On The Resurrection of Our Lord

PENTECOST SUNDAY

"However, the coming of the Holy Spirit was not something that happened only at the foundation of the Church. The living breath of God is at work in every age as a permanent feature renewing and building up the body of the Church. The gift of the Holy Spirit, given at Pentecost, is available to the worshipping community gathered here; provided we are open and willing to receive it. He acts through human persons like ourselves; but depends on our response to his promptings."

The picture painted in the Gospel about Pentecost is a colorful description of the spectacular beginnings of the infant Church as an active missionary community. The Holy Spirit like a roaring wind descended with tongues of fire on the heads of the Apostles, and breathed new life into this faint-hearted band. The immediate impact on the Apostles was radical and dramatic. Inspired by the Spirit of God they boldly went out to the market place and proclaimed the resurrection of Christ and his conquest of sin and death to those who had only recently crucified their master. They were no longer the terrified and cowardly collection of individuals locked away in the upper room for fear of the Jews. Their world which had fallen apart with the crucifixion and death of Jesus was changed and transformed into a new creation. They emerged full of enthusiasm, gifted with eloquence and with a very clear sense of their vocation.

The thought strikes us that the first Pentecost must have been an exciting time to be alive in the Church. The atmosphere was joyful, change was in the air and the outpouring of God's love upon all of creation was like a river of flood. However, the coming of the Holy Spirit was not something that happened only at the foundation of the Church. The living breath of God is at work in every age as a permanent feature renewing and building up the body of the Church. The gift of the Holy Spirit, given at Pentecost, is available to the worshipping community gathered here; provided we are open and willing to receive it. He acts through human persons like ourselves; but depends on our response to his promptings. If we are prepared to live our lives according to his guidance and inspiration by always doing what we sincerely believe is right there will be no limit to the support he will give us.

This feast, which celebrates the birthday of the Church, is an excellent opportunity for evaluating the use we are making of our own God-given gifts. The Church is built up when we use our individual talents, not for our own personal benefit but for the good of all. We are all laborers whom the Lord asks to go into the harvest. How we love each other and care for each other is a message to everyone we meet and is what outsiders judge our christian faith on. The fact that our gifts are not of the spectacular type which fascinated the on-lookers on the first Pentecost, does not diminish their importance. Being a patient father, a loving mother, a good listener, and having time for the elderly may not attract the headlines but it witnesses to the fact that God is to be found in the humdrum of a daily routine.

It is in the ordinary that we share most fully in the greatest of God's gifts. As we face the difficulties and trials on our earthly journey we should rejoice that the Holy Spirit is ever present, enlightening our minds with hope, and gradually forming Christ in us as he did in the womb of Mary. 'Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of your love.'

As a community baptized in the Spirit, we turn to our heavenly Father, and place our needs before him. Heavenly Father, send your Spirit into our hearts so that we may become your faithful witnesses, and your instruments in drawing all people into the unity of life and love. We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.