Pentecost

06-05-2022Weekly ReflectionFr. Anthony Okolo, CSSp

Today, 50 days after Easter Sunday, the Church celebrates the great feast of Pentecost. The day the Apostles received power from above and were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. It is on this day that the church came into existence. Before the coming of the Holy Spirit on the apostles, they were all in one room for fear of the Jews, not knowing what would befall them and thus they could not go out. However, with the coming of the Holy Spirit upon them, they were empowered and they went out with courage and started proclaiming the great news of salvation. That is why my dear friends that the Holy Spirit is the wonder worker. When we become aware of His power in us, we are empowered to work wonders.

With the coming of the Holy Spirit, there was a great wonder: every apostle’s mind was clarified. “They understood the mission of Jesus candidly. They were filled with the desire for evangelization. The mutilating fear gave way to fearless proclamation. The cloud of confusion was melted and the truth of Christ’s mission illumined in their hearts. They were not afraid of martyrdom. Fired by the Holy Spirit, the unlettered- fishermen of Galilee would challenge the mighty Roman Empire, travel to various nations to proclaim.” When the Spirit took over, they went out, turned the world upside down, and established a church that has survived two millennium years, inspiring billions of people to follow the way of Christ. This did not come through money or massive building but by the sheer power of the Spirit that worked in those simple men and women. They fulfilled Jesus’ prophesy in Acts 1:8 “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

There are a few lessons we can learn from the events of today and the readings of the Mass on this great feast day of the church. In the first reading they were all in one place and each person is locked up in himself or herself. Thus, they could not understand the other person. When we are closed up within ourselves, we cannot understand the other person. In the Gospel we were told that the doors were locked for fears of the Jews. So being locked into oneself is like oneself being locked out from God’s Holy Spirit. When we open ourselves up, we see the beauty in the other and relate with one another peacefully. When we open ourselves up, God’s Holy Spirit comes into our lives to take control and possession.

Jesus opens the door and enters and then gives the Apostles the Holy Spirit which now strengthened them and gave them power to preach the Gospel message and fulfill the mission that Christ had given them. For us to receive the Holy Spirit we need to open the doors of our heart and allow God to take control. We need to remove fear which is a great obstacle to realizing God’s potentials in our lives. We need to speak the language of love which is understood by everyone.

The feast of Pentecost today reminds us of the consolation and comforting power of the Spirit whom Jesus called the “Comforter”. As a mother holds a wounded and frightened child, and with her breath inspires trust, rekindles confidence and gives life back again, so the Holy Spirit is with us in times when we are blown down, too weak to pray and troubled to rise from our place. He will hold us and breathe life back into us again. Should we wither and fade, He will gather us up in His arms.

My dear brothers and sisters, let us trust in the power of the Holy Spirit to change our lives and our situation. Let us call on the Holy Spirit when we are in trouble and He will answer us. Let us invoke the Holy Spirit because He is God and would always come to our help. Let us start today to invoke the Holy Spirit in every situation of our life.

Happy Feast Day.

Fr. Tony

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