Historically, the Feast of Pentecost is an ancient Jewish agricultural festival that celebrates the first fruits of the grain harvest fifty days after Passover and the spring planting. The significance of Pentecost took on dramatic new meaning after the Passion, Death, Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus. Now instead of thanking God for sun, rain good soil and a bountiful crop, Christians celebrate God’s gift of the Holy Spirit, a gift given to the disciples and a gift given to each of us. We have so much to celebrate. Not only did God give all of us the Holy Spirit “to be with [us] always,” God gave us our Church and Pentecost is the birthday of the universal church.
What makes Pentecost so special is that it is more than an historic event that happened over 2000 years ago. Pentecost is an infinite interaction between God and us that can touch our lives very day if we are open to the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the force that inspired Jesus in his ministry. The same Spirit animated the disciples in the upper room and transformed them from cowering, fearful people into bold, dynamic preachers who became witnesses of Jesus throughout the world. This same Spirit animates us.
When we are baptized, we are anointed with oil that “signifies the gift of the Holy Spirit to the newly baptized, who has become a Christian, that is, one "anointed" by the Holy Spirit, incorporated into Christ who is anointed priest, prophet, and king” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1241). At our confirmation, the Bishop anoints us again to “confirm” and complete our baptismal anointing. Confirmation “increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us” and “it gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross” (CCC 1303).
Through these two sacraments, we receive all the tools we need to become bold, dynamic witnesses of Jesus. There is a catch, however. We have to be willing to do it. In our second reading today from 1 Corinthians 12: 3b – 7, St. Paul says, “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.” The Spirit is here. The Spirit is with us and the Spirit is in us. Each of us must look into our own hearts and prayerfully discern where the Spirit is leading us.
In every generation, O God of Easter glory,
you send forth your Spirit
to breathe upon the world and make it come alive!
Fulfill the promise of these Fifty Days
with the abundant harvest of your Spirit's gifts.
May we, the community of believers in Christ,
adorned with various ministries and gifts,
be continually formed into one body
by the one Spirit which has been poured out on all of us.
you send forth your Spirit
to breathe upon the world and make it come alive!
Fulfill the promise of these Fifty Days
with the abundant harvest of your Spirit's gifts.
May we, the community of believers in Christ,
adorned with various ministries and gifts,
be continually formed into one body
by the one Spirit which has been poured out on all of us.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ,
who sends us the Spirit of truth from you,
and who lives and reigns with you,
God for ever and ever.
who sends us the Spirit of truth from you,
and who lives and reigns with you,
God for ever and ever.
AMEN.
