Joke: The gift of knowledge: The story is told of a man who went to the priest and said, "Father, I want you to say a Mass for my dog." The priest was indignant. "What do you mean, say a Mass for your dog?" "It's my pet dog," said the man. "I loved that dog and I'd like you to offer a Mass for him." "We don't offer Masses for dogs here," the priest said. "You might try the denomination down the street. Ask them if they have a service for you." As the man was leaving, he said to the priest, "I really loved that dog. I was planning to give a five thousand-dollar stipend for the Mass." And the priest said, "Wait a minute! Why didn’t you tell me that your dog was Catholic?"

The priest responded quickly as soon as he heard a large amount of stipend might come from one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit called “knowledge.” We all know that there are seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, especially our brothers and sisters will soon receive the Sacrament of Confirmation, the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. It is worth recalling the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. They are Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of God. From these seven gifts of the Holy Spirit come twelve fruits: Charity, Generosity, Joy, Gentleness, Peace, Faithfulness, Patience, Modesty, Kindness, Self-Control, Goodness, and Chastity.

What does Pentecost mean? Why do we celebrate today? What does the Holy Spirit look like? What does the Holy Spirit do with our Christian life? Many other questions may arise around the feast of the Pentecost, the descending of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, and to every one of us. However, we will answer these few questions to help us a better understanding of the important feast of the Pentecost.

In today’s first reading, Saint Luke reports in the Acts of the Apostles saying, “When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were.” Easter this year was March 31. This Sunday, May 19, is exactly fifty days we celebrate Pentecost, the Birth of the Church. On the day of the Pentecost, Saint Luke describes, “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues.” Have they spoken in different tongues or does the Holy Spirit help them understand in their native language?

Those of you ever learned a language, would agree with me. Learning a language is not easy at all—not only about speaking like native tongue, but it is much more difficult in listening and understanding. One of the teachers who taught me ESL, English as a Second Language, once said to us that it is better to know one vocabulary and put it in a sentence. Rather than we can memorize a lot of vocabulary, but we don’t know how to put it in a sentence. It is a waste. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ disciples began to speak in different tongues might not be the same as speaking in different languages. I believe that when they were filled with the Holy Spirit, they were able to listen and understand during the confusion of speaking. Recalling from the Old Testament, at the beginning, they spoke the same language. When people tried to build a tower reaching up to heaven, the Lord punished them and confused them with different languages, and the city was then called Babel, confusion. Therefore, it is not so much about speaking, but rather, listening and understanding. As human beings, do we tend to speak more or listen more? Why did God create us with two ears but only one mouth?

In today’s Gospel, Saint John reports, “On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you." Then he said, “He breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." It seems that at Jesus’ resurrection, he already sent the Holy Spirit to them. Unlike Luke reports in the Acts of the Apostles, on the Pentecost, fifty days after the resurrection. It is not about when Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to his disciples rather when the Holy Spirit comes, accompanied with the peace of Christ, Jesus’ disciples will receive the power to forgive sins. What does the Holy Spirit look like if it’s not like the wind reported both in today’s first reading and the Gospel? We don’t know where the Holy Spirit comes from as the wind. With our modern technology, they can measure the strong wind, and they can predict the direction of the wind, but it’s just a prediction. The Holy Spirit comes not only to grant us the gifts of Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of God. The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit also come with the twelve fruits: Charity, Generosity, Joy, Gentleness, Peace, Faithfulness, Patience, Modesty, Kindness, Self-Control, Goodness, and Chastity. How do we know that we have the gifts of the Holy Spirit after we receive Confirmation? When do we celebrate the feast of the Pentecost each year? What does it mean?

If we examine the flute, it is hollow inside so the wind brings out the sound. We are invited to empty ourselves to allow the Holy Spirit to work in us. Speaking a language is difficult, but listening and understanding are more difficult. Do you tend to speak to God or listen to God? Try bending your ears to listen and understand rather than talking to God. The decision is yours.