YEAR B: HOMILY OF PENTECOST SUNDAY
HOMILY THEME: LOVE—THE LANGUAGE OF THE SPIRIT
BY: Fr Anthony Chukwuebuka Ohaekwusi
The celebration of the Pentecost re-enacts the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers. This outpouring revives and renews everything good in us. It constantly rekindles in us the fire of love which dispels the darkness of hate.
ALSO RECOMMENDED: YEAR B: HOMILY OF PENTECOST SUNDAY
As people of faith, we believe that this outpouring is real, but can we say that it is active in our lives? We are often quick to claim exclusive ownership of the Holy Spirit, even when there is no sign of His influence on our actions. We can’t say we have the Holy Spirit within us and yet express attitudes of hatred, anger, selfishness and jealousy. The Spirit speaks from our heart, in one language (love) which is comprehensible to every people and nation. This language defies every disparity and unifies every diversity. It is the easiest language to speak, because you don’t need words before you can be understood.
I remember my first week in Europe, when I wanted to go to a store to get groceries. I searched for the store on Google and saw that it was only a 7-minute walk from me. I followed the map and got lost on the street. I became stranded and frustrated as I decided to trace my way back to the house, only to realise that I couldn’t find my way back. You could say that I had officially become a missing person. To make matters worse, I couldn’t ask anyone, I didn’t know a word of the language, and with the strange look on their faces when they pass by, I became frightened and confused until two young couples saw me and said “hello” with charming smiles. They literally took me by the hand to the store, helped me buy everything I needed and together we walked to my hostel. The amazing thing was that I could communicate with them, even if they didn’t understand English and I didn’t understand their language. Love was our language. When love is at work, we can communicate and understand each other even if our tongues are different.
One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is understanding, because the love of the Spirit makes us understand each other even in our differences. The disciples were able to express this love to unite people from different backgrounds because the Spirit speaks love. We often treat people badly because they don’t speak like us, look like us or think like us. The only way to communicate when language fails is love. When we have love, nothing looks strange in the other person. Love is the language of the spirit that brings life and freshness to the world. It revitalizes all that is good in us and makes us get the best from each other. For where there is love, there is understanding, even without language.
Remain lifted and do have a great Pentecost Sunday
FOR A SIMILAR HOMILY, CLICK HERE >>>>>