing new ministry with young adults. Caring for young and old alike. Pentecost celebrates the power of God in many languages. But the language that brings God the greatest glory is the language of love.
Finally, there is Peace. The word that Jesus used for peace did not just mean the absence of anxiety and hostility. Jesus would have used the Hebrew word shalom, which signifies wholeness, fullness, well-being, integrity and blessing. Thus, when Jesus gave the gift of peace to his cowering disciples, He did not just take away their fear. Rather, he dug out their fear and filled the open wound with His goodness and blessing. In that encounter they were changed: they were made whole and made holy, even though they did not yet fully realize it.
My time at St. Victoria among you has been richly blessed. It has been my great joy to live, to work and to worship among you for the better part of my adult life. As I look out among you I see many good friends, dear to me beyond words, and especially my dear friend Fr. Bob. I will miss living and working among you, just as I miss those who are no longer with us. But we are a pilgrim people. As pilgrims, we sojourn together for a while, but eventually the time comes, sooner or later, for us to part company to walk the path that God sets before each of us. I commend you to the peace of Christ, even as I will carry you with me in my heart as I go into retirement. And so may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord shine His face upon you and be gracious unto you. May the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you His peace, His power, and His presence. Amen.