A Beacon Of Light . . . Pentecost And Changing The History Of The World
By FR. RICHARD D. BRETON JR.
(Editor’s Note: Fr. Richard D. Breton Jr. is a priest of the Diocese of Norwich, Conn. He received his BA in religious studies and his MA in dogmatic theology from Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell, Conn.)
- + + For several weeks, we have been exploring the origins and leaders of the early Church. From the first moments of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday, through the experiences of the apostles and disciples recorded in the Act of the Apostles, we became spectators in the formation of the early Church. We watched as the apostles rejoiced in the news of the Resurrection of Christ and saw the doubt of humanity transformed into the truth of Christ’s divinity. There emerged apostolic and prophetic leaders like St. Peter, St. Stephen, and St. Paul, who would chart the course necessary as the “new Church” began spreading throughout the whole world. The initial moments of the Church were filled with moments of joy, but also had their share of turmoil as well. Soon this new “family of faith” would change the history of mankind.
A little over 2,000 years ago, as the apostles gathered in the upper room, Jesus appeared in His glorified Body and commissioned the “New Church” with her responsibility of proclaiming the Gospel message. Through the descent of the Holy Spirit and the “breath” of God the new Church was brought to full birth. The Act of the Apostles records this historic moment in the life of the Church: “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them” (Acts 2:1-4).
Having received the Holy Spirit, the new Church was ready to embark on her solemn mission of spreading the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. For centuries the message of the Catholic Church has been professed by hundreds of thousands, as together they journey on the path to everlasting life. Some have been born into the Catholic faith by the continued succession of familial tradition, while others have felt the call to leave other religious affiliations, searching for the Truth and a desire to meet the Divine.
Recently, over the course of many months, I have been preparing a young man to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church. His story is very interesting. Having been raise in a predominantly Lutheran family, at a young age there was a desire within him that there was something missing in his life. His paternal great-grandmother was the only Catholic he had contact with. And yet he continued to feel drawn to the Catholic faith. In his early teenage years, he began reading many of the great master minds of the Church. These included people like St. Augustine, St. Therese of Lisieux, St. John Paul II, and even the great scholarly works of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
For this young man, these wise Catholic minds resonated with something within, and assisted him on his quest for Truth. But this was only part of the young man’s journey. He began coming to Mass on a weekly basis sitting in the front row. Week after week I wondered who this young man was. Each week as he attended Mass, he never approached the altar for Holy Communion. Why? After many weeks, I finally decided to approach the young man to ask who he was and to ascertain if I could be of any help to him. The rest is divine Providence! You see, little did I know, I had celebrated the funeral of his great-grandmother six months earlier.
On May 23, 2021, Pentecost Sunday, I will have the great joy of receiving him into the Church and assisting him in receiving the Sacraments of Confirmation and First Holy Communion. One of the moving moments of preparing this young man was when he shared with me his desire not to just hear the words of the Nicene Creed recited each week at Mass, but that he wanted to recite them and have them mean something to him. He wanted to be part of that “One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.” Whatever path one has taken, the truth of the matter is this: We all belong to the same One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church!
From the beginning and often tumultuous moments as the Early Church sought to get on her feet, to now over two thousand plus years later, the Church is the same yesterday as it is today and will be forever. Established upon the rock foundation of Christ, the Church is a living, breathing manifestation of the love that exists between God and Man. The Church is a divine institution necessary to assist us on the quest to eternal life. Oftentimes I will hear people complain about the Church and how she needs to “get with the times.” This is impossible considering the Church exists as a kind of “stepstool” to get us to Heaven. In doing so, she transcends this world as she is united with Christ her head who is seated as the Right Hand of the Almighty.
The Church is perfect in every way! She was instituted by God Himself. I think the question of “getting with the times” needs to be transformed into “getting with the Church”! We live in a time that encourages individuals to be their own boss and to do what they think is more important. Sadly, this misguided interpretation of living one’s life only leads to a continued destruction of the cause of our creation. Our human nature was created and destined toward an intimate relationship with the Divine. Anything to the contrary causes a disruption in the action of creation.
Today, however, we have begun to see the emergence of a confusion of faith. This confusion has to do with the “hot topic” of giving Communion to politicians who publicly support and advocate the sin of abortion. There seems to be a battle brewing within the ranks of the Church’s hierarchy. In April, the Most Rev. Samuel Aquila, archbishop of Denver, issued an essay in which he set forth the important teaching regarding the sanctity of the Eucharist. In his letter, Archbishop Aquila reminds the faithful of the Church’s longstanding teaching regarding the sin of sacrilege. The archbishop was immediately rebuked by a fellow bishop. His Eminence Blase Cardinal Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, asked the Denver archbishop to offer clarifications regarding the statements made in his essay published in America Magazine. Aquila published a second essay in Catholic World Report.
Furthermore, we also have seen a push among the bishops of Germany to disregard the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’s Response issued recently regarding the Church’s longstanding stance on the blessing of same-sex unions. In it the Church reaffirmed that it is impossible to legitimize and sanction sinful acts.
My question is this: How can we help the faithful understand and live their faith if there exists a blatant contradiction among the teaching authority, namely the bishops, regarding the fundamental truths of the faith? Where is the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic faith we profess each week at Sunday Mass?
It seems to me that as we approach the Solemnity of Pentecost the Church needs a rebirth of the fundamental truths of the faith. There are so many situations present in the world where the Church has allowed ideological views of society to get in the way of the divine truths that we hold so dear. Many have forgotten that the fundamental responsibility of the Church is to get souls to Heaven. Popes, bishops, and priests are the instruments who have been divinely consecrated and chosen by God solely for this purpose. Sadly, many are afraid to tarnish their image among the faithful. Some recognize the prestige or successes of a priest’s ministry on whether he is liked or not and whether he appeases the faithful and doesn’t cause many waves. For me the litmus test of a priest’s successes lies in how many souls he helps get to Heaven.
To Heal All Wounds
If a Pope, bishop, or priest is worried about tarnishing his image among the faithful by teaching the truths of the faith and sometimes admonishing them, he better worry about the tarnish on his own soul when he stands before the Lord and is asked why he led souls astray and did nothing to help them get to Heaven.
As we approach the Solemnity of Pentecost and celebrate the birthday of the Church, I think it is a good time to remember the wise words of the Apostle St. Paul to the people of Corinth when he reminded them: “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself” (1 Cor. 11:27-30).
In closing, I wish to encourage my brothers in ministry, whether Pope, bishop, or priest, to reflect on the beautiful poem entitled A Priest, by the French Dominican priest, Jean Baptiste Lacordaire: “To live in the midst of the world without wishing its pleasures; To be a member of each family, yet belonging to none; To share all suffering; To penetrate all secrets; To heal all wounds; To go from men to God and offer Him their prayers; To return from God to men to bring pardon and hope; To have a heart of fire for Charity, and a heart of bronze for Chastity; To teach and to pardon, console and bless always. My God, what a life; and it is yours, O priest of Jesus Christ.”
We have been given a sacred duty, and that duty is to get souls to Christ!
