Recently, I was scheduling some work to be done by one of the contractors used by the parish.  The contractor’s administrative assistant asked if I preferred to be addressed as Reverend or Father.  She explained that she wasn’t entirely familiar with Catholic protocols as her father was a Reverend, but in one of the Protestant sectaries.  I told her it didn’t matter to me, and we both laughed about the complications associated with the multiplicity of Christian churches.   

I’m not convinced that the differences between the various Christian sectaries are either detrimental or avoidable.  During Jesus’ life, there was quite a lot of diversity in Hebrew religion.  The Pharisees, Sadducees, zealots, reformers, Herodians, and others identified strongly with the Jewish faith but disagreed just as strongly with one another as to the way that faith should be practiced. 

There was diversity in the early centuries of the Church’s existence, as well.  For several centuries, there was a plurality of opinion about the nature of God, the identity of Jesus, the existence of the Holy Spirit, and the requirements for membership in the Church.  Some of those issues are still debated today.  Perhaps, it was unavoidable that there would evolve distinct church communities. 

Pope Francis might clutch his chest like Redd Foxx used to do when his character on the television show “Sanford and Son” felt threatened, but I’m not bothered by the fact that there are multiple Christian churches.  If there is a problem in Christianity, it might not be the lack of a universal Church identity; rather, it might be that we Christians do not practice Christianity universally. 

Today’s first reading describes the beginning of the apostolic preaching on the Jewish feast of Pentecost.  The apostles preached in Aramaic, but the many pilgrims in Jerusalem heard the preaching in their own languages. (Acts 2:6)  The author of the Acts of the Apostles adds that the crowds were confused, astounded, and amazed by this miracle of comprehension. (Acts 2:6,7) 

It is important to note that the outpouring of the Spirit did not homologize the differences between those who heard the preaching of the apostles.  On the contrary, the language and cultural differences remained and were reinforced; each heard an identical message in her or his “own language.” (Acts 2:6)   

The confusion of the crowds is important to note, as well. Obviously, they were confused by hearing Galileans preach in foreign languages, but they might have been equally confused by the content of that preaching.  The Gospel message is, in every age, counter-cultural and challenging.  The disciples of Jesus are people who commit themselves to forgive their enemies, to pray for their persecutors, and to show mercy universally.  Every culture and era have found this message confusing. 

The Christian faith is constituted by the personal appropriation and lifelong practice of Jesus’ teachings. The Christian faith is not a sectarian or cultural identity; rather, it is one’s identification with Jesus and his vocation. This personal identification with Jesus and his vocation ought to lead one to communion with fellow disciples. All too often, however, it has led to division. While this is lamentable, it is probably beyond repair at this point in human history. Thoroughly reparable, however, are one’s personal identification with Jesus and one’s credible witness to Jesus’ resurrection. 

Sectarianism in Christianity has become so entrenched that it might seem there is no choice other than defending sectarian boundaries. This seeming helplessness, I think, is a sign of a lack of faith in God.  

The Christian churches have confused culture with faith. Among the many detrimental consequences of this mistake is that it vitiates the Gospel message. Just like the many pilgrims in Jerusalem who were confused by hearing the Gospel preaching in their own language, secular society can only be confused by Christianity’s proclamation of objective salvation while adhering to a subjective standard of righteousness. Over the centuries, there has grown too much difference between the various Christian sectaries and not enough difference between Christianity and secular culture. 

Sectarianism intends to make a few people right and most people wrong; Christianity intends to transform every person into a good person. The outpouring of the Spirit on the apostles at Pentecost still has poignancy today; the Spirit still sanctifies God’s People, and God’s People still need to be sanctified. 

If you would like to experience the power of the Spirit, and see the Spirit’s transformative effect on the world, there is a simple way to bring this about. To be transformed oneself and to participate in the transformation of the world, one has only to identify with Jesus and practice his teachings daily. If you would like to participate in the outpouring of the Spirit in the world, allow the Gospel message to transform you into a good and forgiving person.  

On this feast of Pentecost, all the baptized are invited to follow the prompting of the first Christian Pentecost by confusing the world, that is, by giving all people reason to clutch their chests and stumble backwards like Fred Sanford used to do. Today, let’s be transformed by the Spirit and confuse the world by being good people.