LITURGY AND LIFE

By Tom Saretsky

Pentecost is time to learn the new language of peace

Pentecost Sunday
May 23, 2010

Acts 2: 1-11
Psalm 104
Romans 8: 8-17
John 14: 15-16, 23-26

This month my oldest brother turns 50. It’s a milestone birthday, as all birthdays are, but whenever any of my siblings reaches a new decade, we tend to celebrate with more vigour and the party is extra-special. This will be a good celebration. The hall and the band have been booked, invitations are ready to go out, the menu has been planned and now we wait with great anticipation for a really good party. It falls on a wonderful time of the year as well — May long weekend. That’s the official beginning of the lake season, and when the weekend arrives we will be able to see the summer sunlight at the end of the long tunnel of the school year. I can hardly wait.

There is unity among all cultures when it comes to celebrating a birthday. Whether it’s through candles and cakes or more elaborate and sacred rituals, the language of celebration is all the same. It was like that on Pentecost. When the Holy Spirit descended, all of them present “were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them the ability.” These languages were the actual languages of the people of various cultures and traditions, not the unintelligible mumblings normally associated with “speaking in tongues.” This was not the case in the upper room at Pentecost. For those present said, “And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language . . . in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.”

As the apostles at Pentecost spoke new languages, so the world needs to speak a new language — a language of love that seeks to give comfort and hope so badly needed in the world today. I once read that, “on Pentecost day the apostles spoke a new language. It was the language of peace, rather than of war; the language of co-operation, rather than of competition; the language of forgiveness, rather than of vengeance; the language of hope, rather than of despair; the language of acceptance, rather than of bigotry; the language of friendship, rather than of hostility; the language of unity, rather than of division; the language of love, rather than of hate.” These are the languages of action, not verbal expression, and doing is much more difficult than talking.

It was on Pentecost that the Holy Spirit “came like the rush of a violent wind and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them.” The cake and the candles complete the birthday celebration. Pentecost is the Holy Spirit’s birthday. Since a “tongue (of fire) rested on each of them,” the apostles shone like candle lights burning brightly spreading the flame of God’s message throughout the whole world. The Pentecost flame given to us is an eternal flame which will never be extinguished.

Jesus came to start a fire on the earth, and how he wished to see it burn. However, in this day and age, there are other fires that burn: the fires of militarism, social narcissism, economic colonialism and racism. These fires are destructive as they threaten to consume nations, races, cultures and religions. But, as Christians inflamed with the Spirit, we are called to be fire fighters. Our mission is to extinguish the fires of injustice and hatred, while spreading the flames of love, peace and acceptance. It is within our power to do this because the flames of the Holy Spirit are in us, “we are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in us.”

Jesus’ fire of love began on the day of Pentecost. It will continue to burn with wild abandon despite humanity’s attempts to douse its flames. We need never fear being scorched by the flames of the Spirit. They will cleanse us and provide light and comfort in a divided world. Be consumed with the fire of the Spirit, and keep kindling the flames of love, mercy and compassion. May they become a blazing inferno engulfing the world in peace and harmony.

Saretsky and his wife Norma have two children. He is a teacher and chaplain at Bishop James Mahoney high school in Saskatoon.