HAPPY PENTECOST SUNDAY
INTRODUCTION
Today is a special day to pay honor to the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Most Holy Trinity. But the Holy Spirit must not be forgotten the other 364 days of the year. The Holy Spirit is a constant in our call to repentance and conversion.
The Holy Spirit is that special advocate that Jesus promised us before His Ascension into Heaven.. Jesus would not leave us orphans and indeed, He didn’t. The Holy Spirit daily inspires, encourages, and enlightens us in our way “home” to the Father. If you had a good thought, thank the Holy Spirit. If you did a good deed, thank the Holy Spirit. If you made a good decision, thank the Holy Spirit.
COMMENTARY
The Trinity is one. We do not profess three Gods, JUST ONE! We profess One True God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three persons in One God. The three persons are one in nature.
Jesus is the Word made Flesh, the same substance as the Father. The Holy Spirit is the Lord and giver of Life proceeding from the Father and the Son, the same substance as the Father.
(Council of Nicea 325 and Constantinople 381)
The Father loves the Son. The Son loves the Father. The Spirit is the love between the Father and the Son. The Trinity is a model of communal love. From all eternity, without beginning there is One God in three Divine Persons. It is a mystery of our Faith that we can never fully comprehend or exhaust but we are able to speak about it.
“If a man loves me, says the Lord, he will keep my word and my Father will love him and we will come to him and make our home with him, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.”(John 17:21-23) “Everyone who glorifies the Father does so through the Son, in the Holy Spirit. Everyone who follows Christ does so because the Father draws him and the Spirit moves him.” (John 6:44)
OLD TESTAMENT
The term Spirit comes from the Hebrew word, ruach, meaning breath or air. In the First Creation Story in Genesis 1:2 “the Spirit of God was moving over the face of deep waters,” bringing order out of chaos. In the Second Creation Story, Genesis 2:7, “The Lord God formed man from the dust of the land and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living being.”
The Blessed Trinity is not complete without the Holy Spirit whom we adore and glorify with the Father and the Son. “Glory be to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be forever.”
When we speak of the Father as Creator, we do not mean to say the Son and the Spirit had nothing to do with creation. The same can be said about the Father and the Spirit in regard redemption. The same can be said about the Father and the Son in regards sanctification. No person of the Blessed Trinity is ever absent in a divine action. The source of all divine actions in the world is one Divine Nature.
In addition to the Creation stories we find other references in the Old Testament to the Holy Spirit. In Exodus 13:15, God dried up the waters by sending a dry wind, once the waters were parted the Israelites escaped the Egyptians on dry land.
The Spirit inspired Joseph’s dreams in Egypt (Genesis 37). The Spirit inspired the great prophets, Ezekiel, (Chapter 20) Jeremiah (Chapter 31), and Isaiah (Chapter 61) that the Spirit would renew and restore the chosen people if only they would repent and turn back to God.
NEW TESTAMENT
In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary and the Word became flesh. “The Holy Spirit shall come upon you and therefore the Holy Being, Who shall be born of you, shall be called the Son of God.” (Lk. 1:35)
The Holy Spirit is poured out in fullness in Baptism – virtues given freely to all believers to sustain moral life of the Christian – that means you get them all ! The gifts of the Holy Spirit are freely given so we will fulfill the God-given purpose of our lives. In the sacrament of Confirmation we individually confirm our acceptance of these gifts, but often they are not “stirred up” into activity until we are “baptized in the Holy Spirit”.
GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Wisdom – an understanding in our inner being that helps us develop the ability to make judgments about everything in our lives on the basis of a deep, personal union with the Lord and his abiding love.
Understanding – enlightenment of our minds and hearts with divine truth so that we can grasp the mysteries of the Lord. Signs of this gift are new insight into the Scriptures, increased depth in prayer, and renewed appreciation of the sacraments.
Counsel (Right Judgment) – the ability to receive and/or give good advice. It empowers us to make decisions in the Spirit in practical life situations. The Holy Spirit helps us discern good from evil, right from wrong.
Fortitude (Courage / Strength / Zeal) – enables us to face with strength the trials and dangers we encounter in our Christian life. It empowers us to choose consistently the right way to live in spite of disappointments and difficulties. It helps us resist the temptations of the world: money, power, and self-centeredness.
Knowledge – is having a deep trust and sureness about the Lord and knowing the truths of Christian revelation. This gift of tthe Holy Spirit produces in us a deep trust and sureness about the Lord. We grow in the gift of knowledge through daily study of the scriptures and the teachings of the Church.
Piety (Love) – Piety leads us to a true image of our Father as merciful, faithful, abounding in steadfast love, slow to anger – but also firm and just. We grow in piety through the practice of justice, attitudes of cooperation with authority, truthfulness, friendliness, and humility.
Fear of the Lord – an attitude of reverence and awe in the presence of God. It is not to be confused with the emotion of fear. This gift enables us to reverence all life as a reflection of God’s life. We grow in reverence by praying to God often, by being thankful for God’s gifts, and by respecting God’s name.
REFLECTION
1. How much time do I give to attending to my inner life?
2. Do I ever ask the Holy Spirit for assistance? What prayers do I use to stay in touch with the Holy Spirit?
3. How can my relationship to the Spirit assist me to overcome tendencies in pride, anger, lust, greed, envy,
excess, and laziness?
4, How am I using the traditional gifts of the spirit ?
PRAYER
Come Holy Spirit, Lord and Giver of Life. Spirit of Wisdom inspire us to be courageous witnesses to the Truth. Come Holy Spirit dwell in us that we may dwell in Thee. Come Holy Spirit,, we adore you the same way we adore God the Father and God the Son. Praise and glory be yours, now and forever. In Jesus’ name, we pray.