Pentecost Sunday – May 19, 2024
Many dioceses celebrate liturgy in a multitude of languages. The three major ones in mine are English, Spanish, and Vietnamese. When our Irish-born bishop was assigned to our diocese, he worked hard to learn Spanish and could lead some parts of the Eucharistic prayer well. But truth be told, everything else he tried in Spanish sounded awful.
What he lacked in languages, he excelled in love for the people he served. This became clear at a dedication of a new church that served a mostly Mexican and Vietnamese community. Sitting near me was an older Vietnamese couple. They had been mostly silent during the Mass, their arms crossed as was their custom, their eyes lowered in deferent prayer.
The true gift of Pentecost is the courage and humility to step out beyond our fears and the familiar that we might enter the sacred and intimate world of another.
The time came for the bishop to bless the people at the end of Mass. In what I am certain was an even worse accent than his Spanish, he began bravely to lead the closing blessing in Vietnamese. I could see the couple’s surprised looks, their confused faces, then a softening in their bodies, and finally tears on their cheeks. That single gesture had made all the difference.
The true gift of Pentecost is the courage and humility to step out beyond our fears and the familiar that we might enter the sacred and intimate world of another. More than just doors and mouths, Pentecost opens hearts.
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