May 31, 1998 |
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Pentecost Sunday John 20:19-23 |
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| Background: John's account of the giving of the Holy Spirit on Easter differs from the account of the Pentecost event in the Acts of the Apostles. Still, his short account with its double salutation of 'Peace be with you" gives that common greeting new significance for the early followers of Jesus and for us today. Coupled with the commission of being sent forth as Jesus had been sent by the Father, it sets the stage for their reception of the Holy Spirit with its power and responsibility of forgiveness. |
read the padre |
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Story: A Chicago taxi driver, a native of Turkey, told this story, swearing it could be found in the Koran. Once a son, who had assumed the obligation of caring for his elderly father, began to worry about this responsibility. The son, knowing he had barely enough resources to care for himself, his wife and his family, soon felt the added burden of the father's loss of sight. Having to lead the old man around took time away from what the son felt were more pressing responsibilities. He fretted over what he could do. Finally, exasperated by the demands his father placed both on his time and his resources, the son resorted to a drastic solution. He offered to take his father for a walk to the nearby sea, the sounds of which his father dearly missed in his move from his seaside home to his son's dwelling. The son led his father up the hill by the seaside and as they approached the edge of the hill, he failed to warn his father about the drop ahead of them. The father died in the fall into the swirling sea waves. The story goes on to tell of how the son's action is repeated through many generations of his family, each son eventually experiencing the fate of his father. Finally one day as a son and father begin the journey to the sea, the father turns to the son and says, "Son, I know where we are going and I know what you plan for me. It is not necessary for you to take me there. I can find my way to the sea and I will do what you want me to do. Go home to your family and do not worry." The son, ashamed about his proposed deed asked the father why he would do such a thing. The father responded, "I know because I did the same thing to my father and he had done it to his father and it has been done for many generations. But if I go on my own, then your son will not know of this solution when you are a burden to him." The son wept at his father's words and begged his forgiveness. He then brought the father back to his home where the old man taught his son new ways to increase the family's meager income. His daughter-in-law and grandchildren gained many new insights into the wisdom of the Koran and when his son reached his old age, he and his wife were welcomed into their son's home. |
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