Unity and Diversity in the Spirit

Homily for Pentecost, Year C
Vigil: Genesis 11.1-9 Psalm 104 Romans 8.22-27 John 7.37-39
Day: Acts 2.1-11 Psalm 104 1 Corinthians 12.3b-7, 12-13 John 20.9-23

Every single person here is, in a sense, the same. We are all created in God’s image and likeness, we share a common human nature, we are all given the opportunity to know and love God. And yet every single person here is different. We each have a story that is only our own, a background that no one else shares, a personality and character that is unique and unrepeatable. The group of people gathered here today – in fact any group of human beings gathered together anywhere in the world – this group is both a collection of “I’s” and one big “We.” And what is really striking is that it is the Holy Spirit that brings us both unity and diversity. The Holy Spirit that lives within each person unites us to every other human being – making us one. But that same Holy Spirit blesses each person with different gifts and talents – making us unique. We’re the same, yet we’re different – all because of the presence of the Holy Spirit.

This unity and diversity affects how we as Christians look at the world; it affects the decisions we make and the way we set priorities. At its most fundamental level, the unity of all people in the Holy Spirit leads us to a basic respect for life – because we are all the same in the eyes of God. And so that affects how we live. Our unity in the Holy Spirit calls us to ensure that all of God’s children, who are chosen and blessed from the moment of conception, are brought to birth and are given the love and care they need to grow and mature throughout life. At the same time, this unity calls us to end the massive inequalities that have been created in our society – inequalities based on race or nationality, wealth or level of success. The most malnourished child in Africa is the on the same level as the wealthiest bank executive in New York – they are both filled with the same Holy Spirit – and we must work make that spiritual unity a visible reality. And our unity in the Holy Spirit challenges us to treat the stranger sitting next to us in church the same way we treat our oldest and dearest friends. That’s simply how we look at the world. It’s not easy to do, it’s not always popular, but it is the Christian perspective, a fundamental unity of all people through the Holy Spirit.

On the other hand, we are also called to recognize our diversity, to celebrate the unique gifts and calling that each person is given by the same Holy Spirit. As Christians, we recognize that each person has a unique vocation – that some people are called to married life, while others are called to religious life; some people are called to a sacred single life, while some men are called to priesthood – we’re not all called to the live the exact same life, but we can help people discover their calling. We recognize the diversity in our own parish community when we give each member of our community the opportunity to use their unique gifts and talents for the good of the whole church. Those gifted in hospitality serve as greeters at Mass, while those gifted in writing serve on our newsletter committee; those gifted as teachers serve as catechists in faith formation, while those gifted in website design serve on our technology committee; and on and on and on. We all have gifts and talents, but not the same ones as the person sitting next to us. And yet we do all of those different things as part of one Church, one faith, built on the one baptism of Jesus Christ, and filled with the one Spirit of God.

That’s the way we look at the world as Christians – a world of both unity and diversity, brought about by the Holy Spirit. And our challenge – from the first Pentecost until the end of time – is to make the Holy Spirit visible and active in our world – the Spirit that makes us one, the same Spirit that makes each of us unique. Because we’re all the same in the eyes of God, but at the same time, we’re all different.