<\/div>\n
Imagine that you just took a seat at the Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta, right on Peachtree, excited that you will listen to the Atlanta Symphony. \u00a0The lights dim, the curtains open, the first violinist comes out, everyone claps. \u00a0He stands in front of the musicians and you hear an A played by the oboe, all the instruments tune playing that A. \u00a0The conductor now comes out, takes his baton, stands in front of the musicians and for the next hour all you hear is the instruments playing that same note, an A.<\/p>\n
How boring would that be.<\/p>\n
Music is beautiful because different notes come together to create harmony.<\/p>\n
Music is beautiful because there is dissonance and resolution.<\/p>\n
Music is beautiful because there is a contrast of volume and speed.<\/p>\n
Only playing one note is very boring. \u00a0Notes need each other to make harmony: there is no need for all to play the same note as long as each note knows its place within the chord. \u00a0 Notes need each other to work together, at times creating unpleasant sounds (dissonance) that resolve into beautiful chords (resolution), creating something truly remarkable. \u00a0All notes must follow the tempo of the director to stay together and avoid chaos.<\/p>\n
My brother and sisters, the Holy Spirit which descended upon the apostles is the director of the symphony of the universe. \u00a0The Holy Spirit directs all things into harmony and unity without demanding conformity. \u00a0The Holy Spirit draws all things unto Himself so they may be all be lifted up to the Father. <\/p>\n
Saint Iraeneus who was the bishop of Lyons, France about 1800 years ago, wrote that the Holy Spirit is like moisture that turns scattered dry flour into a lump of dough. <\/p>\n
The Holy Spirit is like the moisture that brings together every bit of flour, transforming it into one loaf of bread. \u00a0Flour likes to scatter all over the place and make a mess; nothing keeps one particle of flour together with another. \u00a0Yet with the moisture from water, milk or perhaps an egg, the flour is suddenly brought together and changed forever. <\/p>\n
\u201cThrough the Spirit,\u201d Iraeneus writes, \u201cwe have become one in soul.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\nWhat sin has divided and Satan tries to keep separate has been brought together by the Holy Spirit. \u00a0At Babel people ceased to understand each other, speaking different languages due to their sinfulness, yet the Holy Spirit given to the apostles at Pentecost allows their preaching in Jerusalem to be understood by all. <\/p>\n
The devil knows that if he\u2019s able to divide us as God\u2019s people, he will have the upper hand because he will undermine the work of the Holy Spirit. \u00a0He knows the best place to cause division is at the parish.<\/p>\n
At our parish, we come from different places, we represent different ethnicities and cultures, we speak different languages and we think differently politically, yet the challenge here, as in every parish, is to allow the Holy Spirit to guide us in harmony.<\/p>\n
There must be no \u201cus\u201d versus \u201cthem\u201d in the parish because we are already \u201cone\u201d in Christ. \u00a0There must be no attempt to make all conform to be identical, unity does not mean conformity, unity means harmony, each person playing a different note in the beautiful harmony of God\u2019s symphony.<\/p>\n
All of us who gather around this very same altar at five Masses every weekend are called to play together in the same symphony. \u00a0We must not allow language, culture, ethnicity, prejudice, language, profession, political party, legal status etc. divide us. \u00a0All of us call Saint Joseph our home and, before anything else, we are all children of the same Father.<\/p>\n
Division will sink us. \u00a0Harmony in the Holy Spirit will urge us forward and allow us to accomplish great things.<\/p>\n
I will close with some beautiful lines by Amado Nervo, a Mexican poet and mystic who died about 100 years ago, who wrote about the power that comes from remaining united in the Holy Spirit:<\/p>\n
Alone we are only a spark, but in the Spirit, we are a fire<\/p>\n
Alone we are only a string, but in the Spirit, we are a lyre<\/p>\n
Alone we are only an anthill, but in the Spirit, we are a mountain<\/p>\n
Alone we are only a drop, but in the Spirit, we are a fountain<\/p>\n
Alone we are only a feather, but in the Spirit, we are a wing<\/p>\n
Alone we are only a beggar, but in the Spirit, we are a king<\/p>\n
We must implore the Holy Spirit, God among us, to come into our lives to strengthen and unity us, so we may be faithful to God and confident in professing our faith. <\/p>\n
As he transforms our gifts into the Body and Blood of Our Savior, the Spirit unites us even closer as God\u2019s people, may He give us the grace to live it out.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Imagine that you just took a seat at the Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta, right on Peachtree, excited that you will listen to the Atlanta Symphony. \u00a0The lights dim, the curtains open, the first violinist comes out, everyone claps. \u00a0He stands in front of the musicians and you hear an A played by the oboe, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2533,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-130","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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