Readings: Acts Acts 2:1-11; Responsorial Psalm Ps 104:1,24,29-30,3134; 1st Cor. 12:3B-7, 12-13 or Rom. 8:8-17; Gospel John 20:19-23 or John 14:15-16,23B-26.
Theme: Let the Fire of the Holy Spirit Come Down Again
Come Holy Spirit fill the hearts of thy faithful…
Pentecost
Beloved in Christ, today is Pentecost Sunday. The word Pentecost comes from the Greek Pentekoste which means fiftieth. It was the second of the 3 most important annual feast in Jewish calendar which occurred 7 weeks after the Passover and was primarily a feast of thanksgiving for harvest; first fruits of wheat crop were offered to God on that day. It later came to be associated with the giving of the law to Moses on Mount Sinai. All Jews at home and in the diaspora were expected to attend. Thus, there was no fitting day for the descent of the Holy Spirit than this. The dramatic event our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11 recounts, became the birthday of the Church.
Holy Spirit
On the day of Pentecost, the power of the Holy Spirit was made manifest on the Church. The two words Holy and Spirit are often used together. Holy means sacred, awesome - Holy is usually associated with God’s majesty. On the other hand, the word “spirit” comes from the Hebrew word "ruah" which means breathe, air or wind; It connotes the transcendent newness of him who is personally God’s breath, the divine spirit. The encounter between Jesus and Nicodemus (John 3:5-8) proves the point.
The two words “Holy” and “Spirit” are divine attributes common to the three divine persons namely, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, “The Holy Spirit is the proper name of the one whom we adore and glorify with the Father and the Son.”
Titles of the Holy Spirit
a). Paraclet or Consoler – John 14:16
b). Spirit of Truth – John 16:13
c). Spirit of Promise – Gal. 3:14; Eph. 1:13
d). Spirit of Adoption – Rom. 8:9
e). Spirit of Glory – 1st Pet. 4:14
The first reading testifies that the spirit descended on the Apostles like tongues of fire. That tells us about the symbolism of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit as fire
The symbolism of fire designates the “…transforming energy of the Holy Spirit’s action." At contest at Mount Carmel, the prophet Elijah’s prayer "arose like fire-burned like a torch" and brought fire down from heaven on the sacrifice. That was the Holy Spirit which changes/transforms whatever it comes in contact with (Kings 18:38-39).
The forerunner of Jesus, John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit and the power of Elijah. He prophesized saying, “...he will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Luke 1:17;3:16).
Jesus says, “I have come to bring fire to the earth and how I wish it were blazing already…” (Luke12:49) also comes to mind.
On the day of Pentecost, Christ’s Passover was fulfilled with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in forms of tongues of "fire" which strengthened and empowered the disciples for the Great Commission of Evangelization (Acts 2:1-12).
As such, “the symbolism of fire is retained in the Church as one of the most expressive images of the Holy Spirit’s action” (Cf. St. John of the Cross, The Living Flames of Love, 577 ff).
Is the Holy Spirit at Work in our Church and World Today?
A truism it is that God’s spirit is at work among his children. By the virtue of the sacraments of baptism and confirmation, we have received the fullness of the spirit which fills us with love, vigour, enthusiasm and confidence to bind the devil and call God "Abba father" (Cf.8:15).
You can bear me witness that through the sacred sacramental signs of the Church, the Holy Spirit has manifested itself among the children of God. We have heard of priests and lay faithful whom God is using to deliver others from the shackles of the enemy.
The second reading from 1st Cor. 12:3-7. 12-13 insists that the charism and charisma which the spirit gives are meant for the common good of the church. In the Church and its various pious societies, we see the varied gifts of the Holy Spirit which St. Paul writes in 1st Cor. 12:1-11 namely; healing, miracles, prophesy, recognition of spirits, speaking in tongues and interpretation of tongues given by the same spirit at work because many people are blessed with these gifts.
With this, I can assure you that the Holy Spirit is alive and active in our church and world. However, only those who dispose themselves to its promptings feel it. Only those who are faithful to God are likely to manifest the works and fruits of the Holy Spirit.
Can we then claim that because of the presence of Holy Spirit there is no evil in our Church and world? The answer is a capital no!
Manifestation of evil in our Church and our World
In the world, the Spirit of God exists side by side with the spirit of evil. Even in the Church, there are diabolical people. It is not shameful, painful and embarrassing too that those of us who have been baptized, confirmed and also receive other sacraments allow ourselves to fall prey to the trappings of the evil one?
Our Children: In several communities, there is a prevalence of alleged cases of children involved in witchcraft. With little or no evidence, these children are sometimes rounded up and sent to an early gave. In other instances, the children are accused of belonging to one “secret society” or the other – In search for a solution, their parents or guardians end up visiting one dibia/babalawo or the other. What baffles me is that most of those kids are baptized - Some who are of age are confirmed. Questions that readily come to mind are: what happened to the presence of God’s spirit in their lives? What happened to the faith of their parents? Couldn’t their parents/guardians have resorted to prayer and mortification to quell the so-called evil spirits?
Our Youth: The youths are also not left out in the bazaar of wizardry. As if that is not enough, immoral acts like lesbianism, homosexuality in the name of “school mother,” “school father,” “darlinship,” and abortion plus alcoholism and drugs further grieves the Holy Spirit. Examination malpractice, theft, burglary, hooliganism among youths in our institutions of learning has also left a lacuna on living the life of the spirit.
Young people have gone into the useless fantasy world of pornography. The internet is now exploited via Facebook, Twitter, Skype, Gmail, Yahoo for all things unwholesome. Shall we be known for Facebook without Facing-God, on Gmail without a Guarded-moral, on Yahoo without Yahweh and on Google without the Gospel? Where is conscience? Where is the Holy Spirit,? Why do we make God’s Holy Spirit sad?
Our Parents: We appear to lack role models, couches or mentors in our society today. Some parents now initiate children in secret cults - others even eat up their children through witchcraft. What is more, some parents help their children forge results. Abortions are been procured by young people with the aid of their parents. Sadly too, some parents are architects of lies and they waste no time in teaching their children that architectural design.
Some parents neglect their children while others scandalize them by always fighting at home – some have had to divorce and the consequences are severe on the children who are forced to live apart. A woman allegedly pulled out the muscle of her son’s penis because she had a problem with her husband. What an evil generation! Isn’t this why good morals/discipline are eroding in our society? Where is the Holy Spirit in all these?
The Church: The Church is the central nervous system of the Holy Spirit. Little wonder the Holy Spirit fell on the apostles when they gathered for prayer which became the birthday of the Church. Sadly, two thousand years later, the craze for power and money has left the Church worst. Sadly, some pastors of souls appear to be “ruling” the Church based on their wimps and caprices rather than being led by the Spirit. The expected dividends of the Spirit have not been fully realized. The unity of the which the spirit gives must be our mission and vision as priests, religious and laity who form the Church.
A situation where clerics who are supposed to be the custodians of the spirit live unspiritual lives and set their eyes on the carrot of mundane desires, the Church is the worst for it. Leadership tussles in local churches or dioceses is either a clear indication that there is a spiritual deficit in our age and time or we are way out in the woods.
What must we do?
In the gospel, Jesus bequeathed the Holy Spirit to the disciples and to us for peace and reconciliation. We are obliged to the unity of the Church and ensuring peaceful coexistence within the Church and in the world. The unity of purpose which the spirit gives is sacrosanct. As individuals and a Church, we need to pray for a revamping of the power of the Holy Spirit. We need to pray for God’s anointing power and transforming power in our private and public lives. Indeed;
We need God’s re-charging power in our homes
We need God’s revamping power in our Church
We need God’s re-energizing power in our world
You need God’s re-invigorating power to correct your bad behaviour
You need God’s renewing power in your weak sexuality
You need God’s re-booting power in your marriage
You need God’s re-suscitating power in your failed business
2 Important Cs
We need to concretize the commitments we made when we received the sacrament of confirmation viz:
Uniting ourselves more firmly to Christ.
Increasing the gifts of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Rendering our bond with the Church more perfect, and
Having a special strength to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly and never to be ashamed of the Cross (Cf. CCC no.1303).
“Catholic Action” which entails witnessing to the Gospel in a highly visible way should be our motto.
5 Important P’s
Today’s Pentecost liturgy presents us with 5 important P’s namely:
Praying at all times for God’s forgiveness; Gospel John 20:19-23 (Personal and ecclesial – sacramental confession)
Preaching the Gospel publicly
Public leadership in the Christian community
Paralyzing our fears for courageous witnessing
Putting into practice our spiritual gifts namely wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophesy, discerning of spirits, speaking in tongues, and interpretation of tongues (1 Cor. 12:8-10) so as to reap the fruits of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23).
Prayer
May the Holy Spirit rewrite your history
May the Holy Spirit the changer of destiny redirect your destiny for good
May it make you better than the best
May it lift you higher than the highest
May it come as fire to warm you
May it come as wind to cleanse you
May it come as light to guide you
May it come as power to grant you divine enablement
both now and forever more!
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