Search
-
May 17, 2021Readings: Acts 2:1-11; Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34; 1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13; John 15:26-27, 16:12-15 or John 20:19-23
Our journey through the Easter season draws to an end with the celebration of the great feast of Pentecost.
When most of us think of great feasts in the Church we usually think of Christmas or Easter, but Pentecost should be celebrated with the same spiritual joy. Why? Well, at Christmas, we celebrate the Father’s great love for us in the gift of the Messiah. At Easter, we celebrate the promise of eternal life that is available to all who accept the Father’s love and walk the way laid out for us by Jesus. But at Pentecost, we rejoice in the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Divine Advocate who promises to make the love of the Father and the love of the Son available so as to bring into our lives “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, gentleness [and] self-control.” (Galatians 5: 16-25) We celebrate that we are being given the strength and grace we need on our journey to holiness and our ultimate return to the Triune God in heaven.
When Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, He not only concluded His mission of sharing the redeeming love of the Father, He also breathed life into His Church, the Body of Christ, so that we might have the earthly guidance we would need to remain united to Him and His true Spirit. As members of the Body of Christ, we are called to live as the embodiment of the spirit of truth. And the most fundamental truth of all is that God is love. We come to know the Holy Spirt as the spirit of love. The Spirit that was made flesh in Christ and passed on to the Apostles is the very same Spirit passed on to us in Baptism and affirmed in our Confirmation.
We are encouraged in times of temptation, fear and doubt to turn to the Holy Spirit, so that we might be open to the spirit of love and be wise enough to see the goodness and happiness God has in store for us when we choose to abide in Him. The Holy Spirit makes Jesus present to us. When we ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit, we are asking to be filled with love so that we might be motivated to always act in such a way as to give glory to God who is the source of love. Through the Son and the Holy Spirit we can always bask in the love of God. Definitely reason to celebrate!
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your people. Enkindle in them the fire of Your love!
For further reflection on Pentecost and how the Holy Spirit works through the Church, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 731-741.- How can “breathing in” the Holy Spirit connect me more intimately with the love of the Father and the life of the Son? Which fruits of the Holy Spirit (found in the Galatians reading quoted above) do I experience most abundantly in my life? Which ones do I need to grow into?
- As a Catholic, how can I be more open to the continuous workings of the Holy Spirit through the Church and its teaching?
