Homily - The Solemnity of Pentecost - 8 June 2025

The Solemnity of Pentecost (C)

Dear brothers and sisters,

Too often we imagine the Pentecost event as applying to the early Church, as though it has nothing or little to do with us today. This is simply not the case, as I hope we will see.

When the Holy Spirit came down upon the Apostles at Pentecost, it was the second time they received this great gift of God; the Lord Jesus had already breathed the Holy Spirit upon them (cf. Acts2:3; John 19:22). They received the Holy Spirit at least twice, which corresponds to our double reception of the Holy Spirit, first at Baptism, and second at Confirmation.

Pentecost, Rabbula Gospels

We could spend time today asking why the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus in the form of a dove and over the Apostles as “tongues as of fire,” but I would rather consider the role of the Holy Spirit in the course of salvation history, which is to say in the early Church and among us today (cf. Matthew 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; Acts 2:3).

Perhaps the first role of the Holy Spirit is to enable us to pray, to believe. Saint Paul explains this very directly when he says, “No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit” (I Corinthians 12:3). Faith is, on the one hand, something that we do, a work we perform; on the other hand, however, faith is a gift from God.

Every gift must be freely given and freely received; otherwise it is not a gift. We can – and do – resist and even refuse this give of God himself, because we think the gift of faith, the gift of the Holy Spirit, will somehow take away something of our freedom. But this is far from true. The reality is much more profound.

God deals with us freely because God always deals with anything according to its nature. God does not pervert or destroy or weaken or cripple the nature of anything but perfects it. So when God’s grace deals with you, it does not take away your freedom – the free will that is essential to your human nature – but perfects it. It is like light: it does not remove or destroy or weaken the colors it shines on but intensifies them, makes them more visible, makes red redder and green greener and blue bluer. So when God’s Spirit moves you to faith, when God gives you the light of faith, he does not do it by bypassing your free choice but by perfecting it. it is your free choice to believe in him and to trust him, to entrust your whole self to him. The very same act of faith that comes from your free choice is also coming from God’s Spirit with you inspiring you.[1]

If natural light makes green greener, then the light of the Holy Spirit makes you more you. We know this to be true and this is why we sometimes resist the gift of the Holy Spirit, because we know he is desirous of us becoming holy ourselves, of us becoming Saints, those who have been perfected in and through love.

Perhaps the second role of the Holy Spirit in the early Church and today is to draw us into unity with one another. We see this clearly happening at Pentecost when the Apostles speak and the vast crowd of many different languages understand their words all at the same time (cf. Acts 2:4, 11). That crowd numbered at least three thousand from at least sixteen different parts of the world (cf. Acts 2:41, 9-11).

It cannot be denied that the world is very much divided today, and not simply by different languages. Individual nations are divided within themselves, even cities and families, including the family of the Church. The Holy Spirit does not wish to see us lash out at each other, to be indifferent or antagonistic toward each other; rather, he longs to draw us together into the unity of the Body of Christ, for we are members of that Body in which there should be no discord (cf. I Corinthians 12:25). This brings us to the third role of the Holy Spirit, both in the ancient Church and today.

It is the Holy Spirit who distributes different spiritual gifts, services, and workings upon each one of us (cf. I Corinthians 12:4-6). He does not give each of us the same gift because his gifts are given for the benefit of others.

Some of the gifts he gives are more attractive to us than others, such as the gifts of healing or working of miracles (cf. I Corinthians 9:9). We tend to prefer the more exciting or glamorous gifts, but we should not forget that some gifts of the Holy Spirit are not quite so glamorous, at least in our estimation: helpers and administrators are usually forgotten (cf. I Corinthians 12:28).

The variety of the Spirit’s gifts is not given for the benefit of the recipient, but rather, as Saint Paul says, “for building up the Body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12-13). The gifts of the Holy Spirit are given to be used for the benefit of others until we are all perfected in love (cf. Ephesians 4:12).

The purpose of the Church, who is animated by the Holy Spirit, is to make us more and more like Christ. For this reason, we have to keep in mind that

…the Church is a family, not a business; it is an organism, not an organization. God is our Father, not our boss. In that supernatural family, as in your natural family, nobody else can be you. Somebody else can take over your job, but nobody else can take over your soul, your personality. You are indispensable.

 

That’s why you have to make it to heaven: there is something you alone can do in heaven. There is something in God, some aspect of his truth and goodness and beauty, that no one else can know or appreciate as you can. And you will show that aspect of God to everyone else in heaven, just as you do now on earth – but much, much better. That’s why God created so many people, not just one. Even every snowflake is unique, and certainly every person is unique. As light is reflected differently in different snowflakes, God’s image is reflected differently in different persons. You are one of them.

 

There is a place setting for you at the banquet table in heaven, at the big family dinner. Your name is on that place setting. Your name is also on God’s personal invitation to you. He does not address his letters to “Dear Occupant” or “Dear Citizen.” He sends a personalized love letter to you alone. Be sure you respond with a yes. He’s your Father, and he loves every single one of his children more passionately than any earthly Father does.

 

How do we know that? It’s very clear and simple: Jesus says so. Do you think you know God better than he does?[2]

Today, then, let us call ever more fervently upon the Holy Spirit, that he may give to each of us and to all “virtue’s sure reward,” salvation, and “joys that never end.” Amen.[3]

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[1] Peter Kreeft, Food for the Soul: Reflections on the Mass Readings, Cycle C (Park Ridge, Illinois: Word on Fire, 2021), 342.

[2] Ibid., 344.

[3] cf. Sequence for Pentecost.

Homily - Why does the Holy Spirit appear as a dove and as tongues of fire?

The Solemnity of Pentecost (B)

Dear brothers and sisters,

In the beginning, “the earth was a formless void, there was darkness over the deep, and God’s spirit hovered over the water” (Genesis 1:1). We see here the presence of the Holy Spirit at the dawn of creation. We also see the Holy Spirit present at the creation of humanity: “the Lord God formed man out of the clay of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7). The breath of the Holy Spirit both creates and gives life.

It is rather curious that when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Lord Jesus in the waters of the Jordan that he came down in the form of a dove, but when he descended upon the Apostles at Pentecost he did so in the form of “tongues as of fire” (cf. Matthew 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; and John 1:32; Acts 2:3). Why does the Holy Spirit manifest himself in these different ways?

 

Detail, The descent of the Holy Spirit. Livre d’Heures d’Anne d’Autriche à l’usage de Rome, MS NAL 3090, f. 70r.

We are not told in the Scriptures why there is this difference, but still, we can posit a reason. If we consider the dove, this bird is said to be

…very meek, and innocent, and peaceful. The Savior is the Judge of all mankind, but he did not come to judge mankind, as he himself said, but to save… He wanted to guide us first with gentleness, so that he might afterwards save us at his judgment. This is why the Holy Ghost was seen above Christ in the likeness of a dove, because he was dwelling in this world in meekness, and innocence, and peacefulness.[1]

The natural characteristics of the dove provide insight as to one of the Holy Spirit’s manifestations.

Before we consider what the natural properties of fire can tell us about this manifestation of the Holy Spirit, we should first consider why he manifested himself as tongues of fire? He did so because

…it was by tongues [namely those of the serpent, of Adam, and of Eve] that death entered into the world (cf. Wisdom 2:24). The tongue of the serpent was poison to Eve, the tong of Eve poisoned Adam, and Adam’s tongue tried to turn the blame back on God. The tongue is a cold organ, surrounded by moisture; thus: “It is an unquiet evil, full of deadly poison” [James 3:8],” than which there is nothing colder. Therefore the Holy Spirit appeared in tongues of fire, to apply tongues to tongues, fire to deadly poison.[2]

With his forked and deceitful tongue, the serpent spoke a great lie to Eve and tricked her into believing God did not want – or even know – what was best for her, what would lead her to happiness, fulfillment, and peace. Through her conniving, Eve convinced Adam it was safe to eat the fruit of the tree of which they were forbidden to eat. Through his pride, Adam refused to accept responsibility for his action, blaming first Eve for having tricked him and, second, God for placing Eve by his side.

It was, then, through breath and the tongue that the poison of sin entered creation and doomed mankind to eternal death; now it is through breath and the tongue that the antidote to the poison of sin is given to a fallen world. Today, through the breath and tongue of the Holy Spirit the Lord “renew[s] the face of the earth” by bestowing upon us his seven-fold gifts.

Through the power of the Holy Spirit God the Father raised the Lord Jesus from death and restored him to life. As the Crucified and Risen Savior breathed the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, he breathed into them his very own life. Jesus breathes this same Spirit upon us so we, too, might have a share in his life. As Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit anew in this fashion, what was done through the breath and tongue of serpent, of Eve, and of Adam has been undone; all has been restored and renewed.

Now we come to the question of fire. The element of fire “has four natures: it burns, it cleanses, it warms, it gives light.” Similarly, the Holy Spirit burns away sins, cleanses hearts, shakes off sloth, and enlightens ignorance.”[3]

It is the fire of the Holy Spirit we received at Baptism that burns away the poison of sin and cleanses us from its filth. It is the fire of the Holy Spirit that convicts us of our sins by waking us from our slumbering laziness and fills us with the bright light of truth. In this way we are recreated. We must be open to the movement of the Holy Spirit within us; we must not stifle his work, but rather yield to him and so come to an ever more profound understanding of the love Christ the Lord showers upon us sinners. We must allow him to set our hearts aflame with divine love so the light of the world might shine brightly through us (cf. John 8:12).

Saint Augustine sums up for us why the Holy Spirit appeared as both a dove and as fire. He says, “The former shape denoted simplicity, the latter fervency…. The dove intimates that those who are sanctified by the Spirit should have no guile; the fire indicates that in that simplicity there should not be coldness.”[4]

Many people today often ask why the power of the Lord, why the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is not more manifest today, why it is not more clearly visible as it was in the time of the Apostles. We cannot forget the “Holy Spirit, ‘sharing with each as he will’ [cf. I Corinthians 12:11], breathes his grace where, how, how much, when and on whom he will.”[5] We should each pray he will pour out his gifts upon us, but we must first make room for him in our hearts because

…this power, the grace of the Holy Spirit, is not something we can merit or achieve, but only receive as pure gift. God’s love can only unleash its power when it is allowed to change us from within. We have to let it break through the hard crust of indifference, our spiritual weariness, our blind conformity to the spirit of this age. Only then can we let it ignite our imagination and shape our deepest desires.[6]

We cannot tell him what gift we want or in what way we want to receive it; rather, we must simply allow him to move as he wills, desiring whatever grace he chooses to give and for whatever purpose. Only then can we, too, speak “of the mighty acts of God” (Acts 2:11). Let us, then, ask the Holy Spirit to breathe upon us, to shake the foundations of our cold hearts with the fire of his love, and loose our tongues to sing the praises of him who is risen from the dead. Amen.

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[1] Blessed Aelfric of Eynsham, Sermon on the Holy Day Pentecost. Benjamin Thorpe, trans., The Homilies of the Anglo-Saxon Church (London: 1844).

[2] Saint Anthony of Pauda, Sermon of Pentecost, 3.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Saint Augustine of Hippo, Tractates on the Gospel of John, 6.3-5.

[5] Saint Anthony of Padua, Sermon of Pentecost, 3.

[6] Pope Benedict XVI, Homily, 20 June 2008.

Homily - The Solemnity of Pentecost - 28 May 2023

The Solemnity of Pentecost

Dear brothers and sisters,

Today’s celebration of the Solemnity of Pentecost is one with very ancient roots. Saint Bede the Venerable summarizes these roots for us:

On the fiftieth day after the Passover, the Lord descended upon the mountain in fire, accompanied by the sound of a trumpet and thunder and lightning, and with a clear voice he laid out for them the ten commandments of the law. As a memorial of the law he had given, he established a sacrifice to himself from the first-fruits of that year, to be celebrated annually on that day... The law was given on the fiftieth day after the slaying of the lamb, when the Lord descended upon the mountain in fire; likewise on the fiftieth day after the resurrection of our Redeemer, which is today, the grace of the Holy Spirit was given to the disciples as they were assembled in the upper room.[1]

In this we see one of the primary ways God relates with his people, first a foreshadowing and then the completion of the foreshadowing.

Duccio, Pentecost

The number fifty is also significant for another reason. We can again turn to Saint Bede for an explanation of the importance of this number:

In the law, the fiftieth year was ordered to be called the year of jubilee, that is, ‘forgiving’ or ‘changed’. During it the people were to remain at rest from all work, the debts of all were to be cancelled, slaves were to go free, and the year itself was to be more notable than other years because of its greater solemnities and divine praises. Therefore, by this number is rightly indicated that tranquility of greatest peace when, as the Apostle says, at the sound of the last trumpet the dead will rise and we shall be changed into glory. Then, when the labours and hardships of this age come to an end, and our debts, that is all our faults, have been forgiven, the entire people of the elect will rejoice eternally in the sole contemplation of the divine vision, and that most longed-for command of our Lord and Saviour will be fulfilled: Be still and see that I am God.[2]

Today’s solemnity of Pentecost then has – at least - a twofold meaning for us: first, the descent of God the Holy Spirit upon his people who will never leave us and, second, the promise of tranquility and greatest peace as we eternally behold the Face of God.

The Lord Jesus established the Church as the means by which we attain salvation. He entrusted the Sacraments to his Church by which he is continually present to his people. It is through the Holy Spirit that the self-offering of Christ to the Father on our behalf is continually made present to us in the Eucharist. What is more, it is the coming of the Holy Spirit, “which never ceases” that “causes the world to enter into the ‘last days,’ the time of the Church, the Kingdom already inherited though not yet consummated.”[3]

The reality of this struggle between what is already and what is not yet regularly plays out in the history of the Church in the holiness and sinfulness of her members. This is why Saint Paul said, “We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now; and not only that, but we ourselves as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies” (Romans 8:22-23).

We know all too well that among the sinners in the Church were and are some of her ministers, as the recent report of the Attorney General of the State of Illinois all too painfully reminded us. While the report really told us nothing we did not already know, reading it was gut-wrenching and the pain of those abused by some ministers of the Church was all too palpable. The Church is to be the spotless Bride of Christ, but some of her ministers have sullied her and brought shame upon her (cf. Revelation 19:8). Their actions are a constant reminder that “the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for [someone] to devour” (I Peter 5:8).

Today’s Solemnity of Pentecost is a clear reminder to each of us that we must cooperate with the grace the Holy Spirit pours out upon us to grow in holiness of life. Each of us must resolve anew each day not to sully the Bride of the Lamb. Each of us must cling more closely to Christ until his peace rests securely in our hearts and are we fully purified by the fire of the Holy Spirit (cf. John 20:19; Acts 2:3).

Christ the Lord said, “I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled” (Luke 12:49)! The Holy Spirit came down upon the Apostles as “tongues of fire” because

he caused them to be burning with God’s will and preaching about God's kingdom. Fiery tongues they had when with love they preached the greatness of God, that the hearts of heathen men, which were cold through faithlessness and bodily desires, might be kindled to the heavenly commands.[4]

Each of us – and especially the ministers of the Church – need to be burning with this same fire of love; each of us must have the coldness of our hearts driven out from us by the fire of the Holy Spirit.

Let us, then, call upon the Lord for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the members of the Church, both priests and laity alike, that we might all resist the enticements of the devil and remain “steadfast in faith” until the Church is brought to her perfection before the Face of her Bridegroom and receive that tranquility of greatest peace (I Peter 5:9). Let us cry out with all our hearts, “Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth” (cf. Psalm 104:30). Amen.

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[1] Saint Bede the Venerable, Sermon for Pentecost. In Eleanor Parker, “Thefiftieth day and ‘the tranquility of greatest peace’: Bede on Pentecost,” A Clerk of Oxford, 14 May 2015.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Catechism of the Catholic Church, 732.

[4] Blessed Aelfric of Eynsham, Homily for Pentecost. In Eleanor Parker, “‘We wurðiað þæs Halgan Gastes tocyme': An Anglo-Saxon Sermon for Pentecost,” A Clerk of Oxford, 24 May 2015.