Yesterday, Anabelle and I together with Mickey and his friends joined the 5K Color Run here in San Jose. It was a fun event. We had a great time and we got a healthy dose of exercise to boot. The whole time that we were enjoying the event, I was thinking that this was pretty close to a Pentecost experience. People came from all walks of life. The crowd was a wonderful mélange of different cultures, languages, races, religions and even cuisine. They came in all ages, shapes and sizes. The youngest I saw was a little boy of about two years running with the rest of his family. There was a liberal sprinkling of seniors like us. And then there were the hordes of people from kids to teens to young adults to adults. There the slim and the obese, the healthy and the wheel chair bound. All these differences, however, disappeared after we all got the color bombed and everyone was covered with the same colorful shower of pink, yellow, green, orange, blue and purple powders. And there was just this one big motley multicolored crowd having a good time.
Many came just for the fun. I am sure that not too many were aware they were helping raise funds for the American Diabetes Association. But something wonderful always happen when people get together. When a man and a woman get together and the Spirit of Love descends upon them, another beautiful love story is begun. When a father and a mother and their children come together for a meal or to do some activities together, the Spirit of Love dwells with them and another set of lifetime memories are created for and in a family. When neighbors come together to accomplish some projects or to solve a common problem and the Spirit of Love abides in them, they become a nurturing community. The world, beyond its troubles and turmoil, can become a heaven-like place when we allow the Spirit to kindle in our hearts the fire of his love.
Man was never meant to be alone. We have been made to be with others in the world. We deny and destroy our true humanity when we refuse to see this truth. For anger and hatred are nothing more than refusing to affirm the life and the goodness in others. And selfishness and greed and envy are nothing more than taking away the life and goodness in others or denying them these. Pentecost opens our eyes to this truth and, seeing this truth, we can become as one in the Spirit of Love.
When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.
Acts 2:1-11