Pentecost Sunday, May 27, 2012
Fr. Joseph Eddy, O. de M.
Gospel: John 20:19-23 “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
Each year at the end of the Easter season we celebrate the solemnity of Pentecost. As Catholics we know that this is a commemoration of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the disciples and Mary. We were taught in religious education that the Holy Spirit is a gift from Jesus to the Church. Most Catholics receive this gift for the first time as infants at Baptism.
He was “cut to the heart” in discovering Christian captivesSt. Peter Nolasco was shocked and moved in finding Christians held captive and in danger of losing their faith. Read more about his heroic life and what he did about it on the website of the .
Visit the Mercedarians’
We become temples of the Holy Spirit and begin to share in the Divine life of God. Several years later, we will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. In this sacrament, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit as the Bishop anoints our head with Sacred Chrism. Confirmation is intended to be a personal Pentecost for each Catholic. We, like the disciples in the upper room, are given the grace to witness to our faith through the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Underappreciated sacrament
Confirmation is such a wonderful Sacrament, but it is also one of the most underappreciated Sacraments. Few of us give much thought to our Confirmation. And even fewer, realize on a daily basis that we have been changed by our Confirmation. That we have an indelible mark and a commission to spread the Gospel. Yet, this was most likely the case with the 11 disciples as well. Jesus had told them multiple times after the Resurrection that he would send the “Advocate,” the “Spirit of Truth,” or the “Paraclete.” They were to wait for this Holy Spirit. So, they did wait and pray. But, their prayer was not yet filled with confidence. The Lord had left His Blessed Mother with the disciples to encourage them and model for them faithful expectation.
We must not forget that these were the same disciples that had abandoned Jesus in His hour of need. The disciples were left downcast after witnessing their own failure and Jesus’ crucifixion. Then after the Resurrection, the Risen Christ filled them with new life, consolation, and hope. Now Christ had ascended to the right hand of the Father. The disciples’ human nature led them to once again wrestle with doubt and fear. How would they go on without Jesus? How could such weak men fulfill such a difficult task as it was to peach the Gospel to all nations? Jesus told them of the Holy Spirit, but they did not understand. They even had received the Holy Spirit in John’s Gospel, when Jesus had “breathed on them.” The Risen Christ says to them “receive the Holy Spirit…” and gave them the power to forgive sins.
They remind us of ourselves
Through all their doubts, discouragements, and weaknesses the disciples can remind us of ourselves. We received the Holy Spirit at Baptism. We are told that this Spirit is within us as we grow up. But, so many of us do not really appreciate this presence. We have an opportunity to grow in the Gifts of the Holy Spirit at Confirmation, which has been called our own “personal Pentecost.” However, for many, Confirmation has just become a “rite of passage” or even worse, for some, the last time they will attend religious education or even Mass!! So we go through the preparation choosing a Saint’s name, getting a nice outfit, and planning a little family reception. The day comes and we go through the liturgy just hoping the Bishop doesn’t ask us a question. Admittedly, I too at the time of my Confirmation did not appreciate it or think about it much afterwards.
The disciples in the closed room may have had the same mixed feelings before their Pentecost. They had been waiting and praying for ten days. The doors were most likely locked for fear of the Jewish leaders who had crucified the Lord. Then, all of a sudden a “strong driving wind” (like a tornado) comes upon the building. “Tongues of fire” come to rest on each of them. They are filled with the Holy Spirit and go forth proclaiming the Gospel in different languages with great courage. We may ask ourselves: Why doesn’t our own personal Pentecost have the same effect???
Are we open to grace?
There could be several answers to this question. First, the Scriptures tell us that “the Spirit blows where it wills.” God chooses to work most often through the ordinary events and circumstances of daily life. The Spirit is present and working, but only a prayerful and humble soul can see His great works done in ordinary events. Secondly, we often do not open ourselves up to the grace given to us by the Sacrament of Confirmation to use the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Do we really desire to spread the entire Gospel message? Do we even believe that the Catholic faith is the truth? Or, do we even believe in any objective truth at all?
The disciples, for all their foibles, loved Jesus and the message that He taught them. They wanted to spread the Gospel to all nations, because they believed that it was the life changing revelation of God! When the tongues of fire came upon them, they embraced the Holy Spirit as a great gift. These 11 weak men were open to the Holy Spirit’s promptings, which told them to proclaim the Gospel to all nations. They had also, prepared for the coming of the Spirit by prayer and fasting with the Virgin Mary.
A personal Pentecost
For us too, God does desire Confirmation to be a personal Pentecost for each Catholic Christian. Unfortunately, too often we are not open to this grace. Let us pray today on the Solemnity of Pentecost that God would inspire us with the same fervor that lead the 11 disciple to travel throughout the known world to spread the saving message of Christ. My we to be open to the ordinary and extraordinary ways the Holy Spirit wishes to work in our lives!