After Jesus rose from the dead and revealed himself to his followers, the disciples came to believe. But they were still afraid. We see them hiding behind locked doors, afraid that they too might be arrested and killed, as the Lord had been. But after Pentecost, we see them out in public, preaching at the Temple, willing to risk arrest and execution in order to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ. Indeed, eleven out of the twelves apostles were martyred for their faith. What made the difference in their disposition?
The difference was the Holy Spirit. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the disciples. Before receiving the Holy Spirit, the disciples could do nothing. But once they were filled with the Holy Spirit, they were ready to go forth and undertake the work Christ had entrusted to them. The Holy Spirit is the animating principle that makes the Church live and thrive in the world. That is why we consider Pentecost, the day on which the Holy Spirit was given to us, the birthday of the Church.
But who is the Holy Spirit? As Catholics, we believe that God is both one and triune. God has one nature. He is indivisibly one. At the same time, he also has three persons, who are distinct from each other. How can this be? The Trinity is, in many ways, an inscrutable mystery, which is beyond our full understanding. But one way to conceptualize the Trinity is to start with the premise that God is infinite love. Love, by its very nature, requires a love dynamic. Thus, in God, there is the Father, who is the One Who Loves. His love is received and reciprocated by the Son, who is the Beloved. The love that exists between the Father and the Son is the Holy Spirit.
We see throughout the Bible that God the Father always acts through the power of his Spirit. We see in the life of the Church that Sacraments and other acts of the Church are performed through the invocation of God’s Holy Spirit. In our own spiritual lives too, we need to be grounded in the Holy Spirit.
We receive a profound outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Baptism and in Confirmation. We continue to receive the Holy Spirit through Communion, as well as through the other liturgical and spiritual practices of the Church. Specifically, the Church believes that the Holy Spirit confers upon us Seven Gifts and Twelve Fruits. The Seven Gifts are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. The Twelve Fruits are charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, and chastity.
The celebration of Pentecost is a great opportunity for all of us to get in touch with the Holy Spirit in our lives. Let us pray to God to help us understand how the Holy Spirit has shaped our lives since our baptism and Confirmation. Let us pray that the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit may guide how we live our lives from day to day. Let us pray that the Twelve Fruits may manifest in who we are. Let us say this prayer: “Come, Holy Spirit. I invite you into my heart, my life, my home. Transform me from within so I can truly be Christ to the people around me. Let my life be guided by your gifts and show forth your fruits. Let me be holy as you are holy. Amen.”
As we pray and as we contemplate Pentecost, the birthday of the Church, let us also remember Our Lady, who is our Holy Mother. Pope Francis instituted a new feast for the Monday after Pentecost in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of the Church. Let us pray to our Holy Mother to help us be fully open to the workings of the Holy Spirit in our lives, so that through the power of the Holy Spirit we may unite ourselves completely with Christ, her Divine Son, our Lord.
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The readings for Pentecost Sunday Mass during the Day, Cycle B are:
Acts 2:1-11
Ps 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34
1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13
or Gal 5:16-25
Jn 20:19-23
The full text can be found at the USCCB website.
Image: Pentecost from Wikipedia Commons.
