Pentecost Sunday
Embleton Parish 60th Anniversary

Homily

By the Most Rev Bishop Don Sproxton
Auxiliary Bishop of Perth

Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Embleton
Sunday 19 May, 2024

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The Bishops Conference that the Archbishop and I attended only a couple of weeks ago was I think, a rather historic one. Not because of this particular matter - there were other matters - this particular matter that arose is something that has been simmering along for about six years. It was the recognition of the as what we know it now, Missa Kimberly.

The Missa Kimberly is the Mass setting that had been put together, way back, 50 years ago or so by Fr Kevin McKelson, and a group of people from the Kimberley, who have been working on recording the language, or languages, of the Kimberley and in this way to make this language live in the liturgy. So, the language and the music for Missa Kimberley came from that work and we're very grateful for the work of that early team of people.

The Bishops have now given their approval, not as though they were holding off, it was just that has never been thought to be asked, so the approval was given unanimously and now the text is being sent through to Rome, for final recognition and we hope that maybe with a few little changes, I'm sure Rome will have to do that, it will become then an approved text for the Mass, which is something unique, because it was written in the original Aboriginal languages, and then translated into English. Most of our liturgies have begun by being written in Latin, and then English or French or Spanish or Italian translations made from the Latin. So that way it makes it rather unique.

This all came to mind when I was looking at the first reading, which talked about the many languages that were present in a sense because of those people from all those different lands that we heard in that first reading, from North Africa, from modern day Turkey, from Greece, and even further east, into Asia, going into present day Iraq and Iran. These were people who were visiting Jerusalem at the time of Pentecost, and the apostles were told without having received the Spirit, and people were able to understand them in their own tongue and in that way, it was a very clear sign given to us that one language is as important as any other.

In Islam, the language of course, has to be Arabic and I guess through the centuries, in our tradition, the language of the liturgy was Latin. But Pentecost really was saying something different about languages. It was saying that this word of God will come to all the nations and they will understand it, and they'll understand it first of all, because it will be in their own language. So when the missionaries went out, when the apostles themselves went out, they were able to convey the Word of God, to the people to whom they were sent in a way that they could understand, in their own languages.

The other point that came to me was, a word is a very powerful thing and in the scriptures, of course, we hear how very powerful it is. We go back to the creation stories in Genesis, and God says a word and what God says happens. It immediately does something, something is achieved, something is created. There, it's a very powerful thing. But we Christians have come to understand that the word of God eventually was incarnated in Jesus. The Word of God, that second person of the Trinity, was incarnated, took on flesh. We know that word through Jesus. So the word became, in our way of saying things that understanding things in Jesus became visible to us, in a person. So it's powerful. It does what it commands, and it is something that can bring about a change, as it had for those early people who heard the word preach to them. Their lives began to change and their hearts began to change.

As we heard in that reading from Galatians, all those attributes of the Christian life are possible in us, because this word addressed to us can change our hearts and soften our hearts. Can move us from being people who are totally self-absorbed, to being people who can see the others around us, and they can understand their needs. And as St Mary MacKillop said, seeing the need, respond to that need. Because of that charity, that love that is in our hearts, that understanding that we have of the other person and their needs.

When we preach this word, and that really is the duty of not just the priest or the bishop, but it is the duty of every person of the church - when we preach this word, we may use words, as a famous little quote that was attributed to St Francis goes - but basically, we do it by our actions. The Word of God is what we speak - Yes, but is most importantly, what we do, and how we do it.

This takes me back to the way in which the word speaks to that very last book of the Bible, the Book of Revelation. And in that first part of the book, it talks about the spirit speaking to each of the churches. And the Spirit said some tough things. For example, if there is a community in the church, where those attributes of the Spirit are not being shown, those attributes that we heard in Galatians, for example, when these things are not being shown by that community and not being witnessed by it and not being done, then the Spirit says, I will spit you out of my mouth. Very hard words, pretty harsh words, perhaps. But it underlines the importance of that call that each and every one of us has to be proclaimers of the word day in and day out, in what we do, and how we do it.

So I guess on this feast day of Pentecost, it's an occasion for us to celebrate the gift of the Spirit, who in the book of the Letter to the Romans is look this way, that the spirit of God works with our spirit. And working with our spirit can accomplish great things for humanity. It can cause a change of heart in others, as it has caused a change of heart within us. So, it's important, I think, in this feast of Pentecost to thank God for the gift of the Spirit that can help us in a way to become more than we are. And make it better, make it possible for us to act in ways that are better than perhaps we have in the past.

It's also an occasion to remember those words of Christ said many, many times, in many different ways, that when we hear the word, let's listen to it and in listening to it, let us learn. And as we learn, let us pray that this spirit will help us grow in faith and in love each day.