The Day the Apostles Started Speaking
Today we celebrate Pentecost, the gift of the Holy Spirit.
In the first reading, the apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit and suddenly able to speak in many tongues. You can imagine what that moment felt like. All at once, you have this gift. You can speak in another language. For anyone who already speaks more than one language, you know that is no small thing. That is a real gift.
It brings to mind a very different kind of story. Growing up as a first-generation American with Italian parents, the message at home was clear: don’t call him Alfonso, call him Alphonse. Don’t speak Italian. Learn English. Families even changed their names so they wouldn’t sound too Italian. How times have changed. And how we need to be grateful for the many blessings God has given us.
But here is the thing about speaking in multiple languages, or any gift for that matter. It is not about saying, “Look at me.” People sometimes say, “Father, I speak in tongues. God gave me this gift to speak in tongues.” And that may well be true. But the gift is never just about you.
Peace Be With You, and Then What?
In the Gospel, Jesus appears to the apostles and says, “Peace be with you.”
Can you imagine if Jesus said that to you personally? No more problems, ever. Peace, just like that. Great, wonderful, okay. But notice what happens immediately after. Jesus says, “As the Father sent me, so I send you.” And then, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” And then, “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven.”
Every gift comes with a responsibility. Every blessing carries a mission. Jesus gives peace and then gives purpose in the same breath.
What Would You Do With $500?
To make this point land, consider a simple question: if someone handed you $500 right now, what would you do with it?
It is actually a revealing question. At one Mass, a child said he would buy a pair of sneakers. With $500? Okay, two pairs of sneakers. A teenager, head down, quietly said he would give it to the homeless. That one stopped everyone for a second. Another young person said he would give half to his mom and spend the rest on food. Someone older said she would save it.
None of those answers are wrong. But think about how they reflect where each person is in life. The younger you are, the more you think about spending it on yourself. The older you get, at least ideally, the more you think about others.
Yesterday, there was a quinceañera. Three young ladies were celebrating. When asked what the quinceañera meant to them, each one said something like, “It means I am no longer a young girl. I am a woman now.”
That is a beautiful tradition. But here is a honest way to think about what it actually means to become an adult. It is not about age. It is about what you do when something good comes your way. Do you keep it all? Or do you think about how to share it?
Everything Is a Gift, Even the Hard Things
Everything in life is a gift. Everything.
Life itself is a gift. Nobody earned the right to exist. It is a total gift from God. The health we have is a gift from God. And here is the harder part: even the struggles we carry can be gifts.
When someone comes to Mass on crutches or in a wheelchair, that person does more for the rest of us than we could ever do for them. When someone who has been through real hardship still shows up, still worships, still believes, that witness is a gift. It is a reminder to stop complaining about being tired.
