Different Tongues; One Faith!

Sunday, June 8, 2025

Feast of Pentecost

Acts 2:1-11; 1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13; Jn 20:19-23

The feast of Pentecost celebrates the birth of the Church. 

The descent of the Holy Spirit, the believing community speaking in tongues, and the large crowd hearing what was spoken in ‘his own language’ highlight the unity, universality, and inclusivity that characterize the universal Church. Hence, at the feast of Pentecost, we celebrate the work of the Holy Spirit, who binds the believing community together with love. 

The readings of the day help us understand the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit. 

The first reading narrates the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples during ‘Shavuot,’ the Jewish feast of Pentecost, which commemorated the giving of the Law at Sinai. There are two beautiful insights. Two Old Testament events are recalled here. At first, for the Israelites, the Law given at Sinai became their national identity. Here, the descent of the Holy Spirit gives birth to the new people of God – the Church. This is why we associate the feast of the Pentecost with the birth of the Church. Secondly, the multilingual proclamation of the Good News by the recipients of the Spirit signifies a reversal of Babel, where language caused division. But since all those gathered could hear the proclamation ‘in his own language,’ we understand that the same language became a sign of unity here. The work of the Holy Spirit teaches us to celebrate ‘unity in diversity’ as the very distinguishing mark of the Church. 

In the second reading, we find Paul addressing the internal divisions in the Corinthian community over spiritual gifts and social status. Paul’s instruction begins with what the gift of the Holy Spirit can do to an individual believer. In Paul’s words, no believer can confess ‘Jesus is Lord’ if not for the grace that comes from the Holy Spirit. In his famous ‘Theology of Charisms,’ Paul underscores the purpose for which the Holy Spirit gifts us with specific charisms. If we get Paul’s instruction right, we won’t be caught up with unnecessary conflicts or misunderstandings. In his exposition on the Gifts of the Spirit, Paul highlights three important features. 1. There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, none of them being superior or inferior to the other. 2. The manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit. Our spiritual gifts are to enrich the mission of the Church in some way. As such, our spiritual gifts must be directed toward the common good. 3. While no one gift defines the whole, all are needed and interconnected through baptism. In Paul’s exposition, we understand that just as the human body benefits from the function of many different parts, the Church of God, which is one body with many members, benefits from the diverse richness. The Holy Spirit enhances the mission of the Church by bringing together individuals with diverse talents. 

The Gospel highlights the disciples receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit directly from Jesus. In light of the work of the Holy Spirit in the first two readings, the reception of the Holy Spirit for the mission of evangelization is enormous. Upon giving the Holy Spirit, Jesus commissions his disciples with the authority to forgive sins. In other words, what Jesus intends for the world is a healing mission to be carried on by his disciples. The recipients of peace and the Holy Spirit are to spend themselves in a mission that proclaims God’s mercy, peace, and forgiveness. 

The feast of Pentecost invites us to reflect on some key themes. 

Diversity as a Missional Virtue: At a time when xenophobic fears have become a daily feed on social media platforms, we are called to remember the work of the Holy Spirit that celebrates pluralism and promotes ministries of inclusion. For Christians, diversity is not merely a decorative value but a missional virtue.

Recognition as Mission: The work of the Spirit teaches us the importance of an ethic of recognition in affirming different ministries and vocations. The unique gifts of the Holy Spirit to different members of the believing community mean that every member, regardless of any differences, has a role to play in God’s mission. We avoid the hierarchy of spiritual elitism only by equally valuing all contributions. 

Healing the Fractured World: Jesus does two things in the Gospel. He gives them his peace. He gives them his Spirit. He invites his followers to give the same to the world. As we experience the world fractured and fragmented more and more, the Christian healing mission has become ever more relevant. The polarized world needs Christians as healers, just as it witnessed Jesus the healer. 

Let us pray that we may enrich God’s mission through our unique gifts that we were endowed with by the Holy Spirit. 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar