Fr. Rick’s Three-Minute Homily, Pentecost

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/060825-Day.cfm

A Little Boy and a Piano

A young mother bought tickets to a concert by the great Russian pianist Vladimir Horowitz. She took her six-year-old son with her, hoping to encourage him since he had just started taking piano lessons. Just before the concert began, she started talking to an old friend who took the seat beside her. She didn’t notice that her son had slipped away to do some exploring.

A moment later, when the lights dimmed and the curtain rose, there in the spotlight onstage was the six-year-old sitting at the piano playing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. Needless to say, his mother was in shock. But before she could retrieve her son, the great maestro walked onto the stage. “Don’t stop!” he whispered to the boy. “Keep playing!” Leaning over him, Horowitz reached out with his left hand and began to play a bass accompaniment.

Reaching around the boy with his right hand, he added a cascading harmony. The audience was mesmerized at the sight of the great performer and the little boy at the piano, applauding thunderously as they finished. Years later, no one would remember the classical pieces Horowitz played that night, but no one would ever forget Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

The image of the great pianist encircling the six-year-old on the bench is a marvelous image of the Holy Spirit and the Church, an image of how God empowers us to be His Presence in our relationships and our world today.

What must it have felt like for the disciples, huddled in that upper room? They were much like the six-year-old sitting at the piano when suddenly they are in the limelight, onstage. How in the world were they going to continue the work of Jesus, doing the things he did and even greater things, as he promised?

In spite of spending 3 years with Jesus, they had about as much knowledge of spiritual matters as that little boy had knowledge of music. The great Russian pianist resembles the Holy Spirit coming upon the apostles, not overwhelming them but gently encircling them with God’s loving mercy, whispering encouragement to them, transforming their feeble efforts into something that only God could inspire and accomplish.

We might feel like the little boy when we watch the news, when we look at the world, and look at our own country, and all we see are our problems. We see an ocean of anger, violence, and hatred in our streets. We see such a lack of respect for human life. How could our love ever change this?

It’s incredible how big a project seems until we dig in and do what we can do. This is where the Great Maestro comes in and builds upon our minimal effort and abilities to turn them into something beautiful and unforgettable, even for sophisticated concertgoers.

No gift is ever small, and no ability is ever insignificant for the Holy Spirit to accomplish what only God can do. The Catechism teaches: “As fire transforms into itself everything it touches, so the Holy Spirit transforms into the divine life whatever is subjected to his power” (CCC 1127).

We are subjected to his power, meaning we surrender our thoughts and plans to whatever pleases the Lord. I gain great calm when I place everything that concerns me and our parish family entirely in His care. By His nature, He cannot fail to deliver.

Peace be with you, everyone.

Love Your Neighbor!

Fr. Rick Pilger, IC
www.bscchurch.com