Brief synopsis of the readings: In the 2nd chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, immediately after Jesus was taken to heaven and Matthias was chosen as the apostle to replace Judas, we see all Jesus’ apostles gathered. A strong wind came from the sky and a tongues of fire appeared over each person’s head and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they began to speak in different languages which amazed those gathered nearby. The apostles were all Galileans but everyone gathered understood them in their own language. In John’s Gospel, after Jesus’ resurrection, Jesus appeared to the apostles. He breathed on them and told them that they had the power to forgive or retain sins.
Most Americans are familiar with the 1993 movie Groundhog Day. If you’re not familiar, the main character lives the same day (February 2nd, Groundhog day) over and over. He wakes up each morning to the same song on the alarm clock, the same characters and the same events from the previous day. It’s a good movie but since Groundhog day is an American holiday it didn’t easily translate into French. If you see the movie in French it’s called Un Jour Sans Fin, “A Day Without End.”
Americans likely don’t think “A Day Without End” packs much of a punch but “Groundhog Day” wouldn’t make any sense to a French speaker. Translations matter and an audience who doesn’t understand the title will gain little benefit from seeing the movie.
I thought of this when I read our first reading. We can easily look at this as just another miracle but there’s really a deeper meaning here. Everyone in the crowd understood when the apostles spoke Aramaic but for many of them Aramaic wasn’t their first language. No matter how fluent we are in a different language there’s always a loss of nuance. We’re likely to miss slang terms or unique idioms. I once had to explain to an English learner what the phrase “he’s getting his clock cleaned” meant during a sporting event.
Recalling last week’s Gospel the apostles gathered here were on the cusp of going out to the whole world, to people of different languages, experiences and values. The more these people were understood by the apostles, the more effective the apostles would be in bringing them the message of Jesus. The more they felt heard the more they would feel valued and the more likely they’d be to follow.
Missionaries will tell you in their travels the importance of understanding customs and experiences but it starts with understanding the language. People who are successful at this often begin by understanding the needs of the people, often setting up hospitals and schools. People who are unsuccessful begin by announcing (in their own language) that “we have what you need and you’re lucky we’re here.”
If we stopped thinking about these readings here we’d do OK. But I think we can go deeper. In the Gospel Jesus told his disciples they had the power to forgive sins (or withhold forgiveness). That has classically been seen as a power given to priests in the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession). That’s true but I believe that power is given to all of us and reconciliation isn’t limited to just the sacrament.
With the exception of creating life, the ability to forgive sins is most God like power God has given us. Forgiving someone allows us to not define ourselves and each other by our worst moments. It allows us to move beyond grudges that slowly poison relationships; it gives us the opportunity for a better tomorrow.
But it requires understanding and fluency. True reconciliation only happens when both parties actively work to understand each other. It happens when we let go of previous prejudices and certainties about the other person. Simply put it requires the Holy Spirit and our desire to use the power given to us.
These first apostles needed to become fluent in understanding Roman occupiers, Hellenistic widows (from a few weeks ago) and Samaritans. Their descendants will eventually travel to what we now know as Scandinavia and meet people who will laugh hysterically at the idea that eternal damnation is everlasting heat when they spend their lives avoiding frostbite. They will proclaim Jesus’ message that the last will be first to communities entrenched in caste systems that insist that outcasts remain outcasts across generations. Missionaries, then and now, require fluency in frostbite and caste systems. We can only challenge systems we take the time to understand.
And true reconciliation goes even beyond that. While Jesus talks about the ability to forgive sins we also know that reconciliation can move beyond simply “you hurt me and I forgive you,” important as that is. For the past several years the United Methodist Church has been grappling with its teachings on marriage equality. Several individual churches have made the decision to call themselves “Reconciling Communities” that welcome members of the LGBTQ communities. They see reconciliation as broader than forgiving sins, as a commitment to understanding and loving what puzzles us.
The first apostles understood that their work in going to all nations entailed more than just giving each person access to a personal relationship with God. They knew that the better we understood each other, the more fluent we were in the languages of strangers, the better we would all be.
Yes, it’s a lofty goal, and it’s one we are still working on but the more we achieve, the more we see its fruits. Two thousand years ago it was a challenge to include Samaritans. One hundred and fifty years ago it was difficult for many to accept that God condemns slavery. Today the idea of accepting people who are of different sexual orientations or identify as transgender causes great pain and confusion. But if we believe what we say we believe about the power to reconcile, well, the future looks brighter and more inclusive.
Finally, as I was writing this we learned that two teenagers in San Diego, a few miles from my home, armed themselves and murdered two people at a local mosque before killing themselves. Obviously anger is justified here, but so is sadness and grief. We have more to learn about this but clearly these teenagers did not see fluency in other faiths as necessary. I wish they had more understanding of today’s readings.