Homily for Pentecost 2012

My sisters & brothers, we continue the mission of the Church as we celebrate our spiritual roots. 

The famous AValley of Dry Bones@ story we started out with is a dramatic and powerful promise of resurrection for God=s people.  It comes to us from the prophet Ezekiel who was both a prophet and a priest.  His ministry began before the conquest of Judah in 587 BC, and continued during the exile in Babylon.  This book is the foundation for both Jewish and Christian visionary or apocalyptic literature, e.g. Revelation.  The prophet's message to the exiles is clear: he assures his hearers of God's abiding presence among them, and he emphasizes God's involvement in the events of the day, so that Israel and all nations will know who really is God.  He brings a dispersed and discouraged people, a message of hope.  Hope that God will restore them to their homeland and the temple. 

Our second reading today is the Pentecost story from Acts.  The way Luke puts it (the time Acame") shows that Pentecost is a milestone in the story of salvation, using similar language to his introduction of Jesus birth and ascension.

Look at the manner in which the Holy Spirit comes: the sound is Alike the rush of a violent wind@ and then, Adivided tongues, as of fire.@  Luke attempts to describe the event in human terms, but it is never possible to explain a divine mystery.  All we can do is say what it is like.  The coming of the Holy Spirit is the gift inaugurating the final stage of salvation history; this era leads up to the end of time.  The Spirit=s arrival is in fulfillment of Christ's promise.  The Spirit is the launching pad for the church=s mission.  

Today=s gospel picks up the story after the Last Supper, Jesus continues to tell the disciples about the mission they are to undertake and promises The AAdvocate.@  This advocate is the Holy Spirit; who is described as the Aspirit of truth.@  The Church too is to witness, to work with the Holy Spirit, by living the life that Christ made possible.  Thus, continuing Christ=s work in the world. 

Today we celebrate both the arrival of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Church.  It is also the beginning of the mission to make disciples of all nations.  We see this in the example of Peter preaching on the spur of the moment.  This celebration is referred to as the birth of the church because Jesus has finally left his disciples, by ascending to the Father.  The waiting time for the Spirit has come to fruition and they have been filled with all the spiritual gifts needed to begin there work of establishing Jesus= church in the world. 

Historically, the early Christians did not start out seeing themselves as a new church.  They saw themselves as Jews who knew the Messiah had come, and set about proclaiming that message.  It was not until the year 70 that they fully broke away from Judaism as an independent religion. 

The lead up to this began with the Jewish establishment persecuting the Christians as heretics.  During this time, the Zealots in Israel mounted a full scale rebellion against Roman occupation.  The Roman response was for an army to make a complete sweep of Israel.  Subduing the country again and utterly destroying the city of Jerusalem and the Temple within it.  This destruction was the final blow to the Christians.  It forced them to realize that they were about something completely new. 

Pentecost is the spiritual root of this realization which simply took time (and traumatic events) for people to figure out.  So, we today celebrate Pentecost as the birth of the church; because Christianity=s spiritual roots started with this event! 

So, what about our own day and age?  To continue the mission started by our ancestors in faith (to live in the Holy Spirit as they did) we must continue our discernment and development process.  Through prayer and conversation, we will be able to more clearly see God=s call to us in 2012 and put that call into action!