Homily for the Solemnity of Pentecost, Year A

Imagine what it must have been like to have been at that first Pentecost. Since

the Lord ascended into heaven, you’ve been gathering in prayer each day,

together with Our Lady and the other Apostles and disciples, and now,

suddenly, comes the sound of a mighty, rushing wind. Then, flames of fire

appear. What is this, you might wonder. The flames split and descend on each

of you, and then you start speaking in different languages, filled with

enthusiasm to go out and preach the message.

Some might say, that was then, but this is now. Where is the gift of tongues

today? A sixth century preacher once said that the Church has now spread all

over the world. The Church speaks every language. The Holy Spirit’s job is to

bring us to unity of faith, and that is what has happened. People have travelled

across the world, bringing people out of darkness into light, leading them to

Christ. The Church doesn’t need everyone to be given the gift of speaking in

every language, because the Church already speaks every language.

The Holy Spirit is still active in the Church. The work of building up the

Church goes on. The Spirit is active when the word is being preached, and

when the sacraments are celebrated. The Holy Spirit is at work in the

sacraments, and with most of them (I think baptism and marriage are the two

exceptions here) each time a sacrament is celebrated, it includes a laying on of

hands. When confirmation is celebrated, the bishop extends his hands to call

down the Holy Spirit, and uses his right hand to confirm. In baptism, a hand is

used to pour the water, and the Holy Spirit is mentioned. For the celebration of

Mass, during the Eucharistic Prayer, before the words of Consecration are said,

the priest extends his hands over the gifts of bread and wine, and often the bell

is rung at this point. In confession, when the priest gives absolution, he first

extends his hand over the penitent (the person going to confession), and

finishes by making the Sign of the Cross. For the sacrament of the sick, there

is a laying on of hands. For ordination, the bishop lays his hands over the

candidates, before then saying the prayer of consecration. The exception seems

to be marriage. In marriage, the couple confer the sacrament on each other

with the exchange of vows, but there is then afterwards the nuptial blessing,

which the priest says with his hands extended over the couple. So in all seven

sacraments of the Church, the Holy Spirit is at work. It’s a bit like the story of

a Catholic bishop who was visited by a few Protestant Evangelicals. They said

to him: “Do you have the Holy Spirit?” He replied: “I give the Holy Spirit!”

As well as the Holy Spirit, there are also other gifts and charisms that the Holy

Spirit gives to His Church. Some are found more frequently, whilst others are

more rare. Padre Pio, for example, had the rare gift of being able to

communicate in other languages. He spoke Italian, but there were times when

people from other countries came to see him, or maybe he went to see them,

and was given the gift of being understood by them in their own language.

That is a more rare gift.

In some of the Catholic charismatic prayer groups, people have the gift of

tongues. This is where they praise God in different languages. The Holy Spirit

prays through them, and they don’t always know which language they are using

this particular time. Sometimes people are given the gift of understanding

these languages. There are a few priests in this diocese and further afield who

have the gift of tongues, as well as many laypeople as well. St Paul did though

once write that people need to think about when and where they might use the

gift of tongues. He said that if an unbeliever walked into a prayer meeting

where they’re all speaking unknown languages, the unbeliever might think they

were all mad. He said that prophecy and instruction were worth more than

speaking in tongues (see 1 Cor 14). It is better to build up the Church through

prophecy and instruction, rather than someone’s ego being built up by

displaying the gift of tongues. God’s gifts do have the potential for misuse.

Confirmation is, of course, our personal Pentecost. If there are any adults here

who for whatever reason have missed out on that sacrament, then please come

and see me afterwards. Confirmation is not only about receiving the Holy

Spirit, but also about completing your initiation as a Catholic. Just as there is

one God, who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, so there are three sacraments that

fully initiate us into the life of the Church: baptism, confirmation and the

Eucharist.

Today we pray for a powerful descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Church. As

we said in the Collect of the Mass earlier on: “pour out, we pray, the gifts of

the Holy Spirit across the face of the earth and, with the divine grace that was

at work when the Gospel was first proclaimed, fill now once more the hearts of

believers. Through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son...”

Curious about exploring things further?  If you would like to ask further questions about the topics raised in these homilies (or maybe think it wasn’t explained too well!), please feel free to e-mail Fr Michael at stjoseph.thame@rcaob.org.uk