A homily for Pentecost Sunday, May 23, 2021
Acts 2:1-11, 1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13, Jn 15:26-27; 16:12-15
Today is about Truth.
(Actually, every day should be about truth, but today is special.)
Today is about speaking the Truth.
Today is about recognizing Truth when we hear it.
Today is about acting in support of Truth.
Today is about worshipping the source of Truth.
You may recall from Holy Week that, in the text of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Our Lord told Pontius Pilate that he was born to testify to Truth, and Pilate’s retort was, “What is Truth?”
These days, perhaps more than ever, it can be hard to tell.
Now, it would and could be all too easy to get political here, and Jesus was no stranger to politics. Scripture tells us he was crucified to atone for our sins and conquer death, and that fact is the core of our faith. But as far as the Roman and Israelite authorities were concerned, Jesus was crucified because they expected him to lead an insurrection and an attempt to overthrow the government. In other words, a political execution.
But the source of Truth isn’t interested in having us head down that rabbit hole today. His Truth was — is — revolutionary enough without getting the successors to Caesar involved.
So: What is Truth?
Love.
Charity and justice.
Altruism and a belief in the family of all God’s creatures.
An end to xenophobia and every hurtful phobia or ism.
Watchfulness that these wildfires don’t flare up again and again and…
Belief in miracles.
Now, when we think about Pentecost and the descent of the Holy Spirit, two vivid interrelated images come to mind. We see tongues of fire (actually, tongues as of fire) hovering over the Apostles’ heads, and we hear them speaking in every known language and probably three more for good measure.
And the power of the Holy Spirit is certainly more than enough to effect such a miracle.
But the miracle really wasn’t the Tower of Babel II.
The miracle is the passion — the fire — with which Christ’s disciples of every time and place can speak the Truth and act upon it. The courage to say what is right and do what is right. The fire and the courage with which we can speak the Truth and act upon it.
Christ’s Truth needs no translating. It needs no words. The deaf can hear it and the blind can see it. Christ’s Truth is for everyone. It never discriminates. It never has and it never will.
Every person of every age can understand it, because children know what love is. The oldest among us needs only to wake up that inner child to know how to feel it and know what to do about it.
Pentecost is celebrated as the birthday of the church — Big C Church and little c church. Pentecost reminds us that we are Church and we are inspired — breathing in the Spirit — to live our lives enlightened by Christ’s love and to light the fire of love in every child of God everywhere.
To live our lives listening for Truth.
What is Truth?
Truth equals Love. Love demands Action. Action requires Fire.
Pentecost floods us with Truth, Love, Action and Fire, through the power of the Spirit.
Every day can be Pentecost.
Every day must be Pentecost.
