The Solemnity of Pentecost (2024)
When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together… Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.”
—Acts 2:1, 4
Before his return to the Father, Jesus had promised his Apostles that “the Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you” (John 14:26). The first Christians experienced the fulfillment of this promise as the Spirit of God came upon them that first Pentecost in wind, fire, and voice (cf. Acts 2:1-4). We should remember, however, that Pentecost was only a beginning and that what began with that privileged encounter with the Spirit of God continues in our own day. After all, while the Holy Spirit does not always come in great signs and wonders as it did for Mary and the Apostles gathered in the Upper Room, the Spirit remains present and active in individual hearts and in the life of the Church.
In a reflection on this mystery, a sixth-century author who has come to be known as “Pseudo-Macarius” wrote:
“The heart directs and governs all the organs of the body. And when grace pastures the heart, it rules over all the members and the thoughts. For there, in the heart, the mind abides as well as all of the thoughts of the soul and its hopes. This is how grace penetrates throughout all the parts of the body.”
Pseudo-Macarius understood that the heart is that place where a person’s spirit and the Spirit of God exist together. The mind (the seat of rational thought) is made complete when it abides in the heart and becomes enlightened by “all the thoughts of the soul and all its hopes.” Although our mind is an essential part of who we are, we are only at our best when our minds and hearts move together.
This unity of mind and heart—a unity that brings individuals together in bonds of faith and love—is at the heart of our Pentecost celebration.
Pentecost as depicted in an illuminated capital in a 14th century Sarum missal
This coming together of mind and heart reminds us that, in an essential way, the great gift of Pentecost was a restoration of lost unity. In the powerful sign of the Spirit bestowing upon each person the ability to speak new languages, we find Spirit made use of human instruments in a way that foretold a future in which all humanity would sing God’s praises in one voice. And we know that the Spirit that binds us all together in praise also enriches us with a diversity of gifts. This diversity is essential to the life and health of the Church. If we fall into the trap of equating unity with uniformity then we are, as it were, restricting the work of the Spirit. This is why Saint Paul reminds us that,
“There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit” (1 Corinthians 12:4-7).
With all this in mind, we recognize that Pentecost is a celebration of possibilities, both for individual believers and for the Church. The Pentecost-present of the first Christians was a witnessing of the power of the Spirit for the future of the Church and the renewal of creation (cf. Psalm 104, Responsorial Psalm for the Solemnity of Pentecost).
By being open to the Spirit, individually and communally, we become free to celebrate legitimate diversity based on giftedness and vocation and we can live a unity that is not afraid of questions, doubts, challenges, and possibilities. We are led outside of ourselves for the sake of others.
If the gifts we have received are for the common good, then our Pentecost mission is to share our gifts and spend ourselves nurturing others, drawing them into the unity of the Spirit and the Church, and to open ourselves to the workings of the Spirit in the diversity of the gifts and lives of others.
Holy Spirit, Spirit of Jesus and of the Father, inexhaustible wellspring of harmony, to you we entrust the world; to you we consecrate the Church and our hearts. Come, Creator Spirit, harmony of humanity, renew the face of the earth. Come, Gift of gifts, harmony of the Church, make us one in you. Come, Spirit of forgiveness and harmony of the heart, transform us as only you can, through the intercession of Mary. Amen.
-Pope Francis (Homily for May 28, 2023)
