Pentecost [A]
May 28, 2023
John 20:19-23 [Acts 2:1-11]
The day of Pentecost is also called the day of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Church that Christ has just established. As the Holy Spirit came down to each disciple in the form of tongue like fire, the disciples began to speak different languages as to proclaim God’s great deeds. Many people call this miraculous ability to speak different languages in the day of Pentecost as ‘the gift of tongue’. But, did the disciples truly receive the gift of tongue? What is the gift of tongue all about? And, what did exactly happen to the disciples?
Firstly, why does it call as the gift of tongue? Luke, the author of the Acts of the Apostles, described what happened to the disciples. after they had received the Holy Spirit, they began to speak other languages (Greek: ἕτεραι γλῶσσαι – eterai glossai). The word ‘glossa’ in Greek can mean both tongue (the instrument of speech) and language itself. Thus, if the disciples received the gift of tongue, it means they receive the gift of language.
Secondly, what language did the disciples speak? Contrary to some popular beliefs, the disciples did not speak some unintelligible languages or language of the ‘spirit’ or of the angels. They uttered normal human languages. But, what language did the disciples actually say? We can say that the disciples were speaking new languages. Some disciples may speak Greek, others may say in Latin, other still may speak other Mediterranean languages of that time. Yet, there is another theory. It says that the disciples remained speaking in their native language, most probably Galilean Aramaic, but those who were present heard them in their own native languages. This is properly speaking, not really gift of tongue, but the gift of hearing or the gift of translation. The Holy Spirit ‘translated’ the words of the disciples in the hearers’ ears.
The gift of the Holy Spirit in the day of Pentecost is indeed remarkable, but what is it for us? In reality, most of us do not have this kind of extraordinary gift of tongue. I have been in Rome for almost one year, and spent all the time to study Biblical languages, Hebrew and Greek. Yet, after almost a year, I am still struggling with these languages. I wish the Holy Spirit come down during the day of Pentecost and suddenly I could speak Hebrew and Greek!
While it is true that most of us do not have the gift of tongue, but it does not mean we do not possess the Holy Spirit of Pentecost. In fact, if we only focus on the gift of tongue or the gifts of the Spirit, we may miss the entire point. The Pentecost is about the Spirit that gives new birth to each disciple that they become a new person in Christ. As new creations, they now have the courage to preach ‘the mighty deeds of God’.
Pentecost means we allow the Holy Spirit enter into our lives and inspire us to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our own particular ways. When we teach our children to pray and bring them to the Church, it is a Pentecost. When some of us volunteer as catechists and even involve in teaching the catechumens, it is a Pentecost. When we do our best to resist the ways of the world, and follow Jesus, it is a Pentecost.
Blessed Pentecost!
Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP