On May 23, the Catholic Church will celebrate Pentecost Sunday or the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and the followers of Christ.
Scripture says that the disciples “were all together in one place” on the “day of the Pentecost.” (Acts 2:1)
Suddenly, “mighty rushing wind” and “tongues of fire” appeared before them. The gathered disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Church scholars believe the descent of the Holy Spirit represented the promise of Christ to baptize his believers through the Holy Spirit.
Pentecost is God’s new presence among men. It is the fulfillment of his promise to be with his disciples as they fulfill the mission of Christ in the world.
With the new tongues the Spirit gave them, the Apostles preached the Good News among peoples of various cultures.
Among them, only John died a natural death of old age
Peter preached and died in Rome. Andrew went to Asia Minor — modern-day Turkey — where he was crucified. Thomas went to India. Philip went to north Africa. Matthew and Simon the Zealot went to Persia and Ethiopia. Bartholomew went to southern Arabia. Matthias and James to Syria.
Among them, only John died a natural death of old age. He became the leader of a group of Christians in Ephesus where tradition says he took care of Mary, the Mother of Jesus.
There are no accounts that said the Apostles convened after the Pentecost. There were no reunions. Just goodbyes. But their mission and preaching bore fruit despite speaking in foreign tongues.
The Catholic Church was born in faraway places from Jerusalem when the Apostles planted the seeds of the Gospel in foreign lands, watered by their blood of martyrdom.
According to Pope Benedict XVI, the curse of the Towel of Babel was reversed by Pentecost. From a people who used to speak the same language, God scattered the people of Babel in the world when they could not understand each other by speaking one language.
“Pentecost is the feast of human unity, understanding and sharing … Their [Apostles’] fear disappeared, their hearts were filled with new strength, their tongues were loosened, and they began to speak freely,” the pope emeritus said at a Mass in 2012.
Pentecost teaches Catholics that speaking in different tongues is not a sign of division. A different opinion is not a necessary evil but a different point of view. Dissent should not be suppressed because it is a human right that springs from a person’s view of facts.
One of the characteristics of Philippine society is that it has a history of dissent. From the Spanish era to martial law under the late strongman president Ferdinand Marcos and beyond, the Filipino people have varied ways of looking at and interpreting history.
Yet among these interpretations, there are certain values that are not subject to compromise. They are the principles that have remained true and had woven the fabric of Philippine culture and history.
The sanctity of human life is among them.
Filipinos reject extralegal killings because they do not afford a person a day in court. They deprive a citizen of their right to due process. The law immediately condemns even before it hears.
Extralegal killings continue up to this very day. A recent United Nations Human Rights Council report says the number of killings spiked by over 50 percent during pandemic lockdown months from April to July 2020.
Have the Filipino people spoken different languages such that they have forgotten to reach a common understanding of certain principles like respect for human life and dignity?
Yet, during the same period, 91 percent of Filipinos approved of President Rodrigo Duterte’s policies and performance as the country’s leader.
Is this observation because of Pentecost? Have the Filipino people spoken different languages such that they have forgotten to reach a common understanding of certain principles like respect for human life and dignity?
When Jesus left his disciples, his parting words included a Prayer for Unity: May they be one. He mentioned and prayed it four times, making us aware that unity is something all Catholics must be constantly working on.
Pentecost reminds Filipino Catholics that although we speak different languages and live in different islands, we must be united on certain issues that make us believers of Christ. May we be one in the fight for human life.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official editorial position of UCA News.
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