As a grade school child, today, Pentecost, was one of the most difficult Sundays we had all year as Roman Catholics. As a loyal son of the Holy Mother Church, I struggled to wrap my head around the Holy Trinity and God as the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost (later changed to Spirit, which I always thought was a great marketing idea, as all I ever thought of was Casper, and I'm pretty sure that wasn't supposed to be the point).
Just as I was getting used to the idea of three persons in one Godhead, along comes Pentecost Sunday. When you're a kid, because you don't know the words 'disquieting' or 'surreal', you say 'weird' (a lot). Now, as a world-weary adult, I look at the Gospel of John, usually used as part of the Mass, and envy that school kid with his unthinking faith and belief.
John, say the Scripture scholars, was reconstructing what might have been said at Christ's last Supper-but, but because of when those same scholars think the Gospel was written, it's possible John, himself, heard none of the words spoken he quotes.
Ironically, John himself becomes the proof of his own theory that belief in the divinity of Jesus Christ, taken on faith alone, by those who did not witness his miracles, is at least as powerful as belief by those who were present.
The tongues of fire, we were taught in catechism (when I was in public school and attended religious instruction in the church basement once a week) and, later, when in parochial school, were to cleanse our hearts and minds of doubts and questions. Seven-plus decades into the journey, I guess they needed to be a lot hotter because the former remain and the latter abound.
But honoring the notion of symmetry and hoping the truth in the lesson is so simple and obvious even I can grasp it, I cling to the example of John and his testimony of faith and belief in that which he had not seen.
-bill kenny
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