Homily of Pentecost Sunday of
Year A, 2020
Acts 2:1-11; Psalm 104:1, 29-34;
1 Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13; John 20:19-23
The Church was conceived when
Jesus said to Peter, “You are the rock, upon you I will build my Church”
(Matthew 16:18). But the Church was born on Pentecost Sunday with the descent
of the Holy Spirit on the apostles.
Among the Jews in the Old
Testament, the feast of Pentecost was when Jewish pilgrims gathered in
Jerusalem from various parts of the world: Europe, Asia and Africa to celebrate
the festival of thanksgiving for the first fruits of their harvest (Numbers
28:26). While the crowds were celebrating, the apostles hid themselves in a
room and stayed in prayer. We recall that after the death of Jesus, the
apostles locked themselves up in a room. Jesus rose from the dead and took them
out of the locked room. Before his ascension, he told them to go and wait in
Jerusalem until the coming of the Holy Spirit. The apostles returned to
Jerusalem, and again locked themselves up in a room. It took the power of the
Holy Spirit to finally break the lock that held the apostles. From then on, the
apostles were liberated from the fear of the Jews.
In some ways, too, we are locked
up. May the Holy Spirit break the locks and grant us freedom. We pray that the
Church will prevail and emerge reborn and renewed after the catastrophic impact
of Covid 19. Amen.
We read in the first
reading, “Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven
staying in Jerusalem. At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd, but
they were confused because each one heard them speaking in his own
language. They were astounded, and in amazement they asked, ‘Are not all
these people who are speaking Galileans?’” One of the experiences of the
apostles was that they spoke in different languages, in such a way that people
from various parts of the world could understand them in their own language.
In Genesis, God used language to disperse the builders of the Tower of
Babel (Genesis: 11:1-9). During the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost,
God used language to unite all peoples. One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is
to preach the message of Christ in different languages in all parts of the
world.
The celebration of Pentecost
Sunday is a prayer for our individual Pentecost experience. We are praying for
the renewal or revival of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us. Isaiah
11:2-3 names the following gifts: wisdom, understanding, counsel, power,
knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. I call these foundation gifts.
St. Paul names some other gifts
which have been referred to as extraordinary or charismatic gifts: faith,
healing, mighty deeds (miracles), prophecy, discernment of spirits, varieties
of tongues (or languages), interpretation of tongues (or languages),
apostleship (or discipleship), teaching, assistance, and administration (1
Corinthians 12:9-10, 28). These extraordinary or charismatic gifts are
dependent on the foundation gifts named above.
The sign that the gifts of the
Holy Spirit are effective and active are the lasting fruits they bear. St. Paul
in Galatians 5:22-23 mentions some of the fruits as love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and
self-control.
For many of us, it is true that
the gifts of the Holy Spirit bestowed on us are either inactive or minimally
active. For this reason, St. Paul urges us, “I invite you to fan into flame the
gift of God you received through the laying on of my hands” (2 Timothy 1:6).
However, there are spiritual
conditions that enable revival of the gifts and for us to experience personal
or interior Pentecost. The first condition is as St. Paul urges
us, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you
light” (Ephesians 5:14). The second condition is as St. Paul, also, invites us,
“Let us then throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light”
(Romans 13:12).
Through the unction of the Holy
Spirit, may we be able to wake up and rise. May we be able to throw off the
works of darkness. May we be freed from where we are locked in. May the light
of Christ shine on us that we may fan into flame the gifts God has given to us.
May the gifts bear lasting fruits. Amen.
Let us sing:
Spirit of the Living God, fall
afresh on me. Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me.
Melt me, mold me, and use
me. Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me.
(The one who sings, prays twice.
– St. Augustine of Hippo)
Fr. Martin Eke, MSP
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