HOLY SPIRIT: SPIRIT OF LOVE
The Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father and the Son is not only the giver of life but also the spirit of love. The feast of Pentecost is when we celebrate the birth of the Catholic, Apostolic and Universal Church. It is also the beginning of the Church´s mission to witness to the Risen Christ. When coward men were transformed into courageous men.
Without the Holy Spirit and its gifts and fruits, the apostles and disciples cannot be authentic witnesses of Christ and his kingdom. Equally, without the Holy Spirit, the Church cannot bear witness to Christ or carry out its mission. The Holy Spirit is the power, authority, the life force, guide and inspiration of Christians and the Church´s activities.
WHAT IS PENTECOST?
Etymologically, the word “Pentecost” in Greek “Πεντηκοστή”- “(Pentēkostē)” means “fiftieth.” It refers to the festival celebrated on the fiftieth day after Passover, also known as the “Feast of Weeks” and the “Feast of 50 days” in the rabbinic tradition of God’s Covenants with Noah after the flood and with Moses at Mt. Sinai. It is also a Jewish feast, and the Jewish Pentecost was originally a post-harvest thanksgiving feast.
PENTECOST FROM THE CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE
Pentecost 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 occurred fifty days after Jesus’s Resurrection and ten days after his ascension to heaven. The Paschal mystery of the Passion, the Death, the Resurrection, and the Ascension of Jesus culminates in the sending of the Holy Spirit by the Father at the request of His Son on apostles and disciples.
The descend of the Holy Spirit: the Spirit of love, truth and the indwelling Spirit: the one who comforts, helps, guides, teaches, directs, strengthens, reminds, transforms, sanctifies, illuminates, and abides at all times. It is one of the most important feasts of Christendom. It is actually the birth of the Church: Christ Mystical Body.
OUR THEME
The readings of this Sunday remind us of who is the Holy Spirit, what is His role in our lives and how can we experience Him in our lives personally or communally. One of the supremely great days of the Christian Church is the day the Holy Spirit came upon the praying and waiting apostles, disciples and the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Pentecost is a feast of the birth of the Christian Church founded by and in Christ Jesus through the action of the Holy Spirit. Hence, the role of the Holy Spirit is indispensable in the life of a Christian or the Church.
The Holy Spirit endows us with many gifts and fruits, among which is the Spirit of love to forgive sins. That is, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of love that fosters unity in diversity through reconciliation and forgiveness of sin. Our mission as Christians and as a Church is to be an instrument of love and reconciliation through the action of the Holy Spirit.
FIRST READING: ACTS 2:1-11
St. Luke gives a live image of the happening Pentecost: 1. Assembly of prayer, 2. The sound, signs and appearance of the Holy Spirit in the TONGUES OF FIRE, 3. The speaking in tongues of the wonders of God, 4. The confusion and amusement of their listeners, 5. Peter´s explanation and admonition in a fiery and courageous manner 6. Additionally, the augmentation of convinced believers.
Concretely, when the Holy Spirit moves everything else moves as well. This is the reality of Pentecost! The third Person of the Trinity is the Helper, Advocate, Consoler, Illuminator and Sanctifier of our faith and testimony as Christians.
HOLY SPIRIT IMAGERY IN THE TONGUE OF FIRE
In the first Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came down in TONGUE OF FIRE depicting the role of the Spirit among us: The experience of the Holy Spirit in the TONGUES OF FIRE is of great significance in the transformation witnessing in the lives of the apostles and disciple. As they were transformed from coward men and women into fiery and brave witnesses to the Gospel even with lives in death.
The tongue is the organ of the body use for the sense of taste: to savour sweetie, tasty and good things as well as to spit out bitterly, sour or bad things. Likewise, the Holy Spirit helps us discern whether to accept or reject the good or bad things of life personally or communally. In the same way, fire as an element of life helps cook and make food tasty, help fortify and test the durability and quality of things either earthly or heavenly.
ITS IMPLICATION FOR THE CHRISTIAN FAITH AND LIFE
1. Tongue to taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
2. Tongue to taste and savour the sweetness of the Christian life.
3. Tongue to taste and split out everything contrary to the Christian life
4. Fire to cook, strengthen, refine, and preserve the Christian faith and life.
Hence, the impossible is realized, people of different nations, tribes, cultures, and orientations spoke and understood the language of love. They all witness the apostles and disciples of Christ speaking about God’s deeds of power. Above all, they witness the transformation of timid men to the bravest of men in their testimony to Christ and the gospel. Indeed, the Spirit of God gives energy to the apostles and disciples, as well as sends them out on their mission.
Our responsorial to Psalm 103 invites us to an honest and sincere prayer: “Lord, send out your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.” We could ask as well to kindle in our hearts the Spirit and the fire of your love. We need the Spirit of love to fill, instruct and grant us the Love of God and others and through us renew the face of the earth of hate and division.
SECOND READING: GALATIANS 5:16-25
For St Paul, living by the Spirit of God means avoiding all forms of sins and manifesting all forms of goodness. That is, a Christian who lives according to the Spirit of God does not live a carnal life subjected to the flesh or ego.
A life dominated by the works of the flesh: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these.
In contrast, it is a life of fill with the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
One fact here is that the works of the flesh and the Spirit of God cannot cohabit in the same person or Christian. One must take precedence or maintain dominance over the other. It is not a matter of theologizing or spiritualizing, you are either lead by the Spirit of God showing in the fruits you bear or you are dominated by the works of the flesh.
Generally, it was Paul’s belief and experience that the Christian lives in constant and continuous tension between his human nature (the inclination of the flesh) and the Spirit life in him (the inspiration of the Spirit).
THE GOSPEL: JOHN 20:19-23
Jesus the risen Lord declared peace, grace and joy on the disciples with a single task of reconciling to the world with God and with one another. Therefore, the disciples receive the Holy Spirit to continue this task with is the mission of Jesus Christ.
In other words, the apostles and disciples receive the Holy Spirit to continue the mission of Jesus Christ: to preach, to teach, to heal, and to celebrate the forgiveness of sins to all without exception. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Love, Grace, Truth and above all Mercy.
The Christian and the Christian Church as an agent to continue the mission of Christ. That is, there is mutual dependence between Christ and his church:
1. It means that Jesus Christ needs the Church, which is exactly what Paul meant when he called the Church “the body of Christ” (Ephesians 1:23; 1 Corinthians 12:12). This means is that Jesus depends on his Church as its head. No wonder he bequeathed to her all his power, authority, presence and spirit.
2. It means that the Church needs Jesus. A person who is to be sent out need someone to send him; he needs a message to take; he needs power and authority to back his message. This means also that the Church depends on Jesus´ Word, Presence, Spirit, Grace, Power, Authority, Enlightenment and Encouragement to function properly. Especially, the Spirit of Christ to remain faithful to Christ´s instructions and carry them out as Christ would want them executed.
3. The sending out of the Church by Jesus is parallel to the sending out of Jesus by God. The relationship between Jesus and God is built on Jesus’ perfect obedience and perfect love. In like manner, the relationship between the church and Jesus must be one of perfect obedience and perfect love. Her will must be according to Christ´s will too.
THE HOLY SPIRIT AND HIS GIFTS IN THE PAULINE LITERATURE AND THE EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
St. Paul talks about the gifts of the Holy Spirit as personal or individual gifts but for a common purpose of Body of Christ: the Christian Church. In other words, though the gifts of the Holy Spirit are personal, they are for the glory and honour of God and in service to all in the Christian community.
Accordingly, for Paul, Jesus can only be proclaimed as Lord through the Holy Spirit who with its various gifts and forms of service enriches the Church, the Christian community and the Christian for the benefit of all. The whole of chapter 12, 13 and 14 of the first letter to the Corinthian church was dedicated to this end.
THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Besides the 7 gifts of the Church popularly acclaimed in the Church´s teaching, especially the Catholic Catechism: Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of the Lord. These gifts which are based on the Prophecy of Isaiah 11:2-4, Paul identify also many spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit.
He identifies the gifts of the Spirit operating in the Christian community to the analogy of the Human body with its many parts. Each part is different and essential to the holistic functioning of the body. In the same way, Paul thinks the various gifts of Spirit given to different individuals by One Spirit are for the common good of all in the Christian community or Church.
SPIRITUAL OR CHARISMATIC GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Approximately, Paul identifies “charismatic gifts” which comes from the Greek word “charism” or Plural “charisms or charismata” and which means “charis” or “grace.” In the context of Pauline Literature, especially 1 Corinthians 12, the spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit to individuals in the Christian community is seen as grace to administration, ministry, or service to God.
For Paul, therefore, the spiritual gifts are the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, increased faith, the gift of healing, the gift of miracles, prophecy, the discernment of spirits, diverse kinds of tongues, and interpretation of tongues.
Others are gifts of apostles, prophets, teachers, helps (connected to service of the poor and sick), and governments (or leadership ability) which are connected with certain offices in the Church.
The New Testament contains several lists of spiritual gifts are (1) Prophecy, serving, teaching. Exhortation, giving, leadership, and mercy (Romans 12:6–8). (2) Word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, miracles, prophecy, distinguishing between spirits, tongues, interpretation of tongues (1 Corinthians 12:8–10). (3) Apostle, prophet, teacher, miracles, kinds of healing, helps administration, tongues (1 Corinthians 12:28–30). (4) Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, Teacher (Ephesians 4:11). (5) Whoever speaks and whoever renders service (1 Peter 4:11).
THE SPIRIT OF LOVE
The Holy Spirit of God is the Spirit of love. God is love (1John4:8). We cannot discuss the gifts of the Holy Spirit without alluding to the Pauline “Hymn of Love” in 1 Corinthians 13. For Paul, whichever gifts of the Holy Spirit have an end. However, there are three gifts that last forever namely: Faith, Hope and Love. The greatest of which is love. The Holy Spirit gives us then, the greatest gift of love. He is the Spirit of love that flows from a God of love.
WHO IS THE HOLY SPIRIT?
The Holy Spirit is God. He is the Third Person of the Most Holy Trinity. That is, the Holy Spirit is a Person. A divine Person who is equal in dignity and majesty with the Father and the Son. He is the Lord and Giver of life who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God that gives life to all created things. The Spirit that creates, renews and sanctifies us, and the church and the entire creation.
Ultimately, He is (1) an indwelling God, (2) a strengthening God, (3) a sanctifying God, (4) a teaching and guiding God, (5) a listening and speaking God, he enables us to pray and listens to our prayer, as well as speak to us through the Holy Bible, (6) a Giver of life and gifts, He gives us the breath of life, eternal life, His gifts, fruits, and charisms, thus enriching the Church. (7) The Spirit of love, God is love and we are called to know and love God in others. (1John 4:8)
THE ROLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN CHRISTIAN LIFE:
1. As an indwelling God, the Holy Spirit 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:
a. He makes us children of God and heirs of heaven through Baptism.
b. He makes us temples of God, warriors and defenders of the Faith, through Confirmation.
c. He enables us to be reconciled to God by pardoning our sins through Reconciliation.
d. He gives us spiritual nourishment via the Holy Eucharist by converting bread and wine into Jesus’ Body and Blood through Epiclesis.
4. As a teaching and guiding God, He clarifies and constantly reminds us of Christ’s teachings.
5. 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. Rom. 8:26
6. As a giver of gifts, He enriches us with His gifts, fruits and charisms, especially with the Spirit of love: the highest and greatest Christian virtue. 1 Cor. 12, 13 & 14
BIBLICALLY THE HOLY SPIRIT DOES THESE THINGS IN OUR LIVES
The Holy Spirit is our Companion on our faith and life journey (John 14:26). He helps us in our weaknesses and struggles (Rom 8:26). He equally testifies of Jesus (John 15:26) as he frees us (Rom 8:2; 2 Cor3:17) and helps us obey God (1Pet. 1:22).
The Holy Spirit is our Comforter (Acts 9:31; John 14:16–17). The English word “comfort” comes from the Latin word from which we get the word “fortis” – to be courageous.
The Holy Spirit is a teacher who helps us acquire knowledge, competence and virtue (John 14:26). He guides us (John 16:13), instructs us (Acts 8:29), transforms us (2 Cor 3:18) and leads us (Rom 8:14) to live the Christian life in Truth and Spirit.
The Holy Spirit Convicts Us of Sin. He is the silent voice of conscience that works as an inner judge, warning us and letting us know the grief of sin against God, others and ourselves (John 16:8; Titus 3:5-6).
The Holy Spirit prays and intercedes for us according to the will of God (Romans 8:26-67).
The Holy Spirit is a revealer of Truth. The Holy Spirit is our spiritual guide revealing to our minds and hearts the truth as it relates to scripture, worship, doctrine and Christian living (John 16:13).
The Holy Spirit is a gift-giver. There is a diversity of spiritual gifts, which the Holy Spirit gives to individuals to use for the good of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12: 4–7 4).
The Holy Spirit harvests the fruit in our lives. These fruits are products of the Spirit’s presence in our life (Galatians 5:22-23; 1 Thess 1:6; 1 Cor 12:8-10).
The Holy Spirit empowers us to proclaim the truth of the teaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ without fear or favour (Acts 1:8; Acts 4:5-12).
The Holy Spirit assures our hope of heaven. The Spirit’s revealing, leading, teaching, gifting, and proclaiming in us is proof that we belong to God forever (Ephesians 1:13-14). The Spirit of love enriches us to love fully and truthfully in Christ Jesus (1Cor 13)
The Holy Spirit fills and sanctifies us (Acts 4:31; 2 Thess 2:13) and lives in us (1 Cor 3:16). He also renews us (Titus 3:5), strengthens us (Eph 3:16) to bear witness to the truth (Rom 9:1).
The Holy Spirit seals us forever with the mark of God´s adopted children (Eph 1:13), enables us to wait on wait God (Gal 5:5) and above all, the Spirit unites as one Christian body in Christ. (Eph 4:3-4). Hence, the Spirit breaks down barriers and ripples off divisions and discrimination in Christ Jesus. ( Acts 2:1-11; 6:1-7; 15: 1–35; Eph 2: 14–17).
WE NEED TO PERMIT THE HOLY SPIRIT TO TAKE CONTROL OF OUR LIVES:
1) By constantly remembering His holy presence and behaving well;
2) By praying for His daily anointing so that we may fight against our temptations and control our evil tendencies, evil habits and addictions;
3) By asking his daily assistance to pray, listening to God through meditative Bible reading and talking to Him; and
4) By asking the help of the Holy Spirit that we may do good for others and be reconciled with God and others every day.
5) By allowing his inspiration to enlighten us and leading us to the truth, as well as being docile to a new horizon of the Christian faith and life amid the changing world.
6) By teaching us how to love God and one another as Christ did. He is the Spirit of love who inspires and fills us with the Spirit of love: perfect and sincere love in the Christian community.
OUR PRAYER
Oh! Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created. And you shall renew the face of the earth. O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
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