Pope Francis delivers his homily during his Pentecost Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican May 28, 2023. Pope Francis called on Catholics to invoke daily the Spirit who gives “harmony to the world.” (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)
OFFICE FOR SOCIAL MINISTRY
“Today the word of God shows us the Holy Spirit in action … bringing harmony in three ways: in the world he created, in the Church, and in our hearts.” (Pope Francis, homily for Pentecost May 28, 2023)
Just in time for Pentecost Sunday, Pope Francis was blessed to emerge from a high fever to celebrate Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica. Catholics around the world were relieved to see the pontiff back in good health for this year’s feast of the Holy Spirit, celebrating the birth of the church being sent forth into the whole world. Our Holy Father healed in time to preach about how the Holy Spirit can bring healing harmony in our hearts, our church, and throughout the world: “From the beginning and at all times, (the Holy Spirit) makes created realities pass from disorder to order, from dispersion to cohesion, from confusion to harmony. In a word, (the Holy Spirit) gives harmony to the world.”
Pope Francis began his Pentecost homily by recognizing the discord and division in the world. “We are all connected, yet find ourselves disconnected from one another, anesthetized by indifference and overwhelmed by solitude.” But the pope quickly pointed out that “the Holy Spirit opposes the spirit of division because he is harmony, the Spirit of unity, the bringer of peace. Let us invoke the Spirit daily upon our whole world, upon our lives and upon any kind of division!”
On this feast of the birthday of the church, Pope Francis focused on the “Holy Spirit at work in the Church, beginning with the day of Pentecost. We notice, however, that the Spirit does not inaugurate the Church by providing the community with rules and regulations, but by descending upon each of the apostles: every one of them receives particular graces and different charisms. Such an abundance of differing gifts could generate confusion, but, as in creation, the Holy Spirit loves to create harmony out of diversity.”
Our Holy Father spoke of how the Holy Spirit creates harmony by inviting everyone to experience God’s gifts present in ourselves and in others. He urged all “to see each of our brothers and sisters in the faith as part of the same body of which I am a member: this is the harmonious approach of the Spirit, this is the path that he points out to us!”
The pope connected this path of harmony to the current synod process in the Catholic Church. “The People of God, in order to be filled with the Spirit, must therefore journey together and ‘Do synod.’ That is how harmony in the Church is renewed: by journeying together with the Spirit at the center.”
The pope focused on how “the Holy Spirit creates harmony in our hearts.” He encouraged all to begin each day by praying to the Holy Spirit, “to welcome the Spirit’s harmonious and creative power, the ‘grace of wholeness’ through forgiveness that brings us peace.” Our Holy Father concluded his homily with a prayer to the Holy Spirit, asking for the healing grace of forgiveness to resolve division, polarization, and brokenness in our world. “Forgiveness is making room for the Spirit to come” and calling all to ask the question, “How do I foster reconciliation and build communion?”
Social ministry is a way to bring harmony and build communion with vulnerable people. Many parish food ministries provide the opportunity to supply needed nutrition essential to harmonious living at home for so many hungry families, and a critical lifeline for kupuna living alone. During some of the most difficult moments of the COVID pandemic, volunteers from parishes partnered with community organizations to provide “meals on wheels” to kupuna, including some of the most vulnerable elders on Oahu.
One of those community partners is Lanakila Meals on Wheels, who since 1971 has been a trusted provider of healthy delicious meals with the goal to ensure that seniors and individuals with disabilities receive meals so they can continue to live at home. Lanakila Meals on Wheels offers a paid monthly subscription service for those purchasing meals out of pocket, as well as free meals covered by Medicaid and other health plans or SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) for seniors and persons with disabilities through the City and County of Honolulu Aging and Disability Resource Center.
And more than just a meal, Lanakila Meals on Wheels provides friendly visits and wellness checks. During deliveries, volunteers and staff can identify areas that meal recipients may need help with and connect them to resources for appropriate assistance.
To learn more about Lanakila Meals on Wheels home delivery service and or to volunteer, please visit their website, lanakilapacific.org/mealsonwheels, email them at mow@lanakilapacific.org or call their office (808) 356-8519.
Please visit the Office for Social Ministry website www.officeforsocialministry for additional ways social ministries can be a vital part of the Holy Spirit being a “wellspring of harmony” that Pope Francis prayed for on Pentecost: “Holy Spirit, Spirit of Jesus and of the Father, inexhaustible wellspring of harmony, to you we entrust the world; to you we consecrate the Church and our hearts. Come, Creator Spirit, harmony of humanity, renew the face of the earth. Come, Gift of gifts, harmony of the Church, make us one in you.”
Mahalo,
Your friends at the Office for Social Ministry
