A Wilder Spirit, This Pentecost

(After a homily given this morning, 730 Mass:)

The first reading today, Sunday May 12, clearly anticipates the Church’s nearing the end of the Easter season, climaxing in Ascension Thursday (May 14) and Pentecost Sunday (May 26). The first reading is from Acts 8, and it moves neatly from the words and deeds of the deacon Philip to the work of Peter and John:

"Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city. (5-8)

And,

"When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. (14-17)

If one can guess the intentions of the editors of the lectionary, the tailored reading seems to balance the work of Philip, one of the deacons selected by the apostles, and the work of Peter and John in completing the work of baptism in the work of the bestowal of the Spirit. The latter may remind listeners today of the sacrament of Confirmation. But much of the chapter is missing: all we heard at Mass was verses 5-8 and 14-17, 8 verses out of a chapter of 40. Yet we must learn too from what is missing, and be alert to a wider, messier, more vital context. I identify three omissions that matter.

First: at the beginning of the chapter, violence erupts after the murder of the deacon Stephen, as the Jerusalem community scatters:

"On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison. (1-3)

The passage we do hear at Mass occurs in a time of danger, and fear. The Spirit works even among those who scatter, threatened, in danger.

Second: there is the interposed story of Simon the magician:

"Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.” They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery. (9-11)

It seems that Simon did have some kind of magic power, and had used it for a long time. Yet he recognizes the preaching of Philip and, amazed, is himself baptized:

"But when the people believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw. (12-13)

And, after Peter and John bring down the Spirit, Simon does err, indeed, because he thinks that the bestowing of the Spirit can be bought and transferred. Rather harshly, Peter rebukes him, even as he diagnoses the disarray of his heart, his bitterness, his enslavement in sin:

"When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.” Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.” (18-24)

Simon repents. Perhaps Peter’s honesty makes the difference, and Simon sees that he has been enchained by the powers he manifests? Yet Luke does not say any more about Simon; perhaps he does not stop manifesting power as before, but now with a sense of humility.  

Third: time is short, this homily must end, but I must at least mention the rest of the chapter: Philip’s meeting, teaching, and almost instantaneously baptizing a eunuch who is the minister of the queen of Ethiopia — then suddenly disappearing:

"When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea. (39-40)

Philip manifests great power, well beyond healing, driving out demons. He is mentioned only once more in Acts: 

"Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied. (Acts 21:8-9)

The power of the Spirit given over to the new generation? Inherited, in the family?

I conclude with a simple request: let us not tame the Spirit, act as if the Spirit, and the allied and opposing spirits, can be entirely constrained by the practices of the Church, preaching and exorcising, baptizing and giving the Spirit. The world is wild and dangerous as Pentecost approaches in 2026, and full of people like Simon who may be a hostile force — or an ally who understands matters of the Spirit and becomes one of the Spirit's wider community.