God's Gift of the Holy Spirit
Brethren, today we celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost. Pentecost was a feast day in the Jewish culture. The Jews called it the Feast of Harvest or the Feast of Weeks. In the Old Testament, it is mentioned in five places in the first five books — in Exodus 23, Exodus 24, Leviticus 16, Numbers 28, and Deuteronomy 16. It was the celebration of the beginning of the early weeks of harvest or wheat harvest. It used to take place around mid-May 50 days after the First Fruits. This is the origin of Christian feast of Pentecost but more still as, Leo the Great says, from the Hebrew covenants with God:
"To the Hebrew people, now freed from Egypt, the law was given on Mount Sinai fifty days after the immolation of the paschal lamb. Similarly, after the passion of Christ in which the true Lamb of God was killed, just fifty days after his resurrection, the Holy Spirit fell upon the apostles and the whole group of believers. Thus, the earnest Christian may easily perceive that the beginnings of the Old Covenant were at the service of the beginnings of the gospel and that the same Spirit who instituted the first established the Second Covenant." (excerpt from Sermon 75.1)
The Spirit fulfils the new covenant promised by God in God in Ezekiel 36:27 where through this new covenant, God would put a new heart and a new spirit in man: “I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances”. On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit fills the hearts of the disciples and writes the new law of charity on their hearts (Jeremiah 31:33). The Holy Spirit makes us a new creation, saves us from death and gives us hope, brings us into communion, bestows the blessings of the new covenant upon us, writes the new law on our hearts, facilitates our fulfillment of the new law, strengthens us, gives us divine life, and enriches us. The fulfillment of the Old Testament covenants helps us see that God is always faithful and always merciful. He knows that we are weak and that without him we can do nothing.
In the age of the Church, then, the Spirit “helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words” (Romans 8:26). Throughout the season of Easter, we have seen how the Gospel spread from Jerusalem and Judea to Samaria and Asia Minor and finally to Rome. This spread of the Gospel was part of God’s providential plan. The Acts of the Apostles tells us that on the day of Pentecost, there were some visitors from Rome present (Acts 2:10); it ends when Saint Paul reaches the capital of the Roman Empire and proclaims the Gospel there (Acts 28:30-31). “Thus, the journey of the Word of God which began in Jerusalem reached its destination, because Rome represents the entire world and therefore embodies Luke’s idea of catholicity. The universal Church is brought into being, the Catholic Church, which is the extension of the Chosen People and makes its history and mission her own” (Benedict XVI, May 11, 2008).
In a nutshell, the Chruch and her mission thus started at Pentecost, simply because of these two reasons: Firstly, it's when Apostles were baptized in the Holy Spirit and given the mission of proclaiming the Gospel to all which is the core mission of the church. Secondly, the many and different languages and tongues of fire, denote the breaking out beyond the borders of Judaism to include all peoples of the world. The list of unpronounceable peoples is itself a witness to the universality of the Church.
The ministry of Jesus starts with the coming of the Spirit at his Baptism, and so the ministry of the Church begins with the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost. Just as Jesus was anointed with the Spirit at the beginning of his ministry, so the disciples needed the anointing of the Holy Spirit to carry out the mission entrusted to them by Jesus. The Church needs the Spirit in every aspect to carry out and continue the mission on earth until Jesus comes again. There can be no witness to Jesus or to his message, no spreading of the Kingdom of God, or saying Jesus is Lord (second reading), without the Spirit of Jesus. It's here therefore that the church has a mandate to spread the kingdom of God on earth by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Church and the life of the Church are the same as those of Jesus himself: to bring God’s kingdom to its fulfillment by bringing healing, love and joy through the message of the Risen Christ.
Why did God pour out His Spirit to the Earth? It is a unique gift for His people, a renewal of His people. Just as God breathed His Spirit in Adam, Jesus also breathes His Spirit to His body, the Church, and to us too so that we may have new life in Christ, a life of love, peace, joy, and righteousness (Romans 14:17). This Spirit is to help us continue with the mission which Jesus started. The Spirit is the sure presence of Christ among us for He said He is with us always and this Spirit works in different ways; that's why we speak of different gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit.
What are the roles of the Spirit in our lives? The Holy Spirit fills our hearts with the love of God (Romans 5:7), and he gives us the strength and courage we need in order to live as faith-filled disciples of the Lord Jesus. The Spirit helps us in our weakness (Romans 8:26) and enables us to grow in spiritual freedom - freedom from doubt, fear, and from slavery to our unruly desires (2 Corinthians 3:17; Romans 8:21). The Spirit instructs us in the ways of God and guides us in living according to God's will. The Spirit is the source and giver of all holiness. The Spirit restores paradise to us through the sacrament of Reconciliation, which Jesus institutes in today's Gospel, and the way to heaven and adoption as children of God; he instills confidence that we may call God truly Father and grants us the grace of Christ to be children of the light again when we have gone astray and to enjoy eternal glory.
The Spirt gives us his seven gifts. The gifts most affecting our intellect are the Gifts of Wisdom, Understanding and Knowledge. Wisdom helps us to understand the inner life of the Trinity more clearly. Understanding helps us to make sense of our lives and mission in the light of the Gospel. Knowledge helps us make practical decisions in accord with God’s will. The gifts of Fear of the Lord and Piety assist us in our love of God. Fear of the Lord helps us to see how our actions help or hinder our relationship with God, helping to motivate us to avoid all that harms this relationship and choose all that strengthens it. Piety helps us to see the great dignity and beauty of God and enables us to have a deep reverence for Him and for all of His people. Counsel and Fortitude are also given by the Holy Spirit and help us to firmly move forward in faith and love. Counsel especially helps us with love of neighbor, and Fortitude adds the strength we need to do all that we are called to do in love with unwavering commitment.
Reflect today and pray for the gifts of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2): Wisdom, understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety and Fear of the Lord. Pray also for the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5: 16-21): Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, mildness, faith, modesty, self-control and chastity. With these you shall need nothing more. Let us thank God today for giving us His gift: the Holy Spirit and let us wholly receive Him.
Let us Pray.
O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit did instruct the hearts of Your faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in His consolation, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Blessed Pentecost Day. Thanks for praying Novena to the Holy Spirit.
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