Homily: Pentecost 2013 - Lessons from Star Trek, New Coke, and Priestly Ordination

This week, on Thursday, I celebrated, along with my four classmates, my 4^th anniversary to the Ordained Priesthood.  In thanksgiving for my priesthood, I celebrated Mass, and the five of us got together for dinner to share stories of the blessings and challenges of the last four years.  I shared a sentiment from my first Sunday Mass here at Saint Columbkille.  I remember after the final blessing and procession thinking, “why don’t more young men want to be priests?  Because this is great!”  Each of my classmates agreed, that the last four years have had their challenges, but to see God at work in our parishes, and to the best of our ability, to cooperate with his grace, is more fulfilling than we could have possibly imagined.  Priesthood really is a good life that all of our young men should be encouraged strongly to consider.

In the course of our anniversary celebrations, we also had the opportunity to do something the five of us enjoy: we went to the movies to see the new Star Trek movie.  We’ve seen all of the previous Star Trek movies and most of the television shows, and quote them and refer to them often.  As much as we like Star Trek, I had a real problem with the new movie.  Don’t worry, I’m not about to spoil the plot or anything, but I felt that they really have strayed from the original formula for these movies.  Star Trek is known for putting its well-developed characters into complex problems and watching them figure out the problem.  Yet this movie just seemed like every other pre-summer action movie, with its fist-fights between main characters and big things blowing up.  They had strayed from the original formula, what made Star Trek great, and the product suffered.

In the same vein, some of you might remember, a few years ago, Coca-Cola launched a new brand of Coke, called “New Coke”. 

Coca-cola was the most popular brand of cola in the world.  In the 20s, 30s and even into 60s, Coke was America’s brand of choice.  In the mid-60s, however, their main competitor, Pepsi, began to focus its advertising forces on one sector, young people, and labeled itself the “drink of the new generation, the Pepsi generation.”  This was a hugely successful advertising campaign, both for the young, and those attracted by the idea of youthfulness.  Consequently, Coca-cola’s hold on the market began to dwindle, as Pepsi drinkers married other Pepsi drinkers, and had little Pepsi drinking babies. 

What did Coca-Cola do in response, especially as it saw its market shares fall among the young?  Did they increase their advertising and fight back with their original message and original product?  No.  Did they get out there and push what was already the most popular drink in the world?  No.  Coca-cola launched what is known as the most catastrophic marketing blunder in history, so much so that it’s studied in colleges as what not to do.  They took the most popular drink in the world, the most recognizable logo, and the most distinctive bottle on the planet, and they threw them all away.  They came up with a something called “New Coke”—a new formula, a different product.

How did that work out?  Well, the Coke drinkers hated it, and they couldn’t get the Pepsi drinkers to drink it because they liked Pepsi.  It infuriated the public, cost a ton of money and lasted only 77 days before we reintroduced Coca-Cola Classic.  Just like the new Star Trek film, they strayed from the original formula and the product suffered.

What does this have to do with Pentecost?  Pentecost is often associated with renewal.  The coming of the Holy Spirit brings Renewal.   The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles and the other disciples gathered in prayer with the Virgin Mary in the Upper Room brought newness of life—the Church is brought into existence. 

Yet, the newness brought by the Holy Spirit does not mean that we are to stray from the original message, the original formula of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Rather, the Holy Spirit helps us to be faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ as preached by the Apostles and their successors throughout history. 

In the modern age, there is a lot of pressure from the worldly powers for the Church to change.  They claim the Church is outdated; her teachings not with the times; that something in the Church needs to alter her message and constitution in order to be more appealing to the younger generation and less conflicting with secular godless morality.

The Church does need change, and the Holy Spirit is behind that change.  The change the Holy Spirit brings, the change that is needed in every soul, is the change that helps us to be more faithful to the Gospel, more zealous and courageous in its proclamation, more compassionate to the needy, more pious in our religious worship, more loving and caring for souls.  The Holy Spirit brings change, but not change to the Christian message, rather change to the Christian heart. 

The Holy Spirit does bring growth and new life, but not by  changing the Church’s message, her teachings, or her Creed, or reinventing her liturgy. When the Church calls us to be faithful to the 10 commandments, it’s not up to us to tell God that his commandments are outdated.  We can’t claim that we don’t have to follow the third commandment because that was before Sunday football was invented.  The commandments don’t change just because the calendar changes, nor even because a culture changes.  Rather, when a culture becomes antagonistic to the Christian faith, the Christian faith boldly lived and boldly proclaimed by Christians is needed all the more.

The renewal of the Holy Spirit helps us to overcome the limitations of our self-centeredness.  He makes our hearts new by helping us listen more deeply to the Gospel, and to be attentive to God who is waiting to give himself to us in our daily prayer.  Like water, the Holy Spirit refreshes our souls and quenches our thirst for God.  And like fire, the Holy Spirit engulfs us in God’s love, fills our hearts with the joy of heaven, and helps us to radiate God’s truth. 

This week Pope Francis encouraged us not to become “backseat Christians” who “are well mannered, do everything well, but are unable to bring people to the Church through proclamation and apostolic zeal.”

We need the holy spirit to unsettle us, to challenge us, and to push us “to go out to the outskirts of life” where many people are yearning to hear the Gospel.

The Holy Spirit is at work wherever souls are growing in holiness, wherever Christians are deepening their faith life, wherever members of the Church are becoming more committed to courageously proclaim the Gospel.

Yesterday, I witnessed a great sign of the work of the Holy Spirit.  Gathered with two thousand other members of the Church at the Cathedral, we celebrated the ordination of five new priests for the Diocese of Cleveland.  Bishop Lennon said so well in his homily, that their vocation, their desire to lay down their lives in priestly service is a result in falling in love with Jesus Christ.

The holy Spirit will set hearts on fire with the love of Jesus Christ if we call him into our lives and our families.  And put aside those worldly distractions and worldly errors which douse the flames.

Holy Spirit, purify us.  Holy Spirit, teach us.  Holy Spirit, embolden us.  Holy Spirit, set us on fire.  Holy Spirit, lead us to heaven, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.