Ac 2:1-11/ 1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13/ Jn 19:20-23
The history of mankind has seen many great conquerors who built great empires.
We have read about Alexander. He was called the Great and rightly so. His empire stretched from Europe to Asia.
Then there was Caesar and the great Roman Empire.
Then a period of time passed before another great conqueror surfaced in Europe.
I am sure we have heard of Napoleon Bonaparte. He also marched through Europe and conquered most of it.
In the year 1800, Napoleon Bonaparte captured the city of Rome, and took Pope Pius VI prisoner.
Napoleon thought that he could intimidate the Pope and force him to become his puppet because the Church had considerable political power at that time.
But the Pope refused to cooperate with Napoleon nor be his puppet, and in a fit of anger, Napoleon shouted at the Pope: If you do not do as I command, I will destroy the Church.
The Pope replied: Oh no, you won’t. Napoleon retorted: Oh yes, I will - within a year.
To which the Pope calmly replied: If we, who are the Church, have for 1800 years, failed to destroy the Church with our sins, I doubt very much you will succeed.
Well, the Church still exists, whereas Napoleon Bonaparte had passed on as just another memory in the pages of history books.
But Napoleon was not the first to think he could destroy the Church.
In every age, the Church has been attacked and persecuted, and threatened with destruction to the point of extinction.
Even in the very first century of their existence, the Roman emperor Nero thought that if he were to capture and execute St. Peter, then he would have destroyed the Church.
When Jesus said that the gates of hell would never prevail against it, He certainly meant it.
The Church may look like another human organization, but there is more to it, just like there is more to the Eucharist than just bread and wine.
Today, as we celebrate Pentecost, we acknowledge that the Church is human as well as divine.
Yes, the Church is also divine, because of the presence of the Holy Spirit in the Church.
In the 1st reading, we heard about how the Holy Spirit descended as a mighty wind and tongues of fire on the Church, and raised her up and propelled her into the mission of salvation.
The Church became a sign of unity and salvation.
Yet as we gather in this Eucharist, we are also like the disciples in the gospel passage who were huddled together in the room.
The disciples in the gospel were a very different picture from the same disciples portrayed in the 1st reading.
The disciples in the gospel passage were in fear, broken and all messed up and lost.
They were reaching the point of self destruction when Jesus appeared and gave them peace.
And with a gentle breath, He also gave them the Holy Spirit.
And Jesus still breathes gently on us, the Church.
From the Pope right down to the baptized infant, and to each and every one of us, Jesus breathes into our hearts, the Holy Spirit.
And with the Holy Spirit in the depths of our hearts, our mouths will speak.
And that is also where we face the problem and the obstacle.
Too often we lose control of our tongues and we say harsh and hurtful words.
And when we lose control, we will also end up saying the “f” word.
I guess I don’t have to elaborate what the four-letter “f” word is.
We may not say it aloud, but muttering it under our breath also says it all.
On this day of Pentecost, Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit into our hearts so that we can speak the language of peace and love.
On this day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit wants to teach us a new “f” word - “f” to stand for forgiveness.
Yes, the Holy Spirit lifts us up from our human sinfulness to divine holiness, from the sinful “f” to the holy “f”, the holiness of forgiveness.
We have heard it being said that to err is human, to forgive is divine.
The Church is human as well as divine.
By our human sinfulness, we have committed error and caused hurt and torment and pain. We have tried to destroyed ourselves and even tried to destroy the Church, but like Pope Pius VI said, we cannot succeed.
Yes, all have sinned. Each one of us is a sinner. But God loves us and He forgives us and He will always forgive us.
And He even gives us the Holy Spirit to teach us how to forgive by first learning the new “f” word - forgiveness.
Well, back to Napoleon Bonaparte. Towards the end of his life, he was exiled on the rock of St Helena.
There, the conqueror of civilized Europe had time to reflect on his life and even on Jesus Christ.
He made this statement: Other conquerors founded their empires by force. Jesus Christ alone founded His empire upon love.
Napoleon Bonaparte finally understood why he cannot destroy the Church.
Because the Church is human as well as divine - the Holy Spirit dwells in the Church.
The Holy Spirit is a Spirit of love; it is the Spirit of forgiveness.
Love and forgiveness cannot be destroyed.