Mass of the Holy Spirit Homily

University of Dayton New Student Orientation
UD Arena
Aug. 18, 2006

Given by Father Chris Wittmann, S.M.
Director of campus ministry

Readings: Isaiah 2:1-5; Psalm 96; Romans 8:22-27; John 14:1-7

There is a lot of searching, seeking, waiting and groaning going on in our readings today. Isaiah prophesies that all nations shall stream toward the mountain of the Lord’s house, seeking instruction about how to walk in God’s ways. Thomas and the other disciples, even as they are with Jesus and listening to him, are troubled at heart; they are confused, and do not know the way to follow Jesus. And Paul’s letter to the Romans reminds us that even as we groan inwardly and wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies, we do not even know how to pray as we ought, and all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now.
    Can we relate? What are we seeking, waiting for, groaning for? What are you searching for, you who are beginning your time at UD? In the midst of the excitement and anticipation, it is normal for the hearts of first year students, people who stand on the threshold of a new chapter in their lives, to be troubled by a little bit of fear, anxiety, and self-doubt. (Not for any of you, of course, but this is true for other first-year students at other universities.) And perhaps there are parents and other family members here who are feeling the groaning of a new kind of labor pains. The labor pains of feeling not quite ready to say goodbye, to let go, to trust unto God this cherished loved one in the hope that he or she is ready to take on the challenge of more independence and the weight of responsibility that comes with it. Professors, staff members and administrators might even admit to a bit of stress and anxiety at the beginning of a new year -- not here, of course, but at other universities. And beyond our immediate situation, do we not feel the groaning of all creation as we wait, with faint hope and faltering endurance, for our nation and others to beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks, and to never train for war again? Do we not wait for the sharing of bread to become more of a priority than the trading of bombs? We are not unlike millions of others around the world: we search, we seek, we groan, we wait.
    And for those of us who are Christian, we dare to hope, because be believe that we are not in this alone. We place our trust in God, not in the work of our own hands. We trust God, who raised Jesus from the dead, to eventually raise all of us, and this fallen world, to new life. Hope is a risk. It means doing our part for love and peace and justice, and waiting with endurance for what we cannot accomplish and cannot yet see; it means waiting in love, despite all the bad news, because we believe in a love more powerful than our own, even more powerful than death.
    And in hoping, we dare to pray, even though we often don’t know how and don’t have the words, because the Holy Spirit is with us, interceding on our behalf with inexpressible groanings; coming to the aid of our weakness, bringing the grace of God to us even now.
    Many here may be familiar with the experience, or at least the story, of a scene that was fairly common a few decades ago. At a dance at a Catholic high school, if a young couple were clinging a bit too closely to each other during a dance, a teacher, usually a nun in habit in the story, would approach the couple with a scowl, tap them on the shoulder and say simply and forcefully: “Leave room for the Holy Spirit.” Well, today we celebrate a votive Mass of the Holy Spirit on the occasion of a very different kind of dance, the beginning of an academic year, the beginning, for our new students, of a journey of integrating faith and community, learning and living at at the University of Dayton. And in a way, we are reminding ourselves: students, parents, professors, staff and administrators, to leave room for the Holy Spirit in this dance.
    One thing this means is making sure that we go about seeking, searching, waiting and groaning in a way that will allow the Spirit to guide us in the quest for wisdom and truth. It means making sure that the questions we ask of life, of ourselves, of UD, and of God are big enough to leave lots of room for the Holy Spirit to work in them.
    Maybe some examples will help. If the primary thing I am searching and groaning for is a great place to party, and the most pressing question in my life has become: “When is the next time I can get wasted?” (other students at other universities) then perhaps my question is a little too small.
If what you are seeking is the fastest way to climb the corporate ladder and make the most money and maximize your profit, be warned that this is a search without much room in it for the God who blesses the poor in spirit, raises up the lowly, and dethrones the powerful. If, on the other hand, what you seek is a good, well-paying job, realize that you have a worthy goal, but that your questions may still be too small. Ask not simply, “How can I get a good job and be well trained for the job market?” Ask instead, “How can I become a better person, well-trained for learning, for life and for love in this complex world? How can I contribute to society? How can I help build community in a polarized and fractured world? How can I respond to the needs of the suffering and the defenseless who do not have the opportunities that I have been blessed with?”
Now some of you, by which I mean people like me, are already inclined to ask really big questions. Questions like “How can I eliminate sweatshop labor, racism, abortion, hunger and war - by next Wednesday?” These people, people like me, need to leave room for the Holy Spirit to fill us with patience, and to remind us that the job of Savior of the World has already been taken!
    Here are some other questions relevant to college life, which have some room for the Holy Spirit in them. “How can I balance the freedom of college life with enough self-discipline to avoid choices which will leave me with the baggage of regret for years to come?” “Is there a spiritual hunger that drives people to drink rather than face up to the issue?” “How can I make choices about love and commitment and sex without confusing one for another?”
    “Dear God, how can I deal with my own personal ‘issues’ and hang-ups and grow through them to live a basically happy, healthy, loving life?” (Did you notice that that question, with room for the Holy Spirit, sounds a lot like a prayer? Funny how that works.)
And here are two even bigger questions, for all Christians who know that we need the Holy Spirit to guide and strengthen us: “How will I discern my true vocation in life: something more than just a job or an interest, but a calling from God to a certain way of living; to a set of commitments which both focus my life’s energies and set me free to become more fully my true self?” Or this one: “How can I, as a Christian, respect, protect, and learn to love all human beings, from the unborn to the impaired to convicted criminals to known terrorists?” These questions have room in them for the Holy Spirit.
Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Have faith in God, have faith also in me. … I will go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am, you may also be. … I am the way, the truth, and the life.” This is what we are truly searching for: the untroubled heart that comes from knowing Christ as our way, our truth, our life in all the questions we face. We don’t usually realize it, but what we are seeking is that deep relationship with Christ which will transform us; we are groaning and waiting to be so united with Christ that he takes possession of our lives and casts out all our fear. We want to be able to say with St. Paul that it is “no longer I, but Christ who lives within me.” Then his joy will be in us and our joy will be complete. Christ’s love is what we search and seek and wait and groan for.
    As you begin your UD education, as parents and children take leave of one another, as we begin this academic year, let us pray that we will leave enough room in this dance for the Holy Spirit to make us one with Christ who is the way, the truth, and the life.