Acts 2: 1-11
John 7:37-52; 8:12
On today’s great feast of Pentecost, we celebrate
the Holy Spirit coming upon the followers of the Risen Jesus, which is the
birthday of His Body, the Church. After the Savior’s resurrection, He ascended
into heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to His disciples so that they would not be
cut off from the new life that He has brought to the world. The Holy Spirit
is, of course, the third Person of the Holy Trinity, fully divine and eternal as
are the Father and the Son. By being filled with the Holy Spirit, the
Lord’s followers participate personally and communally in the unity, power, and
blessing of the very life of God by grace.
Unlike
the period before Christ’s Passion, the disciples now no longer think of
themselves a students of a mere teacher, prophet, or king. They no longer struggle to accept the good
news of His resurrection. Instead, they experience the new life of the
Kingdom as “rivers of living water” flowing from their hearts. By the
Spirit, they participate by grace in the life of the Holy Trinity. God is
not remote, distant, or removed from them, but present in their souls. By
God’s presence in their hearts, they become truly who He created them to be in
the divine image and likeness.
At Pentecost,
the Holy Spirit comes upon the apostles as a group who were gathered together
in obedience to the Lord’s command. The divine breath which first gave
life to humanity comes upon them as a mighty wind. The divine glory
beheld by Moses in the burning bush now rests upon each of them personally as
flames of fire. The divided speech of the tower of Babel is now
overcome by the miracle of speaking in different languages so that everyone can
hear and understand the praise of the Lord. Not the possession of any nation
or group, this great feast manifests the fulfillment of God’s promises for the
entire world and every human being.
God
creates us all in His image with the calling to grow in His likeness, actually to
become like Him in holiness. As those corrupted by sin and death,
however, fulfilling that vocation is beyond our ability. Only God is God, and our only hope is to
share by grace in His eternal life. This glorious participation in the
divine life is made possible to us at Pentecost. Human distinctions of
every kind become irrelevant here, for all that matters is that we respond with
faith, humility, love, and repentance as we receive the Spirit poured out on the
whole world and on every generation.
With the
Holy Spirit present in our hearts, linking us together organically as one, our
fallen, divided humanity is restored. Just as Father, Son, and Spirit
share a common life of love, unity, and holiness, we share a common life in
Christ’s Body, the Church. As particular people, we have the
responsibility to believe, repent, and obey the Lord as we participate in the
ministries of the Church and live faithfully each day. As members
of Christ’s Body, we are nurtured by worship, the sacraments, and spiritual
instruction in our common life. The holy Tradition of the Church is
the presence of the Holy Spirit, guiding the Body into ever greater knowledge
of and participation in the life of the Holy Trinity.
For we
receive the Holy Spirit not as isolated individuals, but as persons in
communion, in loving relationship with Christ and with one another in His Body,
the Church. The only proper way to celebrate Pentecost is to open ourselves
as fully as possible to God’s healing, transforming power in all areas of our
lives. That is how we may become radiant with the divine glory as we celebrate this
great feast of our salvation as living temples of the Holy Spirit, the Lord and
Giver of Life, Who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and
glorified, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
Amen.
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