HOW IS THE HOLY SPIRIT DOING IN YOU? (Acts 2:1-11; Gal. 5:16-25; John 15:26-27; 16:12-15)
By REV. FR. PAUL ANIGBORO
Today we celebrate Pentecost Sunday. The word Pentecost is Greek for _pentecostes_ which means “fiftieth.” Along with the Feast of the Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles, Pentecost was one of the major feasts of the Jews. The feast received this name because it was celebrated fifty days after the Feast of the Passover. It was originally a day of thanksgiving for the completion of the harvest.
The Christian Pentecost marks the end and the goal of the Easter season. For Christians, it is a memorial of the day the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles and the Virgin Mary in the form of fiery tongues, an event that took place fifty days after the Resurrection of Jesus. The feast also commemorates the official inauguration of the Christian Church by the apostolic preaching of St. Peter, which resulted in the conversion of 3000 Jews to the Christian Faith. Pentecost is, thus, the official birthday of the Catholic Church.
Today’s Scripture readings remind us that Pentecost is an event of both the past and the present. The main theme of today’s readings is that the gift of the Holy Spirit is something to be shared with others. In other words, the readings remind us that the gift of the Holy Spirit moves its recipients to action and inspires them to share this gift with others.
The first reading describes in details the miraculous transformation that took place during the first Pentecost, thus fulfilling Jesus’ promise to his apostles that they would receive “Power from on high.” Having received the Spirit, the proclaimed the good news and we were told that all those present listened to them in their languages. The Jews in the crowds came from sixteen different geographical regions. The miracle of tongues on Pentecost thus reverses the confusion of tongues wrought by God at the Tower of Babel, as described in Genesis 11:1-7.
In the second reading, St. Paul gives us a template on how we are to live our lives NJ of that we have received the Holy Spirit. He said we must not gratify the desires of the flesh but we must walk by the Spirit. Today’s Gospel passage also tells us how Jesus promised the Apostles that he will send them the Counsellor who will remind them of everything and guide them into the truth.
As we celebrate the Holy Spirit in our lives today, let us remind ourselves of the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
1) As an indwelling God, He makes us His Living Temples (I Cor 3:16).
2) As a strengthening God, He strengthens us in our fight against temptations and in our mission of bearing witness to Christ by transparent Christian lives.
3) As a sanctifying God, He makes us holy through the Sacraments.
4) As a listening and talking God, He listens to our prayers and enables us to pray, and He speaks to us mainly through the Bible.
5) As a Giver of gifts, He pours out on us His gifts, fruits and charisms, thus enriching the Church.
The Holy Spirit performs certain actions in our lives by living within us (1 Cor. 3:16); developing our intimacy with God (Gal. 4:6; Rom. 5:5); it teaches us to pray (Rom. 8:26); it enlivens, guides, enlightens and sanctifies the Church (Psalm 104). All these actions tells us that the Spirit is at work in us. But hope the Spirit is doing fine in us? Do we put the spirit into use or it's becoming redundant?
We to permit the the Holy Spirit to direct our lives through the following means:
a) by constantly remembering and appreciating His Holy Presence within us, especially through the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation;
b) byfortifying ourselves with the help of the Holy Spirit against all types of temptations;
c) by seeking the assistance of the Holy Spirit in our thoughts, words, and deeds, and in the breaking of our evil habits;
d) by listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to us through the Bible and through the good counsel of others;
e) by fervently praying for the gifts, fruits and charisms of the Holy Spirit;
f) by renewing our lives through the anointing of the Holy Spirit; and
g) by living our lives in the Holy Spirit as lives of commitment, of sacrifice, and of joy.
We are called to love as Jesus loved, not counting the cost. As Saint Paul exhorts us, "Walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit" (Galatians 5:16, 25).
Holy Spirit of God, fall afresh in us and enkindle in us the fire of your love. Amen.
Good morning and have a wonderful and Spirit-filled Sunday. God loves you.
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