My dear sisters and brothers,

At the end of March, when I was battling pneumonia—at the height of it, at the worst of it—I lost my voice, which some of my relatives were not too upset about, to be very honest. Of course, I didn’t lose the ability to speak. Certainly, I always have in mind a lot to say, but I lost my breath because my lung was infected. So the most I could do was just whisper.

As I sat there through those long days, an image that our patron, St. Augustine, once used in one of his homilies came to mind—something that you and I take for granted because we speak all the time. And yet, in order to speak and be heard, there are three things you need: the ability itself (the voice), something to say (the word), and the breath that allows the word to be spoken and heard.

As my mother always used to say to me: “You take things for granted until you no longer have them.” When I sat there unable to speak, I thought to myself, It is a gift to be able to utter any word at all.

Today, as we gather on this Solemnity of Pentecost, in the first reading we hear of the great miracle of the Apostles being able to speak and be heard in different languages. If you apply the formula that I just shared with you, it is actually not a surprise. In fact, it’s a challenge for you and me.

Certainly, they had the ability to speak. When they were with the Lord in His earthly ministry, that ability was not always used to honor Him or give Him praise. It was often used for questions that seemed silly, or for words of rivalry among themselves. But they had the ability to speak.

With the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, however, the breath with which they spoke was no longer solely their human breath from their lungs—they allowed the breath of God, who is the Holy Spirit, to animate what they were saying. The word they spoke was no longer one of their own opinion or making, but they fearlessly spoke the Word of God, who is the Lord Jesus, and the message He brought to set us free.

With the ability to speak, the Word of God on their lips, and the breath and power of the Holy Spirit in their lungs, they were able to bring people to faith, regardless of what divided them in human terms. All could hear it, for it was the Spirit who powered it, and it was the Word of God who invited them to faith.

That is our challenge, my friends, because we too are called to do the same. Today is a moment of examination of conscience—for me, and for you. Saint Paul says in his letter to the Corinthians: Only by the power of the Holy Spirit can you and I say that Jesus Christ is Lord.

You and I often fill our voices with words that have precious little meaning. I call it the nonsense of life. How often do you and I speak the Word that Jesus is Lord, who has come to teach the truth to you, to me, and to the world? How often do we speak the truth that we understand—that has been revealed to us—and that the Lord has asked us to proclaim to the world?

How often do we settle for the mediocre or just the clutter of modern life—words upon words upon words that are soon forgotten? How often do we, before we even speak the Word of God, seek the Holy Spirit’s grace and power to speak it as He desires it to be spoken?

We must never fall into the trap of thinking I am the one who is going to bring someone to conversion, or I am the one who is going to help them recognize the Lordship of Jesus. In truth, it is the Holy Spirit who does that. I am a poor instrument, as you are.

How often, when we begin our day, do we put ourselves on our knees and ask the Holy Spirit to accompany us with His breath and power? So that in every occasion—in our words and in our actions—we may speak words of faith, hope, charity, forgiveness, mercy, understanding, and respect, in a world that is so often deaf.

If we do it with His power and breath, my friends, you and I will see miracles. We will see the deaf begin to hear, and the blind begin to see. And those who are crippled by the chains of so much of what this world offers will gain the freedom to run with the joy that is the destiny of the children of God.

My dear friends, as I said at the beginning of Mass, today we celebrate our birthday as the Church. We are just eight years away from our 2,000th birthday in Jesus Christ. We come here every Sunday, do we not, to speak the Word of Christ to one another and to adore and worship Him in the justice that is His due?

We pray for the gift of the Holy Spirit to enlighten us, guide us, and empower us within these walls. But today, the Lord asks us to do the same thing out there.

In just about two minutes, I will invite you to come up and receive the power, grace, and breath of God. Do not allow that gift to wither—but leave this church convinced, confident, and unafraid to use your voice, with the power of the Holy Spirit, to speak the Word of God. And you too will see miracles before your very eyes.

To the chagrin of some, I did get my voice back—thank God. Every single day since, in my prayer, I ask myself:
Whose word do I speak?
With what power do I speak?
Do I realize that my voice is worthless without the breath of God?

That breath of God is given to each of us every moment of every day. Let us leave this church resolved to follow the example of the Apostles—and see what God can do in us.