We are not alone

Bible Reading for Pentecost Sunday: John 20: 19-23  

There is a beautiful story about a mother, who bought a ticket to a concert by Ignace Paderewski, the great Polish pianist.  She took her five-year-old son with her, hoping the experience would encourage the boy in his own young efforts at music.

She was delighted to see how close to the stage their seats were.  Then she met an old friend and got so involved talking with her that she failed to notice that her son had slipped away to do some exploring.

When eight o’clock arrived, the lights dimmed, the audience hushed to a whisper, and the spotlight came on.  Only then did the woman see her five-year-old on the stage, sitting on the piano bench, innocently picking out “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”  She gasped in total disbelief. 

But before she could retrieve her son, Paderewski walked onto the stage.  Walking over to the piano, he whispered to the boy, “Don’t stop!  Keep playing!”  Then, leaning over the boy, Paderewski reached out his left hand and begins to fill in the bass. 

A few seconds later, he reached around the other side of the boy, encircling him, and added a running obbligato.  Together, the great maestro and the tiny five-year-old enchanted the audience with their playing.  When they finished, the audience broke into thunderous applause.

Years later, almost all those present forgot the pieces that Paderewski performed that night, but no one forgot “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”  That image of the great maestro and the tiny five-year-old at the piano makes a beautiful image of the Holy Trinity and the Church.  It makes a beautiful image of how the Holy Spirit unites with the Church to make beautiful music.

Today we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples, just as Jesus had promised when he said: “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth…  He will teach you everything and remind you of all that [I] told you.  I have told you this before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe.”

Going back to the image of Paderewski and the five-year-old, we see that the boy resembles the disciples. When Jesus departed from their midst, they were like spiritual children.  Their knowledge of God and how to spread God’s kingdom was terribly deficient.  It was like the little boy’s knowledge of music.

And, of course, the great Polish maestro resembles the Holy Spirit coming upon the disciples, encircling them with love, whispering encouragement to them, and transforming their feeble human efforts into something beautiful.

What does all this say to us?  When we look at the world, we see so many problems that we have to face.  We also look at our talents and see how inadequate they are in the face of the problems.

For example, we see the vast crowd of poor people in the world, dying of starvation and diseases.  In spite of the rapid production of material goods by our technological progress, the gap between the rich and the poor is increasing, with more and more people becoming poor.  People are forced to look for work overseas, resulting in tremendous moral problems and family breakups.

We see some people owning three or four luxury cars, while multitudes of people going and coming from work chasing after buses and jeepneys.  We see children getting bored with their TV and electronic gadgets, while children from the slums are playing with little broken toys they picked up from the garbage dump.

We ask ourselves, “How can I, with my limited talents and resources, put even a dent into this enormous problem?”

Or, we see the manifestation of the growing rugged individualism – “It is what is good for me that counts.”  So, I denude the forest, I pollute rivers, the seas, and the sky to minimize the cost of operation in my industry. 

I ignore traffic rules and block intersections. And pretend I don’t hear the cursing of the angry people, who cannot pass through even though they have the green light.  I cheat in business, commit adultery, and kill unborn babies, because I have the right to choose what is good for my body and pleasure. 

The community, the society and country are not my concern.  God and religion are old fashion.

In the face of all these we say to ourselves: “How can I, with my limited love, change all that?”

Or we see the immense ocean of hatred and anger in the world – the wars and conflicts all over the world; the terrorism and bombings, the massacres, the political killings.  We say to ourselves, “How can I, with my limited love, change all this?” 

Or, we see the immense apathy of Christians, when it comes to following Jesus.  They are always too busy to pay attention to the Lord, even going to Mass on Sundays takes special effort.  To learn more about our faith is for those over-pious, or those who have nothing better to do.  Doing work of justice and charity is for the priests and nuns.

In the face of all these, we say to ourselves, “How can I reverse this situation?” 

It is here that we need to recall the image of the little boy and Paderewski.   Musically, the little boy’s skill was minimal.  But Paderewski built upon it and turned it into something beautiful – something that completely mesmerized the sophisticated audience that gathered in the music hall that night.

In a similar way, the Holy Spirit can take whatever we have – no matter how small – build upon it, and transform it into something powerful and beautiful.

This is the good news contained in today’s Scripture readings.  This is the good news that we celebrate on this feast of Pentecost.  This is the good news that Jesus has sent upon his Church – the promised Holy Spirit.

We are not alone.  The Holy Spirit is leaning over us, taking our small contribution, and transforming it into something that we never dreamed possible.

Let’s close with an adaptation of a poem by the Mexican poet and mystic, Amado Nervo.  In simple, powerful imagery, it sums up what we have been trying to say:

“Alone we are only a spark,

but in the Spirit we are a fire.

“Alone we are only a string,

but in the Spirit we are a lyre.

“Alone we are only an anthill,

but in the Spirit we are a mountain.

“Alone we are only a drop,

but in the Spirit we are a fountain.

“Alone we are only a feather,

but in the Spirit we are a wing.

“Alone we are only a beggar,

but in the Spirit we are a king.”