The descent of the Holy at Pentecost restores the unity of peoples
Posted on May 23rd 2010 in Weekly messages
The Feast of Pentecost marks the end of Eastertide, and though Easter may well feel a long time ago, the outcome and impact of that Feast is fully felt today. Jesus promised the Holy Spirit as another Counsellor to the Apostles, one that would remain with them forever, and cement the bond between believer and His death and Resurrection.
The descent of the Holy Spirit was both experienced as the sound of wind, impelling the Apostles outwards from the confines of the Upper Room, and as tongues of fire, that would make their hearts radiate with the love that Christ possessed. This love both warmed and burnt. The first is the warmth of reassurance. This fire had impelled Jesus towards the Cross, and the supreme act of sacrifice. This same fire impels the Christian towards witness and martyrdom, not through the violence to others, but through personal sacrifice that might well lead to death. The Feast of Pentecost is the antithesis of the confusion of languages instigated by the Fall of the Tower of Babel. God shattered the common language of men after their arrogant attempt to build a tower to reach God. This confusion of tongues multiplied the mutual incomprehension of humanity, and brought war and strife not just between individuals but nations as well. Now the multitude of languages become the one common tongue of the Gospel, the account of the remarkable gifts of God, and the instigation of a way of life founded on the interior law of charity, the grace of the Holy Spirit. Mutual incomprehensibility leading to violence has been replaced by a common understanding suffused with divine love.
The Apostles began with recounting the marvellous act of God which had reversed the evil committed earlier in the Crucifixion, and the events leading up to it. This is the good news, and it can never be restated often enough. The simplicity of the Gospel message is now problematic in the light of the complexity of human affairs. The widespread use of jargon in every aspect of governmental and professional, the plethora of acronyms in use by public bodies are all the sad consequences of the Fall of the Tower of Babel. Necessary explanation and organisation have changed into something else, a private unknown language impenetrable to the outsider.
The gift of the Spirit is something deeply personal because it enters into our souls marking us with a touch of God. This same Spirit is given to all believers. So there is no divide between this personal gift of the Spirit and the gift of the Spirit to the Church as a whole. This logic demonstrates the impossibility of being a solitary believer, unattached to any Church. There are probably individuals or liturgical practices that one might find difficult and uncongenial in our own parish churches. It would be surprising if it were different. Every parishioner, here and elsewhere, is in need of redemption. Every institution needs an internal reformation. I am sure these differences, like in any family, are minor irritants that are far outweighed by the graces received by coming together in our local Church. We all, whether we consciously accept it or not, draw strength from each other’s faith though our common participation in Jesus’ perfect act of worship.
The feast of Pentecost is the moment to reflect on the nature of the Church and her mission to preach the gospel. The first apostles, filled by the fire of the Holy Spirit began this public work. Their mission has a long antecedence, which ultimately goes back to just after the Fall of Adam and Eve. God has continually called His people back to Him, now He does so through the Church. The Holy Spirit at Pentecost metaphorically ‘booted’ the Apostles through the door and into the world. He does the same to us, as well inspiring us with the full richness of Jesus’ teaching, and offer of mercy.