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.
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, and 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 the birth of the Church: Christ’s Mystical Body.
WE ARE ALL PENTECOSTALS
With the seal of the Holy Spirit, we are all Pentecostals. The Pentecostal experience is not only the birth of Christendom or the Church. It is the renewal experience that, launched us to the Christian life and grace.
Hence, all Christians should live and move in the Spirit and our Christian lives and testimonies should manifest the indwelling of the Spirit in us.
However, the absence of the Holy Spirit poses a danger to Christians, the Christian life, and the Church. It leaves us vulnerable, manipulative and lost in falsehood.
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 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
The first reading gives a vivid account of the Pentecostal grace and experience of the apostles. Endowed with Power from above they manifested the fullness of the Spirit: in tongues, prayers, prophecies, and testimonies.
Thus, 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 AND 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 spit out everything contrary to the Christian life
4. Fire to cook, strengthen, refine, and preserve the Christian faith and life.
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
Paul in the letter to the Galatians 5:16-25 gave us a clear warning of what less life in the Spirit means for us, the Christian community, and the Church: immorality, impurity, lust, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies, and the like.
While fullness of life in the Spirit implies: the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, modesty, chastity, generosity, faithfulness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control. These manifestations are signs of a life filled with the fruit of the Spirit.
Therefore, 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.
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 led 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 assures us of the Holy Spirit as the Power from above acts. 1:8, the Comforter Jn. 14:16, Advocate Jn. 14:16, Paraclete Jn. 14:16, Helper Jn. 16:7, Teacher Jn. 14:26, Memory Jn. 14: 26, and the Spirit of Truth.
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 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.
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, the church, and the entire creation.
Ultimately, He is (1) an indwelling God, (2) a strengthening God, (3) a sanctifying God, (4) teaching and guiding God, (5) 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 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, three gifts last forever: 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.
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 (2Cor 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 God (Gal 5:5) and above all, the Spirit unites us 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 so that, we might do good for others and be reconciled with God and others every day.
5) By allowing his inspiration to enlighten us and lead 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.
THE SPIRIT IS MOVING: ABUSIVENESS IN THE NAME OF THE GOD
There was this Aladura church in which the pastors were at cold war with each other. The petty pastoral jealousy of whom the Spirit is moving more in the ministry; and who is more popular among the faithful. They were both looking for opportunities to shine in the assembly and to discredit each other before the people.
It so happened, one day that the opportunity came and they both did not miss it, one Pentecost Sunday, while the church was in praise worship invoking the Holy Spirit. There was a strong manifestation of the Spirit in tongues, visions, and prophecies.
The pastor led by the Spirit went and gave the assistant pastor’s wife a mighty slap accusing her of adultery and infidelity and demanding she make a public confession. The whole church thundered praises as the Spirit moving
Shortly, after more praises, the assistant pastor also moved, led and directed by the Holy Spirit gave the pastor’s wife a dirty slap claiming she should confess to her sin of idolatry, how she went to ‘Baba lawo’ a juju man to control her husband. He also directed that the pastor should divorce his wife on account of her sin a directive of the Holy Spirit.
At this again, the church was filled with jubilation as with loud praises of the spirit moving and working among them and especially in their Spirit-filled pastors
OUR PRAYER AGAINST THE ABUSIVE USE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Christian world is a turmoil of confusion, conflicts, and wars like never before because of the selfishness and wickedness of so-called men of God who abuse and manipulate followers in the name of the Holy Spirit.
Sadly, religion and the Christian faith have been hijacked by Spirit-moving men and women with no authentic experience of the Holy Spirit. They interpret, use, and control the innocent mass of our faith.
The Pentecost day like today is a moment to ask the Holy Spirit to expose these men and women of this fraudulent use of his name to rob, intimidate, and control in God’s name.
On a more positive note, may the Holy Spirit help us to understand that God gives His Spirit to us for the service of the Church and one another.
HOLY GHOST FIRE
May we also know that the fire of the Holy Ghost is the fire of love enkindled in our hearts, not an atomic bomb to bombard one another or perceived invisible enemies.
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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