Acts 2:1-11
Ps 104
1 Cor 12:3-7,12-13
Jn 20:19-23
The reading from Acts points out a fact that is generally missed, ignored, or unknown. A feast named Pentecost is not unique to Christianity. The Church's Feast of Pentecost is historically, symbolically, and calendrically linked to the ancient Jewish feast of Pentecost, a feast more commonly known as Shavuot.
The word Pentecost derives from the Greek root meaning fifty days. The Jewish Pentecost commemorates Moses receiving the Ten Commandments fifty days after the Exodus. In the Jewish liturgical year Pentecost or Shavuot falls fifty days after the first seder of Passover. Shavuot began Friday evening and ended last night. In the Catholic liturgical year Pentecost falls fifty days after Easter, with Easter Sunday counted as day number one. Just as Moses received the wisdom of the Decalogue fifty days after the Exodus from Egypt, the disciples, and by extension the Church, received the wisdom of the Holy Spirit fifty days after Jesus’ resurrection, His exodus from death.
The first reading is dramatic. Wind. Fire. Speaking in tongues. The populace was shocked when they heard the poorly educated and unsophisticated Galileans speaking whatever language was necessary to tell the city's many visitors the Good News of Jesus. Scholars sometimes refer to the speaking in tongues as “the reversal of Babel,” the undoing of the event that caused the earth's multiplicity of languages, a multiplicity that is a source of division among the peoples. That division and periodic conflict will remain, no matter how many COEXIST bumper stickers travel the highway.
At Pentecost, that which had been split apart by man's pride at Babel was rejoined through Jesus’ obedience to the Father.
Upon the descent of the Holy Spirit, that which had been shattered by hubris, was reassembled by Jesus sending of the Holy Spirit.
Paul wrote, “To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.” We celebrate those manifestations today, we celebrate those gifts of the Spirit. Each of us is given gifts in various combinations. These gifts are neither identical to nor interchangeable with the gifts given to anyone else. A major life task is to discover our unique gifts and develop them.
In some strata of American society it is fashionable, if not required, to deny even the possibility, of differences and distinctions, abilities and inabilities, talents and complete lack of talent. The reality is, however, that no one can be anything he or she wants to be simply by wanting it. It was never true. It will never be true.
Some in government and society go so far as to deny fundamental biological differences with delusional intensity, demanding that others buy into that delusion, a term psychiatrists call folie-รก-deux. The result of denying differences in the name of equality results in a bizarre pseudo-equality that is a malignant form of exclusivity. This pseudo-equality fuels a heightened sense of specialness. As a result each individual or group insists that his, her, or the group's specialness must be recognized as the most special of all specialness.
Med school professors like to share a number of parodies regarding the body during anatomy or physiology class. The general outline is an argument among organs or body parts about which of them is the most important, which is the supreme controller, which is the MOST critical to the life, comfort, and survival of the organism. But, except for the appendix, that does appear to be useless, there is no most important organ. All of the body's organs are equally necessary. Each has unique functions that cannot be replaced by another. The lungs cannot do the work of the liver. The liver cannot do the work of the heart. The pancreas certainly cannot replace the kidneys. If one organ or organ-system fails the body dies as one by one the other organs and organ systems fail.
No one can become anything he or she wants to be simply by wanting to be that thing or pretending to be it. No one can become something simply by "identifying" as it. We must all live within limits that are chromosomal, physiological, psychological, and cognitive among many others. Some of these limits are inborn others are acquired. We all have strengths and abilities. We all have weaknesses, inabilities, and disabilities. It will never not be so. The only true equality, the exclusive lowest common denominator among humans, is that we are sinners. We are sinners loved by God, but, sinners nonetheless. We can never afford to forget that.
The gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit have been bestowed upon us. Our first task is to cooperate with those gifts and graces in the manner to which each of us is called. The second task is to use those gifts and graces to share the revelation of Jesus with those whom we meet using whatever language necessary.
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Had planned on posting this yesterday but, a wretched night sleep and total exhaustion after returning from Mass at noon and, to use two words from on old Steve Martin routine: I Forgot. Mea culpa. Slept several solid hours last night and then remembered upon awakening.
Photos from the Sevenhill Jesuit Retreat House in Sevenhill, South Australia. Sevenhill is the only active Jesuit winery in the world. The retreat involved spending thirty days on over 1000 acres of active winery. The silence at night was total.
St. Aloysius Church. An active parish. Tourists to the winery frequently dropped in. For that reason we were shown the key to the choir loft so as to be able to pray in the church if we wished without being disturbed.
A moth caught in a spider web.
Loved the shape of this candelabra that stood in front of a statue of Mary.
A study of the color pattern on a concrete wall. Australian light can be intense. Remember, January-February is summer in Australia. Three years earlier one of my friends did his retreat here and almost left the retreat due to crushing heat. I was a little anxious about that. However, if anything the weather resembled Boston in October more than late July. I didn't complain too much.
One of the stained glass windows such as that seen below was responsible or the above shot. The play of light was terrific.
We'd had a downpour one night. These decorative lamps presented an interesting opportunity. Wish I had gone back at night with a lighter. However, doing the long retreat is draining. I don't think I was awake after 9 PM any night. Generally woke about 2:30 to begin prayer and recite the office of readings. There is a bit of the Trappist at work in me.
Walked by this pond several times daily as it lay between the main retreat house and the small house in which three of us were lodged because there was insufficient space in the retreat house. I will be perpetually grateful that I stayed with two other guys in the 'farmhouse' for too many reasons than I could possibly list.
One of the men from Vietnam (we were a very international community of twelve) doing his evening meditation.
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