We welcome you all to our celebration of Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit and the end of our joyful season of Easter. Pentecost has been a very important celebration here at St Jude, with our annual Pentecost international food festival that has become very well-known in the Jackson metro area. We cannot have our traditional international food celebration this year, but instead we will have a fish fry picnic prepared by the Knights of Columbus. We priests wear red vestments on Pentecost, symbolizing the burning fire of God’s love and representing the tongues of fire that descended on the apostles, as described in the first reading today. In some parts of Italy on Pentecost, there is a tradition of scattering rose leaves from the ceiling of the church to recall this story of the fiery tongues. In some parts of the world, such as Great Britain, some priests wear white vestments on Pentecost, representing the dove, which is another symbol of the Holy Spirit. In some parts of France, there is a tradition to blow trumpets during Mass on Pentecost Sunday, recalling the sound of driving wind, which is another symbol of the Holy Spirit. The great wind of the Holy Spirit is also referred to in our reading from Acts of the Apostles today.
The message of the Holy Spirit descending on the apostles was not something they kept to themselves. The apostles immediately began to speak to the crowds that had assembled in Jerusalem. The crowds were comprised of Jewish and convert visitors from many different places such as North Africa, Asia Minor, Rome, and all over the Mediterranean basin. Those in the crowd were amazed to hear these men speaking to them so that all could understand the message in their own native language. It is clear that the apostles were commissioned by the Holy Spirit to speak a message that is meant for all, not just for one people or one nation or one culture. In the 11th chapter of the book of Genesis, it reports that out of their arrogance and pride, to make a name for themselves, men tried to build a tower that reached right up to heaven. God punished these men by having them speak a myriad of languages, unintelligible to others. As a result of this arrogance and pride, humanity became deeply divided. What happens today at Pentecost is the opposite of the Tower of Babel, as all are speaking and hearing God’s message with full understanding. Rather than being divided out of their arrogance and pride, people are being brought together in unity under God.
Christ brings us a message of peace today at our celebration of Pentecost, just as he brought a message of peace to the apostles as they huddled in fear in the Gospel today. If you are like me, we are all ready to hear a message of peace in the midst of a very tough challenging reality we have had this past year. We also receive the same mission call that Jesus gives the apostles, saying that as the Father sends him, so he also sends us. Our mission is to continue the mission of Jesus in the world.
As I thought about the Holy Spirit at the center of our celebration of Pentecost today, I thought about the questions a lot of us might have. Who exactly is the Holy Spirt. A great wind? A presence within? A mysterious ghost? A personal being? Pope Benedict once stated that the Holy Spirit is perhaps the most neglected person of the Trinity. Perhaps because we are a bit unsure about the Holy Spirit, we might not know how to welcome him into our lives.
In an address he gave at St Peter Square in 2012, Pope Benedict XVI asserted that the Holy Spirit is indeed a real presence in our lives. He stated that all “Christians should avail themselves to the Holy Spirit in prayer, particularly when they cannot find the words or inspiration to pray.” The pope talked about how “Paul teaches us that in our prayer we must open ourselves to the presence and action of the Holy Spirit, who prays in us with inexpressible groanings, to bring us to adhere to God with our whole heart and with all our being,” According to Pope Benedict, the Holy Spirit can be the strength in our weak prayers, the light of our dimmed prayers, the focus of our dry prayers. The Spirit can give us inner freedom and can teach us how to face our trials, assuring us that we’re never alone, that Christ’s Spirit is always with us. We call upon the Holy Spirit to help us in our prayers. We call upon the Holy Spirit to guide our thoughts and our actions as well.
Yes, come Holy Spirit and renew the face of the earth. Help us to live out our faith with courage and conviction, with compassion and love. As we celebrate Pentecost today, we joyfully celebrate the Spirit that is with us. But, in doing so, we also accept the responsibility that comes with it.
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