Life in the Spirit (Pentecost Sunday B)

(grabbed from https://www.antiochpeople.org)

Today, Pentecost Sunday, is the culmination of the Easter Season. The commemoration of the event of the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles occupies a very important place in the Church’s life and liturgical calendar. Pentecost is said to be the birth of the Church as it marks the beginning of the church’s missionary endeavor. Pentecost day is a day of empowerment and transformation as promised by Jesus before He ascended to heaven:

 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere - in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

To become effective witnesses of Jesus we need to be empowered and transformed by the Spirit. This is exactly what we commemorate today. At Pentecost, the disciples experienced transformation. From being fearful, they emerged as bold and courageous proclaimers of the marvellous acts of God. From being doubtful and confused, they gained clarity of their understanding of what Jesus taught and its implication in the life of the early Church.  From living according to the desires of the flesh, the disciples were continually transformed into a community that lived by the Spirit.

Let these transformations be our experience too as we open our hearts to the power of the Holy Spirit whom we have received by way of our baptism and confirmation.

Fear to boldness. The first reading (Acts 2:1-11) accounts for the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles in the form of tongues of fire. It tells of the transformation that happened in the apostles.  We know from the gospel reading (Jn 20:19-23) that they were hiding because of fear after the Lord’s crucifixion.  But at Pentecost, these nervous apostles were empowered by the Holy Spirit as they went out of hiding and began to speak of “the mighty acts of God” to all peoples. They no longer feared any possible persecution. They were transformed into bold proclaimers of the good news, confidently proclaiming the greatness of God revealed in the passion, death, and glorious resurrection of Christ.  Since then the Apostles feared no more. They would face even their martyrdom with courage and fortitude--clearly the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Do you live in fear? What are you afraid of in life? Fear can be paralyzing. It can imprison us and rob us of the freedom and joy of Christian life.  It can put us to silence and render us unable to witness to Christ and His values.  This Pentecost Sunday, let us acknowledge the presence of the Holy Spirit already in us. Let us allow the Spirit to empower us, to allay our fears, and to set our hearts on fire so that we can truly live out our prophetic mission. Let us be bold in proclaiming the truth about God’s work in our lives.  By the power of the Holy Spirit, we can be freed from the shackle of our fears and live our Christian life boldly, confidently, courageously.

Confusion to clarity. The Lord Jesus, despite being the best teacher ever, acknowledged the incapacity of his disciples to understand fully what he had taught them and what he had to go through to fulfil his mission as the Messiah. But He reassured them that the Holy Spirit will enlighten them so that they may understand. When Jesus died on the cross, many of the disciples were so confused and discouraged they didn’t know what to do next. One ended his own life; some stayed in hiding; some walked away to Emmaus discouraged; some went back to fishing; Thomas doubted. But at Pentecost, these confused disciples would become ever sure of themselves and what they believed in. The Holy Spirit empowered them with the gifts of wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and counsel. They began to preach boldly and with clarity, even tourists understood them. And whenever they were faced with important decision-making for the good of the early Church, they relied on the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Since then the Church would always invoke the Holy Spirit for guidance and enlightenment in every aspect of her life.

Our contemporary life can be confusing too. We can be bombarded with too much information… too many questions… too many choices…  too many answers. I read a post on facebook saying: “I am currently in this long confusing process of figuring out who I am and what I want to do in my life.” “My life has become this one big ‘I DON’T KNOW!’” “Should I turn left where nothing’s right or should I turn right where nothing’s left?” Life can indeed be confusing especially perhaps in our present generation when the clear objective norms and standards we had held for centuries have given way to a relativist outlook where truth depends on anybody’s opinion. “Respect my truth. I respect your truth… his truth… her truth… their truth.” What is true then? It is precisely in this predicament of confusion that the enlightening power of the Holy Spirit is much needed. Again, this Pentecost day reminds us of the gifts of the Holy Spirit that can transform our lives from confusion to the clarity of what we believe in and its implications in our choices and moral decisions in life. Let us always invoke the Holy Spirit for guidance every time we discern. He will show us the way, the truth, and the life.

Life in the flesh to life in the Spirit. St. Paul is very clear about this transformation in the life of Christ’s disciples through the power of the Spirit. In his letter to the Galatians 5:16-25, he instructs them to live by the Spirit so as not to gratify the desire of the flesh. He warns that the works of the flesh are immorality, impurity, lust, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, selfishness, factions, envy, drinking bouts and orgies. And those who live by these will not inherit the kingdom of God. So, he exhorts them to live by the Spirit whose fruit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

The world continues to allure us to gratify the desires of the flesh. There is so much hatred, violence, greed, desecration of the sanctity of life around us and so on. Do you by chance find yourself at the heart of this moral decadence? Then let the message of Pentecost awaken you. Allow the Spirit to transform your life. Live by the Spirit and learn to forgive, to live in peace, to share to the needy, to sanctify your family, to be a loving person. There is just so much joy in life when we are transformed by the Spirit.

Allow these transformations to transpire in your own life as we end with this prayer: Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth. Amen.