Peace and Concord

Following the Holy Spirit in working for peace and unity

05/28/2023

Jn 20:19-23 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

We all desire more unity and peace in our family, in our country, and throughout the world. But sometimes it is easier to be in sync with our dog than with our own spouse. My dog Apollo and I do almost everything together, and feel very in sync. We exercise by walking and running together; we eat our meals at the same time; we even take naps in the afternoon together.

There is an old saying: “A holy pastor wakes up at 4 o’clock...twice a day.” And that goes for a holy pastor's dog, too. Our secretary, Pam, saw me and Apollo walking across the church parking lot one day, and commented: “You both even dress alike: brown, black, and white.”

On the other hand, it can be challenging to feel in sync with your own spouse. Someone sent me this Pickles cartoon strip last week. A woman is sitting on the sofa knitting and her husband is standing behind the sofa watching her. He asks: “What is that you’re knitting?” The woman answers coldly: “I am not knitting anything. I am crocheting.”

She continues: “Knitting uses needles to form loops from one needle to the other. Crocheting uses a single hook to hook the loops together.” The man answers: “You make it very hard for me to pretend I am interested in what you’re doing.” By the way, there is a dog on the couch next to the woman in the cartoon, whom the lady seems quite pleased with.

Our Scripture readings today also speak about unity and peace – how to be spiritually in sync with each other – but they also insist that only the Holy Spirit can achieve true peace among people. In Acts 2, the episode of Pentecost, it is the Holy Spirit that causes strangers from all over the world to be able to understand the apostles when they speak. They hear in sync.

In the second reading from 1 Corinthians 12, St. Paul explains that the Holy Spirit – like the conductor of a symphony – makes the members of the Church work in sync because, “there are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit.” And in the gospel Jesus breathes on the apostles and gives them his own Spirit – literally his “ruah” (in Hebrew) or breath – so they might work as one for the salvation of the world. The apostles are so closely united they breathe in sync.

In other words, the first and fundamental function of the Holy Spirit is to unite in peace and concord all humanity. And this oneness is modeled by the Church, oneness is one of the four marks of the Church. And this should not surprise us because the first and fundamental function of the Devil is to divide and conquer us.

The English word Devil even derives from the Greek verb “diaballein” which means to tear apart or scatter. In other words, the work of the Holy Spirit and the work of the evil spirit are diametrically opposed. The first produces the peace like I feel with Apollo; the second produces the discord like that Pickles carton depicted.

Besides Pentecost, this weekend we also celebrate Memorial Day. And if we look closely we can see a beautiful coincidence and connection between these two celebrations, that is, they both foster peace and concord. How so? Well, Memorial Day is when we honor our fallen soldiers who died in the service of our country.

But did you know that there used to be a department of the U.S. government called the Department of War? It was headed by the Secretary of War. But now it is called the Department of Defense and is headed by the Secretary of Defense. Why? Well, because the primary purpose of our military is not so much to wage war but to maintain the peace.

This point about maintaining peace comes out even more forcefully when we examine the origins of Memorial Day itself. Many U.S. cities claim to have started the practice of honoring soldiers by decorating national cemeteries. But in 2022 the National Cemetery Administration, a division of the Department of Veterans Affairs credited Mary Ann Williams with originating the idea of strewing flowers on the graves of Civil War soldiers.

In other words, Mary Ann Williams prayed that these Civil War soldiers (both Union and Confederate), who tried to kill each other in this life, might be friends and at peace in the next life. Promoting peace was the original idea behind Memorial Day, and that was the original idea behind Pentecost, too. And thus it seems very fitting we celebrate both on the same weekend.

My least favorite of John Lennon’s songs is also one of his most popular songs, namely, “Imagine.” I'm sure you have heard it. In the song he gets the answer right but for the wrong reasons. He sings, “Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can, No need for greed or hunger, A brotherhood of man. Imagine all the people, Sharing all the world.”

Now, that is the right answer, but then he gives the wrong reasons, saying, “Imagine there’s no heaven, and no religion, too.” In other words, Lennon also wants humanity to be in sync but without the help of the Holy Spirit. That is like that Pickles cartoon where the man was merely pretending to be interested in his wife’s crocheting. Lennon’s peace is only a pretend peace.

My friends, this weekend try to promote peace and unity wherever you are, especially in your own family. Pray for the U.S. Department of Defense that they are able to maintain peace in the world. And pray for the Church to be guided by the Holy Spirit and be a model of peace and concord for the world. The Holy Spirit causes peace and concord; the Devil divides and conquers.

Praised be Jesus Christ!