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 by now was their custom, in the cenacle. 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 since then has never been interrupted. Not only in Jerusalem, but in many other cities throughout the world, Christians continue to meet "all together in the same 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 cenacle that day. The Acts of the Apostles narrate that, during the morning, "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, so much so 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 usual earthquake, for there had been a great commotion, but nothing fell down. From outside the house, however, nobody could see the "crashes" that were happening inside. Inside the cenacle 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 at that very moment they remembered what Jesus had said to 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 also, "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 was in need of Pentecost, of an event that would profoundly rattle the heart of each individual like an earthquake. That day a powerful energy charged them and a fire started devouring them in the depths of their being. Fear gave way to courage, indifference yielded to compassion, warmth melted away the cold, closed heart, and love supplanted egoism. That day was the first Pentecost, and the Church began its journey into human history, guided by the strength of the Holy Spirit.
The interior earthquake that had changed the hearts and lives of the disciples could not help but send shockwaves beyond the confines of the cenacle. The door barred shut for fifty days "for fear of the Jews," finally had been thrown open and the disciples, no longer shut up within themselves, no longer concentrated on their own lives, began to speak to the crowds who had gathered in front of the door. The long and detailed list of all the peoples present that the author of the Acts writes signifies the presence of the entire world standing before that door. So, while Jesus’ disciples were speaking, everybody was able to understand them in their own language. They said, in amazement, to what can be considered the second miracle of Pentecost, "We hear each of us in our own native language proclaiming the great things God did." Since that day the Spirit of the Lord had begun to overcome limits that once seemed insurmountable, limits that heavily bound every man and woman to place, to family, and to the small context in which they were born or presently live. The Spirit also ended the unopposed dominion of Babel over humanity. The story of the Tower of Babel tells us of the people’s hubristic attempt to build a single city that with its tower would be able to reach the heavens. The tower was the work of their hands, the pride of the builders. However, while uniting them only momentarily, their pride soon became the cause of their demise. They were no longer able to understand one another and they dispersed all over the world (Gen 11:1-9). The dispersion of the Tower of Babel is an ancient story, but it is descriptive of the daily life of peoples today, often divided and struggling with each other, bent on perpetuating whatever divides rather than what may unite them. Each person focuses on his or her own interests, never caring for the common good.
Pentecost brings this Babel of men and women in struggle among themselves to an end. The Holy Spirit infused in the disciples’ hearts inaugurates a new beginning, establishes a time of communion and fraternity. The time of Pentecost does not begin with men and women, although it deeply involves them; it does not arise from our efforts, although it calls for our work. It is a time that comes from on high; it comes from God, like those tongues of love that settled on the heads of each disciple. It was the flame of love that burned away every asperity and estrangement. It was the tongue of the Gospel that went beyond the boundaries imposed by men and women and touched and moved their hearts so that they felt compassion. The miracle of communion begins right at Pentecost, inside the cenacle and outside, in front of the door. Here, between the cenacle and the square of the world, is where the Church begins. The disciples, full of the Holy Spirit, overcome their fear and begin 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 has continuously guided the disciples along the paths of the world. Solitude and war, 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 believers to "live by the Spirit and not to gratify the desires of the flesh... Now 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 5:19-21). And he adds: "By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control" (5:22). These are the kinds of fruits the whole world needs. Pentecost is the beginning of the Church, but also the beginning of a new world. Even today, at the beginning of the new millennium, the world is standing at the door waiting for a new Pentecost. The Holy Spirit, just as it was on the day of the first Pentecost, is infused in our hearts so that we may depart from our narrow ways and limitations and communicate the Lord’s love to the world. The "tongue" of the Gospel and the "fire" of the Spirit have also been given to us so that as we communicate the Gospel to the world, we will warm the hearts of people, drawing them nearer to the Lord.