HOMILY OF PENTECOST SUNDAY — YEAR C

HOMILY OF PENTECOST SUNDAY — YEAR C

HOMILY THEME: THE NEW LAW AND THE NEW LANGUAGE

BY: Fr. Casmir Nkamuke

Acts. 2: 1-11, Ps. 104, 1 Cor. 12: 3-7, 12, John 14: 15-15

Today is the Solemnity of Pentecost! A day we celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Blessed Virgin Mary, and on the apostles. It is also a day we celebrate the inauguration of the Church. What we celebrate today is significant for the Church and for all Christians.

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The Pentecost Feast did not begin on the “Pentecost” day. It is one of the Jewish pilgrim feasts of thanksgiving to God for a bumper harvests, it is also a day the Jews commemorate the giving of the Law to Moses at Mount Mount Sinai, and the establishing of the covenant between God and his people on Mount Sinai. The events of that particular “Pentecost day” made this Jewish feast very significant for Christian faith. On this day, the disciples were give a new strength and vigor for the proclamation of the gospel while they were gathered in prayer at the upper room. Like Moses, they received a new law- the power to forgive sins. Thus the audience that gathered in a celebration of thanksgiving for a bounty harvest, became of one heart and one mind after receiving the Good News. On that day also, a bumper harvest of over three thousand believers was received.

Today’s feast also redos the curse of Babel and restores a new universal language. At Babel, the world 🌍 United not to do God’s will, but to massage their ego. As the scriptures record, they said to one another “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky, and so make name for ourselves (Gen 11:4). The implication of this as seen in God’s response (vs 6) was that they felt they could do whatever they presumed. With confusion in language, such project was abandoned. At Pentecost, the disciples united in prayer, seeking the promised Advocate of God to give them the grace to help them save their souls and the souls of others. Because their goal was doing the will of God and seeking the glory of God, they were blessed with the gift of speaking the language everybody understood. When we are united in doing God’s will, in seeking common good, all barriers are broken: the barriers of language, of race, of tribe, of class, and of religious sect.

St. Paul in today’s second reading tells us that the variety of gifts are given by the same Spirit and should be used not for selfish interest, but for the good of all.

In today’s Gospel, Christ lets us understand that the Holy Spirit fills us with peace and forgiveness. With these, we speak one language, the language of love. When we love, we experience peace. When we love, we forgive even the worst of our adversary.

Today’s solemnity is the most popular in the Church. It is a great feast that is worth all the vibes given to it. Just as in the days of Pentecost, we need the Holy Spirit to renew the face of the earth today. However, it is good to note that the role of the Holy Spirit is not just to fire 🔥 the enemy, or to make us manifest extraordinary gifts alone.

As on the day of Pentecost, we need the Holy Spirit to fill us with his sevenfold gifts that we may learn and propagate the one law and one language- Love. With love, our enemies will not just be defeated by a destructive fire, but will be converted by the fire of God’s love. With love, we shall not need to be extraordinary Christians before winning souls for Christ, but shall draw souls to Christ by our acts of kindness, forgiveness, and peacemaking to our neighbors and friends, but also to aliens and enemies.

We pray that the Holy Spirit descends on us and enkindle in us the fire of His love ❤️, that we may by keeping the one law and speaking the one language of love, renew the face of the earth!

Happy Pentecost Sunday!

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