The account of Pentecost in the Acts of
the Apostles, which we heard in the first reading, is set against a background
that contains one of the last great frescoes of the Old Testament: the ancient
story of the construction of the Tower of Babel. But what is Babel? It is the
description of a kingdom in which people have concentrated so much power they
think they no longer need depend on a God who is far away. They believe they
are so powerful they can build their own way to heaven in order to open the
gates and put themselves in God's place. But it's precisely at this moment that
something strange and unusual happens. While they are working to build the
tower, they suddenly realise they are working against one another. While trying
to be like God, they run the risk of not even being human – because they've
lost an essential element of being human: the ability to agree, to understand
one another and to work together.
This biblical story contains an eternal
truth: we see this truth throughout history and in our own time as well.
Progress and science have given us the power to dominate the forces of nature,
to manipulate the elements, to reproduce living things, almost to the point of
manufacturing humans themselves. In this situation, praying to God appears
outmoded, pointless, because we can build and create whatever we want. We don't
realise we are reliving the same experience as Babel. It's true, we have
multiplied the possibilities of communicating, of possessing information, of
transmitting news – but can we say our ability to understand each other has
increased? Or, paradoxically, do we understand each other even less? Doesn't it
seem like feelings of mistrust, suspicion and mutual fear have insinuated
themselves into human relationships to the point where one person can even pose
a threat to another? Let's go back to the initial question: can unity and
harmony really exist? How? The answer lies in Sacred Scripture: unity
can only exist as a gift of God's Spirit, which will give us a new heart and a
new tongue, a new ability to communicate. This is what happened at Pentecost.
On that morning, fifty days after Easter, a powerful wind blew over Jerusalem
and the flame of the Holy Spirit descended on the gathered disciples. It came
to rest upon the head of each of them and ignited in them a divine fire, a fire
of love, capable of transforming things. Their fear disappeared, their hearts
were filled with new strength, their tongues were loosened and they began to
speak freely, in such a way that everyone could understand the news that Jesus
Christ had died and was risen. On Pentecost, where there was division and
incomprehension, unity and understanding were born. ~ From
the Homily for Pentecost 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI
