Pentecost is the reversal of the Tower of Babel. What does that mean? In ancient times, men gathered together and used the greatest technological advancements available to them in architecture to build a massive tower that would ascend into heaven. They were quite certain that they would be able to walk among the gods, to find divine secrets and wisdom, and then bring those things down to earth. But God foiled their plans, scattering them throughout the earth into different nations with different tongues (languages). Instead of walking among the gods, they were ruled by them. Instead of being united, they found themselves scattered, divided, and eventually misled.
Today, I think we find ourselves in a similar situation today. Through the greatest technological advances we possess, we are attempting to build digital gods that reach into the heights: they will see all things, they will know all things, and they will judge all things. I am, of course, speaking of AGI – the artificial general intelligence that our digital overlords wish to have ruling over all mankind. If things go according to their plans, I think we will find ourselves to be like the ancients who built the great Tower: instead of walking among the gods, we will be ruled by them. Instead of creating utopia, we will find ourselves scattered, divided, and misled.
But, I’m not wanting to focus my homily on the darkness of man’s folly. Rather, as I said, Pentecost is the reversal of the Tower of Babel.
While men of ancient times – and even today – sought to ascend into the heavens by their own efforts, Pentecost shows us that is no longer necessary. Christ – the God-Man – has ascended into heaven on our behalf, He is seated at the right hand of the Father, and we are invited to join Him: to be seated IN Him.
But there is a great distance between us and heaven, and we need a guide and teacher. A guide because the way cannot be found by human reason or exploration, and a teacher because the path is a way of life; it is conforming our lives to the commandments of Christ.
Therefore, Christ has sent us the Holy Spirit to “endow us with power from on high.”
Simple is Not Easy
How do we begin this grand adventure? St. Peter tells us in the the 2nd chapter of Acts:
“Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).
The first step is repentance, which is perhaps my favorite thing to preach. Why? Because I’m still trying to learn it myself. To repent means to do an about-face, to turn around and live a completely different life. It is the calling for each one of us to become a saint.
The next steps are then to be baptized into Christ and then receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
There is no other meaning and no other purpose for our life than this.
To be baptized into Christ is to be joined to Christ who is seated in the heavenly realm. To receive the gift of the Holy Spirit is to receive the power of God to transform us from potentiality to actuality – from the possibility of being sons of God to the actually being children of God seated in Christ at the right hand of the Father.
To crush the Tower of Babel underfoot, to lift our arms heavenward, to ascend into the heights with wings from the Holy Spirit — this is our high and lofty calling.
St. Peter offers the crowd a simple answer – one that is simple but not easy: Repent, be baptized, receive the Holy Spirit.
It is simple to say these things. Just as it is simple to say, “Sell all that you have and come follow me,” or “Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me.” But it is not easy. The clamoring of this world with all its distractions, amusements, and delights beckons us as well, saying, “Enjoy yourself, put down your cross, and have some fun!”
The Soul Engrossed in Passions vs. the Peaceful Soul
But what happens to the soul that listens to the world rather than to Christ? It becomes a reflection of what it pays homage to, and we pay homage to that to which we give our attention. Are we focusing on social media, on news articles, on click- and rage-bait, on worldly or church politics, on looking good in front of others, on presenting ourselves as being special, on pleasure and fun, or some other worldly, vainglorious pursuit?
When we give into the ways of the world, St. John Chrysostom describes our souls as such:
Does not the soul of the [worldly man] seem like a marketplace—full of tumult, noise, and clamor, like a city square filled with the shouting of merchants, the noise of animals, and the pushing of crowds? (Homily 6 on the Acts of the Holy Apostles)
Such a soul finds itself in a constant state of inner disarray, of anxiety, strife, disquiet, restlessness, anger, and subject to all the sinful passions. But there is another way. The simple but not-so-easy path of repentance:
On this path, we read the scriptures daily, keep up with morning and evening prayers, attend church (even when tired), think of God and speak to Him throughout the day, ensure our words and behavior align with Christian morality. We then “bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5).
St. John also describes what the inner state of this soul is like:
But the soul of [those who follow the commands of Christ] is like a mountaintop, with pure air, bright sunshine, clear fountains, and beautiful flowers; where even the slightest sound is sweet and delightful. There, the warbling birds, the nightingales, and the swallows perform in harmony; the breeze through the pines sounds like the notes of a swan; and the flowers sway gently like a rippling sea. Such a sight does not just delight the eyes; it refreshes the very body of the onlooker, making him feel as if he were in heaven rather than on earth. There is also the soothing sound of mountain water splashing over pebbles, which relaxes our frame and draws us into a peaceful slumber (ibid).
Chrysostom then reflects on how even being in the presence of such a person is enough to calm us down, to make us feel like everything is going to be alright.
I can attest to that. For many years, I would go to see my beloved spiritual father, Fr. Seraphim, abbot of Holy Cross Monastery. I would come with a list of things that were troubling me, and when I sat down with him to talk, he would ask, “So, what’s troubling you?” Being in his presence and in the monastery with the praying monks brought me such peace that I couldn’t remember what I even wanted to talk about. When I looked at my list, I would feel that most of it was inconsequential worldliness. Without even addressing the issues, through his prayers and peaceful presence, Fr. Seraphim would bring peace to my troubled soul.
We, too, are called to be such people, to bring God’s love and peace to all we meet, to have souls filled with stillness and serenity.
What Are We Waiting For?
So, what are we waiting for?
Are we waiting for a Savior to come into the world, wrap himself in flesh, teach us the true path of salvation, die for us, defeat death, and then ascend into heaven with our humanity? This has already happened!
Are we awaiting heavenly power to settle upon us with a fiery presence, to equip us with the grace we need to order our lives properly and to bring the Gospel to others? This, too, has happened, and we are celebrating that reality right now.
This is not a day for eloquent speeches or of quick, painless and effortless transformations. It is a day for us to recommit ourselves to God, to commend all our life to Christ in repentance, and to receive the Holy Spirit in our hearts.
Everything has been done for us, and now we must roll up our sleeves and begin the messy work of introspective repentance. May the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, guide us in all things.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.