Holy Ghost

The apostles are no longer terrified and in hiding after Jesus’ crucifixion, but, driven by what seems like a powerful wind from heaven and tongues of fire, they go out into the market square proclaiming the marvels of God. The people are from many foreign places but everyone hears and understands in his or her own language what is being said. It signifies a reversal of the confusion of language in the story of Babel and the beginning of humanity’s restoration to unity.

Not only is the Spirit of God our helper but also, as St. Paul says in the second reading, He has “made His home” in us. The source of this divine life of the Spirit within us is the Father “who raised Jesus from the dead”. Having received the gift of the Spirit we are called to live “spiritual lives”. We may lack the power to describe the beauty of God’s creation, but with the help of the Holy Spirit we can speak in words that bring love, healing and reconciliation. When the words are accompanied by actions of self-giving they will be understood and accepted, whatever the language of the recipient.

The readings for today’s Solemnity of Pentecost, each in their own way, describe the effect of God’s Holy Spirit in terms of speaking a language of understanding a culture. The apostles are transformed from being huddled in the upper room in fear of their lives into people who are filled with joy and courage as they rush out to share the good news of the resurrection of Jesus. They speak foreign languages, they are given the gift of speech. All people understood the Gospel message, each in their own language. In the Gospel, Jesus describes the Spirit as the one who speaks the truth – acting as a witness to the truth about Jesus. Throughout John’s Gospel, the truth about Jesus is quite simply that Jesus is the Son of God. With the Spirit speaking through them, the apostles can translate God’s love so that all people can hear and accept it.

Champollion worked for years to be able to decipher the hieroglyphs of the Rosetta Stone. No one can learn a language in an instant. In the same way, the Spirit leads the followers of Christ into the complete truth – a gradual process in our personal lives and as community of faith. How do we know if we are speaking the language of God’s love? St. Paul gives a vivid description of those who speak the language of the Spirit and those who don’t. Indecency, sexual irresponsibility, envy, drunkenness, bad temper – these are sure signs that a person has not learn the language of God. But when God’s Spirit lives in us, then what we are able to express comes from that core of our being – a language that is as beautiful as it is clear, because it comes from God: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness. Since the Spirit has taught us how to speak, let our lives speak the language of God, the language of love.