Homily for the Pentecost May 20, 2018
Fr. Albert St. Peter’s, New Iberia
Just a few weeks ago, a new world record was set. The biggest opening weekend for a movie, ever. Avengers: Infinity War passed up the competition by over $100 million. There are many external reasons for this: a long build up, great advertising, and good timing. But, we have to give credit to the story itself. It’s a comic book movie, a massive story about superheroes – the idea that people with special gifts and abilities work together to stop some great evil, some all-encompassing destruction that only they can defeat.
That speaks to people at a primal level, I think. Everyone is the main character in their own story. At least at some point in their life, everyone dreams about accomplishing something great, about having some ability to contribute to the greater good, to overcome the evil that is so obviously present in our world. Plus, it’s a fun thing to think about: what if I had super powers?
Well, you do. You have super powers. It may not be flight or super strength or some kind of telekinesis, but you have them. In fact, that’s what Pentecost is about. It’s our origin story, that key moment in history when some inexplicable force, some manifestation of a greater destiny breaks into mundane history to change us, and the world, forever.
Until that moment, only some people seemed to be superheroes. Moses and Elijah and King David, extraordinary men through whom God did amazing things. Then comes Jesus Christ working miracles and speaking in ways never heard before. But brutal history reasserted itself. The perverted logic of worldly power took Jesus and killed him, leaving the Apostles dazed and confused, despite being warned about all of this beforehand. Then, suddenly, Jesus shatters the stronghold of death on human history. Alive again, he enters the upper room and does something, well…. Something a little odd. He breathes on the Apostles.
And that’s when it all changes. No radioactive spider, no magical stone from space. A man in a room breathing on other men, and they all get superpowers. The prophet Joel actually foretold this, saying “I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh.” In Hebrew and Greek, that’s the same thing as saying “I will pour out my breath on all flesh” – it’s the same words. And he really means “all flesh,” going on to list old, young, man, and woman alike.
For the Apostles, Jesus tells them about their superpower: “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” The ability to forgive sins and open the way to eternal life and salvation? That’s way cooler than flying. People who fly still die. But not Christians. The Christian superpower is eternal life.
And this moment of being breathed upon is paralleled by the coming of tongues of fire, the day of Pentecost itself. Speaking new languages, performing miracles, and converting the world all come from this moment of supernatural power granted to the Apostles. And it’s tempting to think “oh, only the Apostles get to be the main characters… they are the ‘Avengers,’ the heroes of this story.” But that’s not true.
Jesus tells them about another great ability they have received: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” The Father sent Jesus to grant this power to the Apostles, so now the Apostles are sent to grant power to all those who will accept it. They receive the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, but they have the power to give the Holy Spirit – and superpowers – to others. Confirmation is that sacrament that continues Pentecost. The oil used at Confirmation, Chrism… the successor to the Apostles, the bishop blesses that oil by breathing on it.
So? What does that mean for me? I got my Confirmation, but I don’t have the ability to read minds or magically heal people, what’s my superpower? Well, actually, some people can read minds or heal people after they receive the Holy Spirit, but those are not even close to being the most important powers. St. Paul clearly tells us that “To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.” If you are Baptized and especially if you have received Confirmation, you have received a spiritual superpower, the ability to do something beyond mere natural abilities.
But, unlike the Avengers and other such heroes, our powers are not blind forces of nature to be manipulated however we want. “There are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone.” Each ability is God working in us. And these abilities have a name. They are called charisms. And yes, some charisms involve miraculous healings and mystical knowledge of other people’s minds, but most do not. Most of them are more subtle, more humble, and yet, probably more powerful and important.
I’m sure you still have doubts… you look back on your life and say “I don’t see any superpowers.” But they are there. Everyone Baptized and Confirmed is given a spiritual gift. That’s on top of the fact that your ability to believe the Catholic Church is itself supernatural. The way we believe and live… it doesn’t add up on a natural level. Only with the superpowers of faith, hope, and love can you make any sense out of it.
But, there are other, more personal gifts. And Scripture lists several of them. It might surprise you what counts as a “charism.” There are charisms of generosity, hospitality, helpfulness, and mercy. There are charisms of wisdom and knowledge and teaching. There are charisms of administration and leadership. And yes, there are charisms of speaking in tongues, discernment of spirits, miracles, and healings.
More than natural talents, these charisms make a person supernaturally effective. The supernatural is not always flashy, however. Anything that builds up the faith of another, that leads to conversion, and that serves the Church’s mission… these things serve the supernatural mission of salvation. You do have a charism, and probably more than one. To recognize it takes faith. To see how it goes beyond mere nature takes prayerful attention.
So yeah, a fictional movie about superheroes fighting evil may be exciting and profitable, but it’s nothing compared to the reality. The reality that we celebrate today… Pentecost is the great origin story of every Christian and the whole Church. It makes present the reality that God himself came to dwell in human beings, to make each and every one of us into superheroes… into agents of God, coworkers with the divine to overcome not just some bad guy, not just death, but the very source of death, which is sin. Renew your commitment to that mission, pray God to reveal your own gifts to you, and then be the superhero… be the Christian you were made to be.