On the day of Pentecost,
Jerusalem became inundated
with thousands of pilgrims who were carrying bundles of their first
produce of wheat and barley to be offered in the Temple
of God of Israel
and to celebrate, as in all summers, the feast of the new harvest… People
and camels, the entire caravans from Judea and
Galilee were squeezing hard on each other in
all the streets of the city of David.
This is not to exclude the foreigners from all the provinces of the
empire:
Parthians,
Medes, and Elamites, people from Mesopotamia
and Cappadocia, Pontus
and Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia
and even from far away Egypt
and the Libyan colonies of Cyrene….
Greeks and Romans, Arabs and Cretans (Cretes), Jews and Pagans… everyone
ascended to Jerusalem and
their voices and songs in a thousand different languages resounded within
the walls of the city….
That day,
at the first hour of the morning while we were chatting in the upper
story of his house, Mark, who was Peter’s friend, arrived; he was almost
out of breath…
Mark: Hey, is everybody here?… C’mon
here, and hurry!…
Peter: What the hell is the matter, Mark? C’mon, speak up, man!
Mark: Bad news, folks. The fat man, Caiphas, and his gang from
the Sanhedrin are as mad as hell! It’s because of us!
Peter: Bah, if that’s the case…!
Mark: They found out you’ve been in the city for a couple of
days now and you’ve been spreading the word that Jesus has resurrected.
They say you’re out to stir up the people…
Peter: Let them say what they want, Mark…. We couldn’t care
less.
Mark: The guards were given orders to arrest you…!
Peter: That doesn’t matter…
Mark: They’re coming anytime from now to get you…!
Peter: Well… in that case, it does matter! Matthew, Andrew,
Nathanael, friends, we’ve got to leave this place! They’re after our
necks!
John: So let them find us! We’ll wait for them here, Peter!
Peter: Okay, you’ll wait for them, John. I’m leaving.
Philip: So am I.
John: Cowards! That’s what you are, a bunch of terrified rats!
Peter: That’s okay, say whatever you want… But I prefer to be
a living rat to a dead lion. Let’s go… just tell the women we’re leaving!
Mary: What noise is this? What’s going on here, tell me…?
Peter: Nothing, Mary, but something’s
gonna happen soon…
Thomas: Mark, are you s…s…sure about the g…g…uards?
Mark: Of course, Thomas. Nicomedes told me.
Peter: What Nicomedes? Nicodemus, perhaps?
Mark: Oh, it’s the same. It’s this tension that gets me all
mixed up. Yeah, the magistrate who is our friend.
John: That story could have been made up to scare all of us.
Thomas: And i…i…indeed w…w…we are… s…scared.
Peter: Whatever it is, we’re leaving right away before they
catch us empty-handed…. Come, Mary, do something… Mary!….
What’re you thinking of?
Mary: I was just wondering what Jesus would do if he were with
us.
Philip: I know what he would do, but I…!
Magdalene: I know what the Moreno would do! Jesus never backtracks… The problem with us
is we move like turtles, my goodness!
Salome: I agree with the Magdalene, because if only….
Peter: Okay, okay, whatever it is that you want to say, say
it along the way! Now is not the time to talk but to leap over the wall
and get away from here! Let’s go, James!
Magdalene: Go, if you wish! Mary and I are staying, is that right,
Mam Mary?
Mary: But of course, woman….
Salome: In that case, I’m staying too! Blood, not water, runs
in the veins of the Zebedees !
Philip: Listen to me, you fools. Don’t
you know that the soldiers are coming?
Magdalene: Even if he is the king of Rome, what do I care?… Go away,
go away…. We’re staying here.
Peter: Are you out of your minds?….
Why the hell are you staying behind?
Magdalene: Now look who’s talking!… Tell
me, Peter, why then did we come to Jerusalem? To dance in the party? Didn’t
we say we had to revolutionize the capital and gather all the poor of
the city? Aren’t we supposed to point an accusing finger at those swines
who have broken our bones?
Philip: Jesus started the plan and you’ve seen how soon they’ve
gotten rid of him!
Magdalene: But God is more powerful, Philip! Tell me, big head,
why, do you think, did God raise Jesus from the dead? That he might
merit an applause?… Or was it because we had
to continue fighting like he did, and that we should not be afraid to
face death?
Salome: Well said, Magdalene! They should have given you the
sword of Judith, young woman!
Peter: Okay, okay, let’s discuss this part by part…. What do
you propose to do, scandalous women?
Salome: At the moment, we should play it cool, Peter. Let’s not
allow this fear to knock us all down.
Peter: And you, Mary, what do you say?
All of us
turned to Jesus’ mother…
Mary: I don’t know, Peter, when things got tough, Jesus would
tell us to pray a little, remember?… Why don’t
we ask God to enlighten us that we may know what to do or what not to
do…?
Salome: Exactly, Mary: If we cling to the Lord, we will never
slip.
Mary: Let’s ask God to lead us through, as our ancestors were
led out of Egypt. They too, were terrified when the Pharaoh’s guards
chased them and cornered them beside the sea…. But remember, it was
then when God blew hard and split the sea in the middle to give passageway
to our ancestors…
All eleven
of us were present. Mathias, Thomas’ friend, who had joined the group
a few days ago, was there too, and so were the women: the Magdalene,
Susana and my mother, Salome. In the middle of all was Mary, Jesus’
mother, who was in squatting position, common among the women peasants
of my country….
Mary: Father!… Come before us, open
us a path of freedom, like you did for our ancestors when You
blew the strong wind and let them cross the Red Sea…
Be on our side, like You acted by making that
column of fire, paving the way for their passage…. Come, Lord… If You
don’t come, Lord, then grant that we may stay here… If You
are indeed on our side, then give us a little of your Spirit, the same
Spirit that You put in Jesus, give us the courage of the prophets!
We prayed.
We prayed from the bottom of our cowardice, with a little grain of faith
before a mountain of difficulties. The God of our ancestors who saved
Jesus from death, who strengthens trembling hands and firms up shaking
knees, filled us with powerful Spirit…. Since that morning, God had
been gradually snatching away the fear from us, and in His Time, gave
us the courage we needed in our daily struggle…
Peter: Well, folks… so much for this cowardice, damn it…. I
mean, I’m saying it for myself… Now, I understand why Jesus has left
us, so that we would have to handle the reins ourselves…. The Moreno has put a lamp in our hands, and we’re not hiding it
under the table… It must be put up in a candle holder so that everyone
may see…. Do you agree?
John: Of course, Peter…. If we risk our lives the way Jesus
did, well, bad luck! Others will follow…. And God will take care of
claiming our blood!
Peter: So, buddies, what’re we waiting for? Didn’t you say the
guards are coming? Well, let them find us in the street! What we have
spoken of in the shadows, we shall proclaim under the sun!…
And what we’ve been saying in whispers, we shall shout to the whole
world!
Euphoric,
Peter, opened the door and went down the stone stairway facing
the patio, taking two steps at a time… We went behind him…. The street
was crammed with a sea of pilgrims during that warm holiday…
Peter: Well… what now, John?
John: Commend yourself to Moses, who was a stutterer, that he may loosen up your tongue! Cheer up, troublemaker!
Then Peter
climbed over an old barrel of oil beside the door and from there, he
began to gesture to the people who were passing by….
Peter: Listen, friends, compatriots, come, run, for we’ve got
some news for you!… Hey, John, where do I begin?
What shall I tell them?... I’m having mental
block!
John: Don’t get scared, Peter…. Words are like a swarm of bees:
one comes out and a swarm follows!
A multitude
started to mill around out of curiosity. Peter, who was on top of the
barrel, was sweating profusely, not knowing how to begin, and looking
from one side to the another, lest the guards were coming...
A
Man: What’s wrong with you, you over-acting Galilean?… Let’s see, are you raffling off some stuff?
A
Woman: C’mon, out with it!
Man: This guy is drunk! Don’t you see his face is flushed?
Ha, ha, ha…!
Peter: No, my friends, we’re not drunk… we’re not, because it
is nine o’clock in the morning
and at this time of the day, not even old Noah gets himself intoxicated.
It’s something else… We’ve got some news for you. The news is that the
Kingdom of God has come! Yes, my friends, some of you have come from
afar, and have not heard what happened in this city only a few weeks
ago…. There was a man called Jesus... I guess most of you knew him,
right?… Well, this Jesus of Nazareth spent his time with us, doing
good deeds and fighting for justice like anybody else. He also healed
the sick, because God was with him. And this man, who was more upright
than a post, and more a prophet than all the prophets put together,
was held prisoner by the leaders of Jerusalem. These leaders faked a trial for him by midnight and condemned him to death. Many of you have seen him
hanged on the cross, is that right? Well, these swine thought that the
victory was theirs. But God did not conform to this in any way. Please
tell me, how could God allow such injustice of great magnitude? How
could God stand the sight of worms feasting on the body of the best
creature on earth? He did not allow it! No way!….
So God took him from his tomb, and raised him to life, and now he is
more alive than ever, believe me!…. and God acknowledged him in the eyes of everyone. I say
this to you because I have seen him alive. All of these men who are
with me now have also seen him! We are witnesses to this victory of
God. We are telling you, compatriots and foreigners, those from the
nearby places and those from afar, without mincing our words, that God
has made this Jesus whom they crucified Lord and Messiah of all men
and women all over the world!
The people
who were crowding around us began to applaud Peter, who was talking
passionately, with such firmness, that for a moment, I remembered Jesus
when he was talking right there at the Temple’s
esplanade…
A
Man: Hey, neighbor, who’s this big nose who just spoke to
us so clearly?
A
Woman: I don’t know much about him…. He must be Galilean, judging
from his intonation.
Man: He must be one of the zealots, I’d say…
Old
Woman: No, man, but he is one of those who was
always with the prophet….
Woman: Shut up, old woman, and listen!
Peter: Friends, listen to me: The rulers and the big lords of
the capital thought that the matter about Jesus is already over. Well,
it’s not over yet. Do you know why? Because they are still here, those
responsible for Jesus’ death: the Herods, the Caiphases, the Pilates,
are all sprawled out in their palaces of marble, sitting over the prison
cells where a number of our tortured countrymen are languishing; they
are feasting lavishly while our people are starving to death. This will
go on and on as they continue to kill and rob and abuse our people!
But Jesus continues to be with us too as we confront them!….
They are alive, but Jesus is more alive than they! They mock us, the
poor, but God will laugh the last because this matter about Jesus is
not yet over!…. On the contrary, this is just
the beginning! It’s only now that the matter is getting complicated,
countrymen! Now, it’s not only one person who is involved, but a dozen…
then we shall become twelve dozens! And no one will be able to stop
us! The Kingdom of God spreads like a spark in dry field! And there’s no turning
back, my friends!
Man: Very
good, Galilean, very good, that’s the way to talk!
Woman: Give
it to them, Peter, give it to them!
Peter: How
did it go, John?
John: Okay,
Peter, but don’t gesture too much, you might fall off the barrel…!
Mark: Hey,
delinquent, there are a number of foreigners around and I don’t know
if they understand….
Peter: Friends,
among us here are a number of foreigners from other countries and they
speak other languages. It doesn’t matter. I know everybody understands,
because in spite of the differences of languages, our stomachs speak
the same language of hunger! We have the same callous hands and our
mothers weep the same tears for their sons who lost their lives. The
clamor for justice of the poor is the same in all languages! Here no
one is a stranger! We come from many different places, yes, but we all
go toward the direction of the same land, and this is what matters!
A new land, with no boundaries, nor inequality, a land where all of
us can dwell! To achieve this,
we need to be together, to join hands, work shoulder to shoulder, and
inject the Spirit of God in the flesh of the people!
More and
more people gathered to listen to Peter… The street became so small
that when the guards sent by the high priests and the magistrates of
the Sanhedrin came, they could not harm us…. That morning of the Pentecost,
the ears of Jerusalem listened to the good news, known today by a great
number of men and women all over the world: that Jesus is alive, that
the Kingdom of God moves on, that the flame enkindled by Jesus here
on earth is not extinguished, because it is God who keeps it aflame
and God wants us all to be burned by it.
The Feast
of Pentecost (penta = 50) is celebrated fifty days after the Passover.
It is also known as the Feast of the Recollection or the Feast of the
First Fruits (from “Shavuot”), since the first fruits of the harvest-taking
all over the country were brought as offerings to God. It is also called
the Feast of the Weeks, as this was celebrated seven weeks after the
Passover. It was a feast of great rejoicing and thanksgiving on account
of the new harvest. With the Passover and the Feast of the Tents, it
was one of the three feasts during which the Israelites should undertake
a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
At present, the Jews continue to celebrate the “Shavuot.” Originally
agricultural in character, another feast is now incorporated to it,
the celebration of the Alliance of Sinai.
For the
Christian Tradition, that day of the Pentecost marked the beginning
of the Church as a community of brothers and sisters who are committed
to continue the way of Jesus. It is also a missionary feast: in such
a short time, those missionaries, inspired by the Spirit of Jesus, would
spread the gospel all over the world. Undoubtedly, during those days
of the feast of the First Fruits, the disciples, together, experienced
with a special power the presence of the living Jesus in their midst,
and they enabled a multitude of pilgrims in Jerusalem to experience
the same presence. A number of authors believe that it is this experience
of Pentecost that Paul is referring to, when he speaks of the manifestation
of the resurrected Jesus “before an assembly of more than five hundred
brothers” (1 Cor 15:6).
The Spirit
of God already appears in the first lines of the Bible (Gen 1:2) hovering
the waters, the source of all life. In Hebrew it is called “ruaj.” It
is a word in the feminine gender which literally means “wind” and also
“breath.” When God created humankind, the Bible says that He breathed
into his nostrils (Gen 2:7). When God took His people out of Egypt,
He blew hard on his enemies (Ex 10:13
and 19). The Spirit always appears in relation to life. It is the gentle
or the tempestuous breath of God which brings life, puts in motion,
defends it and enriches it. When the Spirit fails,
so life fails (Ps 104:27-30). Never is it said in the Bible that
God is “spirit” as opposed to “matter.” What is said is that God “has”
Spirit, which is like saying that God has life, and transmits it.
A life that is manifested as much in the flesh, in
matter, as in feelings, in the intelligence, thoughts and creativity.
The mentality
of Israel
was never concerned with concepts such as “nature” or “person” in relation
to the Spirit. To speak of the Spirit as that of “the third person of
the only (unique) nature of God” is typical of Greek mentality, which
is completely alien to Israelite mentality. What Israel
was more concerned with was not with describing the Spirit, but with
how the Spirit acted. What Israel discovered was that this Spirit transcends
the limited powers of people and makes them a hero or a prophet in a
particular moment (1 S 10:5-13) or it remains with them, as in the case
of the great prophets, the leaders of the people, Moses, Elijah (2 K
2:9). It was Israel’s
hope that the Spirit rest in plenitude over the Messiah, bringing peace,
happiness, justice, honesty – all livings signs characterizing the Spirit.
The Spirit of God is capable of creating a new person and this is what
is prayed for in the old prayers of the people (Ps 51:12-14). The Spirit
empowered the disciples of Jesus to continue his work, to be able to
offer their lives for the sake of justice, just as he had done. It placed
in the mouths of the disciples the words of Jesus, making them act in
the same manner. To be a Christian today, twenty centuries after Jesus,
is no more than to continue in this path, with the same inspiration,
to act under this impulse, to move in accordance with his vitality,
his breath. The Spirit of God touched Jesus, and it is this same Spirit,
God’s power and life, that keeps alive in us, that enables us to risk
our lives for others, to live in community, to share our properties
and life, to pray in community, to face death with hope.
Wind
as well as fire are symbols of the acts of the Spirit of God.
One and the other can penetrate any space, and spread anywhere. Both
have a soothing effect (the coolness of the breeze, the warmth of the
fire) and a destructive effect (the devastating hurricane and the consuming
fire). Both manifested the act of God in the liberation, from the Exodus:
the wind blowing over the Red Sea,
opening the road to freedom (Ex 14:21) and the column of fire, guiding
the Israelites during their nights in the desert (Ex 13:21-22). Luke uses these symbols
in narrating the intervention of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost:
a strong wind that echoes through the house and the tongues of fire
over the assembled community.
The account
of Pentecost cites a number of foreigners present in Jerusalem
that morning. They came from well-known nations then: Parthians (known
for horse-training, from the kingdom of Parthia, situated in the central
part of present-day Iran), Medes (from the ancient kingdom of Media,
destroyed five hundred years before Jesus, situated in the north of
present-day Iran), the Elamites (inhabitants from the region of Elam
where one of the first cultures of the earth evolved, situated in the
present border between Iran and Iraq), people from the Roman provinces
of Mesopotamia (region between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, where
the Assyrian and Babylonian civilizations were born, situated in the
present-day Iraq); from Judea (southern region of Israel, where Jerusalem
was situated), from Cappadocia (a mountainous region in the center of
the present-day Turkey), from Pontus (a region by the bank of the Black
Sea, in the northern part of Turkey), from Asia Minor, people from the
regions of Phrygia (a grazing zone, where the legend of the famous King
Midas originated, situated in the central part of Turkey); the inhabitants
from Egypt (situated in the present-day territory), from Libya (presently
situated in the north of Africa), from Cyrene (occidental zone of the
present-day Libya), from Rome (capital of the Empire and now of Italy),
the Cretes (from Crete, an island in Southern Greece), and the Arabs
(from the ancient Nabatean kingdom, part of the present-day Jordan and
Egypt), Jews – by race – as proselytes – foreigners converted to the
religion of Israel – coming from these places would all travel to Jerusalem.
In his
first discourse with the people of Jerusalem, Peter took over what had
been the life of Jesus and which, in the beginnings of the Christian
faith, constituted the essence of the gospel: Jesus was unjustly killed,
God resurrected him from the dead, and the disciples became witnesses
of what had happened. From the resurrection, the disciples and after
them, we, the Christians, believe that the final victory shall be that
of justice and life. With this assurance of our faith, we follow the
same way of Jesus. His cause moves on whenever we toil for life’s sake,
no matter the final consequences.
(Acts
2:1-41)