Acts 2:1-11: 1 Corinthians 12:3-7,12.13; John 20:19-23
In the Gospel today, Jesus gives his final address to his disciples. He promised to send them a good Lawyer (Advocate). This Lawyer is no human advocate; he is the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father. Hence, the descent of the Holy Spirit is the greatest assurance and sign of God’s own presence, guidance, and power. Pentecost is the beginning of a new era, a new time of the Spirit, a new mode of living, walking by the Spirit, living in the realm of the Spirit.
In recent times, there is so much revival and enthusiasm, which are all concrete signs of the power of the Spirit. But beware! There is always the danger to limit the Holy Spirit only to these external demonstrations and expressions. Holy Spirit is not only some eloquent preaching, some animated and moving prayers, some evocative intercessions, some touching devotion, some powerful healing, some impressing gift of tongue, some happening prophesying, a great mass appeal and gathering huge crowds.
Certainly, as the Spirit is powerful, lively and spirited, it can have such great external impacts. But the sad thing is, the Spirit is so much confined only to these factors, so much domesticated only to these, so much so that only some groups claim to be charismatic groups, filled by the Spirit, and the others are labeled as ordinary mortals. We see in all this, two unhappy tendencies: reduction and arrogance. That is, reducing the Holy Spirit ultimately to powerful preaching and wonders, and also nurturing a disguised spiritual pride of possessing the Spirit to use it at one’s liking.
And the sad effect of such tendencies is, a failure to renew life. In other words, there is so much demonstration of the power of the Spirit in different spiritual activities, but hardly any real change in concrete life. The power of the Spirit is predominantly restricted to the spiritual world, with no inflow into the daily life zone.
People of God, let us ask ourselves: How much the power of the Spirit is challenging and changing my weaknesses? How much the spiritual illumination to cite many quotations, enlightens and guides me and us for the right thoughts, attitudes, decisions, and actions? How much the expertise and eloquence of preaching the Word leads to practice the Word in real life? How much the Spirit makes us grow in honesty, in patience, in unity, in generosity, in purity, in holiness, in serenity, in self-control?
Pentecost is the birth of the Church, not church as buildings, and not church as structures, but church as the People of God. It was no longer proper for the disciples to look back and long for the days of the Lord. They had been prepared to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They had been prepared to form the People of God.
We are not just members of an organization, or a social body. We are members of the people of God. The Spirit unites us into the body of Christ. We possess the Holy Spirit. The life force of Jesus is within us. The Holy Spirit guides us to find the way to be Christ for a world that longs for meaning, longs for a saviour. We pray to the Spirit among us and within us today. We pray for the spirit to enlighten us to understand the way of the Lord.
Fr. Alex Osei
SSC-USA Spiritual Director