Homily

"When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place" (Acts 2:1). Fifty days had passed since Easter and one hundred and twenty of Jesus’ followers (the Twelve, a group of disciples, Mary, and the other women) were gathered together, as was by now their custom, in the upper room. Since Easter, in fact, they had never failed to gather for prayer, to listen to Scripture, and to live in the spirit of fraternity. They established an apostolic tradition that has never been interrupted since. Not only in Jerusalem but in many other cities throughout the world, Christians continue to meet "all together in one place" to listen to the Word of God, to nourish themselves with the bread of life and to continue to live together in the memory of the Lord.
The day of Pentecost was decisive for the disciples because of the events that happened both inside and outside the upper room. The Acts of the Apostles narrate that during the afternoon, "suddenly from heaven came a sound like the rush of a violent wind" that blew over the house where the disciples were staying. The disturbance of the wind was like an earthquake felt throughout all of Jerusalem; it was so great that many people rushed to the epicentre, right in front of the door of the house, to see what was happening. It was immediately apparent to them that this was not a normal earthquake, for there had been a great commotion, but not a single building had fallen down. From the outside of the house, however, nobody could see that there was something inside that had shaken. Inside the upper room the disciples experienced a very real earthquake that, even though it was interior in nature, visibly affected them and their surroundings. They saw that "tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages." It was for all of them—the apostles, disciples and the women—a profound, life-changing experience. Perhaps they had recalled what Jesus told them on the day of his Ascension: "Stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high" (Lk 24:49), and other words: "It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you." (Jn 16:7) That community needed Pentecost, that is, they needed an event that would profoundly shake up the heart of each person just like an earthquake. In effect, a strong energy enveloped them and a kind of fire began to devour them in their depths. Fear gave way to courage, indifference made way for compassion, the warmth of openness melted away narrow-mindedness and love replaced egoism. This was the first Pentecost. The Church began its journey in the history of humankind.
The inner earthquake that had changed the hearts and lives of the disciples had also external effects. The door that had been barred for fifty days "for fear of the Jews" was thrown open and the disciples were no longer preoccupied with themselves, focused on their life, but began to speak to the crowds who had gathered in front of the door. The long and detailed list of all the peoples present signifies the presence of the entire world standing in front of that door. And while Jesus’ disciples were speaking, they were all able to understand them in their own language. They said in amazement, "We hear each of us in our own native language proclaiming the great things God did." We could say that this is the second miracle of Pentecost. From that day onward the Spirit of the Lord began to overcome limits that once seemed insurmountable, the limits that weigh down each man and woman to the place, family and small context in which they were born and live. Above all else, Pentecost had ended the dominion of Babel. The story of the Tower of Babel tells us of a people bent on building a unique city that with its tower would be able to reach heaven. The work is solely of their hands, the pride of all of the builders. But pride, while it united them, suddenly overpowers them. They were no longer able to understand each other and they scattered throughout the world (Gen 11:1-9). The dispersion of the Tower of Babel is an ancient story, but in it we can read a description of the ordinary peoples of the world, who are often divided among themselves and locked in struggle, intent on stressing that which divides them rather than what unites them. Each person is focused on pursuing his own interests without caring for the common good.
Pentecost brings an end to this Babel of the peoples in struggle only for themselves. The Holy Spirit poured out into the hearts of the disciples gives the initiative to a new time, the time of communion and fellowship. It is not a time that comes from people, although it involves them; or it comes about from our efforts, although it requires them. It is a time that comes from above, from God. The Acts of the Apostles narrates that a rain of tongues of fire fell from heaven and rested on the heads of each person present: it was the flame of love that burns away every sharpness and indifference; it was the tongue of the Gospel that oversteps the boundaries established by men and touches their hearts so they may be moved. The miracle of communion begins at Pentecost, inside the upper room just outside its door. It is here, between the upper room and the world, where the Church begins: The disciples, full of the Holy Spirit, overcame their fear and began to preach. Jesus had said, "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth." (Jn 16:13) The Spirit arrived and since that day He has never stopped guiding the disciples along the paths of the world. Solitude, confusion and incomprehension, the plight of orphans, and fratricidal violence are all no longer the inevitable fate of humanity, because the Spirit has come to "renew the face of the earth" (Ps 104:30).
In the Letter to the Galatians, the apostle Paul exhorts the believers to walk "by the Spirit...and [not to] gratify the desires of the flesh... the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these" (Gal 5:16-21). And he adds, "By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control" (Gal 5:22). The entire world needs fruit like this. Pentecost is the beginning of the Church, but also the beginning of a new world. Even now, at the beginning of a new millennium, the world is at the door waiting for a new Pentecost. The Holy Spirit is poured out over us so that we will leave behind our smallness and our narrow-mindedness to give witness to the love of the Lord and communicate to the world the love of the Lord. We too have been granted the gift of the "tongue" of the Gospel and the "fire" of the Spirit, so that while we communicate the Gospel to the world we may warm the hearts of the people and bring them closer to the Lord.