Pentecost Sunday
Acts 2:1-11
1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13
John 20:19-23

William Luijpen, a philosopher once wrote a book entitled What Can You Say about God, (except God?) The book’s title says it all. Despite the richness of our language, I am convinced that we do not have adequate words to describe either God or the values most important to us. We are, in fact, often deceived when we think that another understands us simply because we speak the same language. One soon discovers that shared language—even about something as intimate as faith and the Church—may not mean shared values. Religious language is subject to the same whims of usage as any other language. Words can be nuanced with volume, tone and gesture. Language can be used to heal and to hurt, to unite and to divide.

Today’s feast tells us that language is meant to unite. The language of Pentecost is the language of faith-meeting-faith.

The readings of Pentecost are reassuring. No matter what form of language is used; under the influence of the Holy Spirit, we can announce that Jesus is Lord. No matter how divergent our language, we proclaim our faith together at the Eucharist through the unity of the Holy Spirit.

This is most apparent to me when I travel to Europe. Those who gather at Eucharist in those cathedrals, basilicas and simple churches speak many languages. Some believers come from remote parts of the world. But the phenomenon is not limited to faraway places. In our own parish, we might easily discover that we are seated next to someone with whom we disagreed earlier. Yet in an atmosphere of faith and in the accepted language of the liturgy, we announce the faith we have in Christ Risen and living in the Church. What Christians hear in their own language, they must speak in the language of others so that truth will be shared with all the world. The mission statement of Jesus in the Gospel points to the outward direction of the church. “As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.”

On this Pentecost Sunday, Christians throughout the world gather to acknowledge that the Spirit guides and guards the Church. The atmosphere that the Spirit brings is one of peace and acceptance where differences are put aside and we realize we do indeed share a common language, the language of faith.

As we are sent from this proclamation of faith, we move into a world ready to hear the word of Christ. In our community there are people with divergent talents and a variety of gifts. Our promise today is to use these gifts to further the kingdom.