Some calendars are always at war with themselves. We had it happen this past weekend with Memorial Day here in the USA and the Feast of Pentecost this past Sunday. I wrote this a very long time ago and think it's survived rather nicely (though how would I know, right?).
Not Just This Wheel's on Fire
As a grade school child, this past Sunday was one of the most difficult days we had all year as Roman Catholics. As a loyal son of Holy Mother Church, I struggled to wrap my head around The Holy Trinity and God as the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost (later changed to Spirit, which I always thought was a great marketing idea, as all I ever thought of was Casper, and I'm pretty sure that wasn't supposed to be the point).
Just as I was getting comfortable with the contradiction of three persons in one Godhead, along comes Pentecost Sunday, and when you're a kid, because you don't know the words 'disquieting' or 'surreal,' you say 'weird' (a lot).
Now, as a somewhat world-weary adult, I look at the Gospel of John, usually used as part of the Mass, and envy that school kid with his unthinking faith and belief.
John, say the Scripture scholars, was (at best) reconstructing what might have been said at Christ's last Supper, but because of when those same scholars think the Gospel was written, it's very possible that John, himself, heard none of the words spoken he quotes.
Ironically, and coming full circle, John himself becomes the proof of his own theory that belief in the divinity of Jesus Christ, taken on faith alone, by those who did not witness his miracles, is at least as powerful as belief by those who were present.
The tongues of fire, we were taught in catechism (when I was in public school and attended religious instruction in the church basement once a week) and later, when at St Peter's in religion class, were to cleanse our hearts and minds of doubts and questions. over seven decades into this journey, I guess they needed to be lot hotter because the former remain and the latter abound.
But, honoring the notion of symmetry and hoping the truth in the lesson is so simple and obvious, even I can grasp it, I cling to the example of John and his testimony of faith and belief in that which he had not seen. No man alive will come to you with another tale to tell. And you know that we shall meet again, if your memory serves you well.
-bill kenny
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