SVD
Generalate

Dear brothers and sisters,

Today we celebrate the Pentecost, the feast of the coming of the Holy Spirit, the one who animates, gathers, sends and transforms. It is the day on which the Church was born — not as a uniform and closed institution, but as living, open and deeply different.

In the account of the Acts of the Apostles, we see a wonderful sign:

“Each one heard them speaking in his own language.” (Acts 2:6)

People gathered from all parts of the known world—Parthians, Medes, Elamites, Romans, Cretans, Arabs…—and heard the Good News in their own language. The Holy Spirit did not standardize the languages into one but valued each and every one of them. This reveals something fundamental to us: God communicates through diversity, and not in spite of it.

1.  Diversity as a gift from God

The Spirit does not erase differences. He welcomes them, orders them and transforms them into richness. True Christian communion does not require everyone to think, speak or live the same way, but that each one recognizes in the other a brother or sister equally indwelt by the Spirit of God.

In today’s time of globalization and migration, our reality is becoming increasingly intercultural. Within our communities there are Latin Americans, Africans, Asians, Europeans. There is also diversity of gender, generation, lifestyles and experiences. Pentecost invites us to celebrate this variety as an expression of God’s presence between us.

2. Interculturality: a path to mission

Interculturality is not just about living side by side. It is about learning from each other, it is about allowing the culture of the other to enrich one’s faith as well. The Church will only be truly missionary if it is willing to listen and learn with peoples, languages and cultures.

The resurrected Jesus sends his disciples saying:

“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you. When he had said this, Jesus breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (Jn 20:21-22)

The gift of the Spirit contains two moments: being filled with peace and going out to meet others, different from oneself.

This outgoing movement, permeated by the Peace and Spirit of God, we can call a mission. And this is accomplished not with words that the other does not understand, but with gestures that welcome, listen and respect. The mission of the Spirit is not to dominate, but to build bridges between different peoples.

3. One Body, Many Members

St. Paul reminds us that:

“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit” (1 Cor 12:4)

The image of the body helps us to understand that the unity of the Church is not about uniformity, but harmony between differences. When we exclude another’s culture, we reject a part of the Body of Christ.

Here, in this house, we celebrate Pentecost of the SVD Jubilee Year. As a missionary community, we have built a history of 150 years, bringing together diverse people and gifts. It’s aim is to bear witness to the good news of the Gospel, as a light for the nations and a lamp for our steps. Although we are many, we seek, with our lives, to bear witness to the unity that is possible and the communion that is desired. Saint Arnold Janssen affirmed that the Holy Spirit was the true founder of our missionary work, and the fruits that have been harvested over the years confirm this.

Conclusion:

My brothers and sisters, celebrating Pentecost is opening oneself to the Spirit that unites us in diversity. It is allowing the other, with his or her language, history and culture, to reveal something new about God. The Holy Spirit blows where it wishes — and today it blows in the winds of interculturality, calling for a Church that speaks all languages, hears all voices and welcomes all faces of God in the world.
May we be, like the disciples in the upper room, filled with the Holy Spirit, sent into the world to announce Good News that speaks all languages and respects all cultures. Amen.

Fr. General Anselmo R. Ribeiro, SVD