Homily, Pentecost

Solemnity of Pentecost homily by Msgr. Joseph K. Ntuwa, May 28, 2023  -- Memorial Day weekend

Readings: Acts 2:1-11; Gal 5:16-25; John 15:26-27; 16:12-15

Today we come to the high point of our Easter celebration, the Feast of Pentecost. Pentecost is the day when, true to his promise, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to the apostles. The coming of the Spirit changed the apostles and saw the launching of a new community (the Church). This day renews the gift of the Spirit in each of us and in the Church as a whole. 

In the Nicene Creed, we profess, "We believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church": These are the four marks of the Church, and they are inseparable and intrinsically linked to each other. The documents of the Second Vatican Council state that the local parish is not merely a franchise of the universal church, but the whole church realized locally in itself. And when the church is seen as the local parish, the four marks can be translated differently. They become the four M's -- Melding, Ministry, Mirth, and Mission -- and these are marks of a healthy parish. Let's define these words within the context of today's Scripture readings.

The first reading from the Acts speaks of melding or blending into a new community; "They were astounded and in amazement, they said, are not all these men Galileans? Then, how does each of us hear them in his native language? We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites. We live in Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, Egypt, and regions around Cyrene and some travelling from Rome. Yet each of us hears them speaking...about the marvels God has accomplished. "  The cry must be the same in a healthy parish: "We come different neighborhoods-  Hampstead, Surf City, Topsail Island, Holly Ridge, Sneads Ferry, Jacksonville, Wilmington, I know some who come as far as Leland and beyond. There are even visitors from other States and countries. Yet each of us hears about the marvels God has accomplished."

And what marvels do all of us hear? The answer to this question leads us to the second reading and the second M: ministry. "There are different kind of gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different works but the same God who accomplishes all of them in everyone." 

Could there be a better description of a healthy parish? Look around our parish and you will notice the many gifts and ministries clearly divided in our three Commissions – Priest (Sanctifying), Prophet (Teaching) and King (Governing) helping us to live our threefold baptismal call. With over 30 active ministries, All Saints is such a vibrant Parish  A healthy parish makes real the words of the Pentecost Sequence, which we hear today:

In our labors rest most sweet, Grateful coolness in the heat. 

Solace in the midst woes. Cleanse our soiled hearts of sin, 

Heal our wounds, our strength renew. Guide the steps that go astray.

Any parish, focused on shared and collaborative ministry, serves as a model of "different gifts but the same Spirit. "  We are blessed to be such a Parish. 

That brings me to the gospel, that speak of the third and fourth marks of a healthy parish. In the gospel we read, " The disciples rejoiced when they say the Lord”. Apart from melding and ministry, what makes a parish healthy is mirth, rejoicing. No parish, of course, is a stranger to tears and grief, to sorrow and loss, to tragedies and death. But beneath and between the tears lies the bedrock of faith that justifies rejoicing. 

Finally, in the gospel Jesus said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” These words speak of mission, our last characteristic of a healthy parish. They remind us that the task is far from finished. Jesus still shows his hands and his side today. He still bears his wounds in the poor and downtrodden. He still testifies to the terrible hunger for God which many people feel, yet which they don't know how to satisfy, and they look for satisfaction in counterfeit ways. Jesus still stands before our parish, as he does before every faith community, and shows us his wounds. Each and every one of us needs to tend to these wounds, for Jesus will not allow complacency to set in. Thus, our mission continues. These four qualities must be part of every parish's past, present, and future; its faith, hope, and love; its pride, joy, and challenge; its goal and its Pentecost.

So, what gifts of the Holy Spirt do you recognize in yourself? And how do you those gifts to bring Christ’s presence to others?

Come, Holy Spirit, fill our hearts and kindle in them the fire of your love!



It is Memorial Day weekend, so, let us remember, offer gratitude and honor. We remember and pray those who have suffered the ravages of war with physical, emotional and psychological injury that remain for the rest of their lives, and those missing in action. We offer profound gratitude for the unselfish sacrifices these men and women have made to God, to country and to us. And may we always honor their memory by being watchful caretakers of the freedoms for which they gave their lives.