Homily for the Solemnity of Pentecost Sunday, May 24, 2026. Reading: Acts 2:1-11. Theme: This Promise is For You!
Pentecost was such a significant turning point in the story of Jesus and His disciples that it’s called the “Birthday of the Catholic Church”. To clarify, the Church did indeed exist beforehand with Jesus gathering disciples as carried out His ministry. But it existed in a kind of hidden way, very much like an unborn child living and growing quietly in the womb of its mother. However, with the dramatic outpouring of the Holy Spirit this Church-in-the-womb burst forth into the world, kicking and screaming like a newborn baby! Our first reading informs us that the disciples made a lot of noise in Jerusalem on that Pentecost day, boldly proclaiming the Risen Christ and baptizing 3,000 people! And throughout the rest of the Book of Acts we see outpourings of the Holy Spirit happening over and over again along with the same kinds of marvelous events and conversions as at Pentecost.
So, what happened to those amazing manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the lives of ordinary everyday Christians such as we see in the New Testament? Their apparent decline was definitely not due to the fault of the Holy Spirit. Rather, we can trace it back to the lack of a dynamic expectant faith among Christians. You see, in the early Church people made a life-changing commitment to Jesus as Lord and received the Holy Spirit with a sense of personal conviction and deep faith, even at risk to their own lives during times of fierce persecution. But then once Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire its practice gradually lost some of its steam as it became an expected social norm. Becoming a Christian was seen by many as a way of climbing the social ladder and enhancing one’s status. In addition, the Faith was often forced upon conquered peoples as Christian kings expanded their territories throughout Europe.
In other words, being Christian became the status quo and thus the vital element of a personal conviction of faith in Christ as Savior was missing. For large numbers of people the Mass and Sacraments became just routine rituals. Confirmation, which was supposed to be a kind of sacramental extension of Pentecost, devolved into a religious rite of passage, which often meant passage right out of the doors of the church with the newly confirmed never (or rarely) to return. And not surprisingly, along with all of this came a negligent attitude towards the Holy Spirit and thus also of His gifts. However, there were still devout Christians here and there who did have the right attitude and who were filled with the Spirit and exercised His powerful gifts. Their ongoing presence throughout history reminds us that the spark of the Spirit can never be extinguished and that it can even be re-lit in those who truly desire it.
This re-kindling of the flame of Confirmation within us is an example of what the New Testament calls ‘Baptism in the Holy Spirit”. It has also been described as a “conversion experience” or a “spiritual awakening” that enlivens our faith and makes Jesus become so much more real and meaningful in our lives! Now, how this spiritual experience might happen and what it might look like will be different for different people because God deals with us as individuals. For some it can begin with a sensational and unforgettable personal religious revival. For others it makes itself known gradually as they begin to sense within themselves a growing desire for prayer or a deepening interest in the faith. They might experience a new appreciation for the Eucharist or find themselves more drawn to reading Scripture than they were before. Being baptized in the Holy Spirit is not something reserved for the “spiritually elite” but is a grace that God offers to all believers for as St. Paul says in our second reading, we have ALL been given the One Spirit to drink.
Both the Bible and the Church teach that this Pentecost experience of the Holy Spirit was never intended by God to be just a one-day event for the benefit of the disciples of Jerusalem. Quite the contrary! Baptism in the Holy Spirit with the giving of various gifts for the service of others, was meant for every believer in every generation. And this makes a lot of sense when you stop and think about it. Because we are today the same Church as the Church in the New Testament. And the Holy Spirit today is the same Holy Spirit who was poured out on those first Christians. So why shouldn’t the Spirit’s gifts that He distributed then also still be distributed today for the glory of God and the salvation of souls?
Well, the good news is that this on-going extension of Pentecost IS still happening today in places where the faith is not treated simply as “status-quo”. Africa, South America and parts of Asia have all exploded with this outpouring of the Spirit. And in a more sporadic way it is even happening right here in our own nation among believers who have enthusiastically re-embraced the faith and re-kindled that spark of the Spirit within them. There are parishes and gatherings where believers invoke the Spirit’s grace and mighty power and thus miraculous healings and beautiful conversions of life take place. This shouldn’t surprise us because the New Testament assures us that God has indeed promised to do such great things for those who turn to Him with confidence and trust. So, if faith seems a bit dormant in your life or if religion feels a bit routine or if you just want something more in your relationship with God, then take heart and have hope because there is no expiration date on God’s promise and His promise is for you!
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