When on Pentecost Sunday the Apostles first proclaimed the Christian message, they presented the Gospel to people from all over the world yet were heard speaking in their own languages. The Greeks heard the message in Greek, the Persians in Farsi, the Romans in Latin, the Hebrews in Hebrew, etc. Although the people who heard the message were from all over, the message itself united them into one people. This was and is the work of the Holy Spirit, forming us into One Person, the Body of Christ. St. Paul says it in beautiful words: We are all different, we have different gifts, we do different things, but we are untied in the Holy Spirit into One Body[1].
Pluralism is not an exception in the Church, it is the norm. As an example of pluralism I offer the type of experiences that we had right here in the United States: there are Hispanic Catholics, Black Catholics, and White Catholics, Asian Catholics, African Catholics, etc. The very word Catholic means universal.
All of us together are formed by the Holy Spirit in the one Body of Christ. We have to get away from the thought that someone or some group is rather an exception than a norm in the Church. There is no one “normal” group in the Body of Christ. We are all united by the Holy Spirit to make up this Body. All partake of the heart of the Body's existence.
So also in our parish. There are many people who practice a ministry in our parish. Some are talented teachers, some are musically talented, some visit the sick and homebound, some work with our young people, some care for those who come to our Gabriel Project Office[2], some serve in a liturgical position. I could go on and on. None of these ministers are on the border of the parish. All make up the heart of the parish because we are all united by the Holy Spirit.
Our parish has problems? Yes! Our parish has differences? Yes! Our parish has things that are not right? Sure…
A few months ago we had to take serious decisions, and some, few, left the parish, I felt great pain because the people failed to see that the priest is not important, the Pastor has mistakes yes, but beyond those mistakes is the Body of Christ and the Church Universal. When people leave the parish, when people criticize the Church... perhaps is it because their love is too small? As Catholics we don't just put up with each other's differences, we value each other's differences as a unique manifestation of the Holy Spirit without which action our faith body would be incomplete.
And you know the Holy Spirit indeed wants all different viewpoints to make the Body of Christ complete. Therefore, it would be as wrong for me to impose my preconceived notions of life on others, as it would be for others to demand that I see things through their eyes.
The message that comes clear to us at Pentecost is quite simple: we must respect each other's differences. We have all been gifted with unique manifestations of the Spirit. The Church is stronger for our letting the Spirit live in our lives. Without the Holy Spirit we would be a disorganized throng. With the Holy Spirit we are the Body of Christ.
On Pentecost Sunday, the Church was born. We are celebrating her birthday! The Holy Spirit united different people into the one Body of Christ. We, the members of the Body of Christ, benefit from our differences one from the other. Let us pray that may we allow the Holy Spirit to flow through our lives so that our respect for each other's uniqueness might itself draw more people to become members of the Body of Christ ■
[1] Sunday 12th June, 2011, Pentecost Sunday. R. Acts 2:1-11. Lord, send out your Spirit and renew the face of the earth—Ps 103(104):1, 24, 29-31, 34. 1 Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13. John 20:19-23.
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