Come O Holy Spirit, O Fount of Life, Come!

(Homily for Pentecost Sunday Year B)

Without the Holy Spirit, God is distant, Christ is merely a historical figure, the Gospel is a dead letter, the Church is just an organization, authority is domination, mission is propaganda, liturgy is only nostalgia, and the work of Christians is a slave morality. But with the Holy Spirit, Christ is risen and present, the Gospel is a living force, the Church is a communion in the life of the Trinity, authority is a service that sets the people free, mission is Pentecost, the liturgy is commemoration and anticipation, and the work of Christians is divinized (Ignatius of Laodecea).

     The aforementioned assertion of Ignatius of Laodicea sets in motion the vitality and the profundity of today’s Solemnity. Today as we are celebrating the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the word of God gives account of this Event, in four different ways, to demonstrate that the Holy Spirit, the breath of God, cannot be locked up in human schemes. The first reading and the Gospel complement each other, as they both talk about the descent of the Holy Spirit; although while in the first the Holy Spirit is a Gift of the Risen Christ to the Church for her mission, He comes as energy, courage, life force. In the latter (Gospel), the Holy Spirit comes as a consoling presence, a counsellor, Spirit of truth and a witness to Christ. In the Pauline account in the second reading, He comes with different fruits as opposed to the works of the flesh. And the fourth account is in today’s responsorial Psalm: “Send forth your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth” (Ps.104:30). All the earth, nothing and nobody is excluded. Indeed, what we are celebrating today is the fulfilment of the promise of the Risen Christ. Several times in his farewell speech, Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to the apostles: “I will not leave you orphans… I will send you the Paraclete, the Spirit of truth… and you will receive the Holy Spirit” (Jn. 14). And 50 days after His Resurrection, Jesus maintains his promise, as St. Luke recounts in the Acts of the Apostles. St. John instead, in his Gospel collocates the coming of the Holy Spirit in the evening of the same day of Resurrection (cf. Jn. 20:19-23), as such, he intends to make us understand that the Holy Spirit is the most important Gift of the Risen Christ, the most precious fruit of his gesture of love and obedience to the Father. He is the Gift of God and the Giver of God’s gift to us. The Holy Spirit is a Person, the third Person of the Most Holy Trinity. The Scripture does not provide us with a personality sketch of the Holy Spirit, rather the sacred authors tell us who and what the Holy Spirit is by what the Spirit does. In the Scripture he is presented with several symbols and images like: cloud (cf. Ex. 16:10); water (cf. Ez. 17:1-6; Jn. 7:37-39); wind or breath (cf. Gn.1:2; Acts. 2:2); fire (cf. Ex. 3:2; 13:21; Is. 4:4; Acts. 2:3); anointing oil (cf. Acts. 10:38); dove (cf. Mk. 1:10; Lk. 3:22); still small voice (cf. 1Kgs. 19:11-13) etc…

     The word Pentecost is from a Greek word “Pentēkostē”, which means fiftieth. The Pentecost was an old Jewish traditional feast that was celebrated 50 days after the Passover, namely the in-gathering of grains. Later on, Judaism transformed it into a feast of salvation history, for it commemorated the arrival of the people of Israel at Mount Sinai, and the giving of the law to Moses on Mount Sinai (cf. Ex. 34:28). This was later introduced into the Christian feast that marked the conclusion of the great fifty days after Christ’s Resurrection. It also refers to the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles and others who were present at the Upper room. The grain harvest and the law are now replaced by the gift of the Spirit, from the constitution of the old Israel to the constitution of the new Israel. A gaze into the Old Testament reveals the power and activity of God’s Spirit at work. For instance, God allowed His Spirit to rest on the seventy elders who were appointed to assist Moses (Num. 11:16-17; 25). After his anointing as King, Saul received the Spirit of God and prophesied (1 Sam. 10:10); and when he lost his connection with God the Spirit of God left him (1 Sam. 16:14). Therefore, obedience to God attracts the presence of the Holy Spirit in our life, for it can be seen that when Saul disobeyed God, the Spirit of God that was upon him departed from him (cf. 1Sam. 15:26; 16:14). The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is a mark of God’s presence in us. David was a man filled with God’s Spirit and when he sinned he begged God not to take the Holy Spirit away from him (Psalm 51:11). In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit is our great teacher and reminder (Jn. 14:26); He is the guarantor and witness of our divine filiation as sons and daughters (Rm. 8:16); he is the great intercessor (Rm. 8:26); He is the great explorer: “for the Spirit explores the depth of everything, even the depths of God” (1Cor. 2:10). He dwells in us, “Do you not realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you and whom you have received from God? (1Cor. 6:19). Particularly, in the book of Revelation the Holy Spirit is portrayed as capable of taking control of a person: “On the Lord’s day the Spirit took control of me” (Rev. 1:10) and again “At once the Spirit took control of me” (Rev. 4:2), The Holy Spirit can possess a person, and his is indeed is a dynamic presence, for whoever he possesses witnesses all round transformation. The Holy Spirit is a great teacher and proclaimer of the divine message. In the book of Revelation “who has ears listen, what the Spirit says to the Church” (Rev. 2:29; 3:6; 3:16; 3:22). His message to the Churches was a message of rediscovering their identity before God and the renewal of their rapport with God. Even for us today, his is a message of repentance, unity, liberation and a rediscovery of who we are before God.

     In the first reading (Acts 2:1-11) St. Luke narrates the event of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles, unlike in the Gospel, but fifty days after Easter. Therein, we see that the Holy Spirit is the principle of expansion of the Church and the life force. This account of the Pentecost permits us to discover another great thing that the Holy Spirit represents for the Church, the life force that nourishes her in her Mission. There are some vital elements to ponder upon in the passage, ●first, “they were all together”, this entails that the Holy Spirit comes where there is unity. ●Second, “A sound came from heaven like a mighty wind”, this lays credence that it is truly Ruah Adonai, for the Holy Spirit manifests Himself so many times through the wind. In the book of Genesis (1:2) we are told that at the first moment of creation, “The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” ●Third, “It rested on each one of them and they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages.” This is suggestive that the Holy Spirit came on them individually; likewise his gifts are individually given but for the common purpose. The Spirit empowered them to speak different languages, however, other languages here might be considered symbolic. They symbolize a language of love that all understand. ●Fourth, “at this sound the multitude came together”, this gesture of gathering together is the beginning of the Church’s mission to evangelize, because they are gathered in order to be sent. ●Fifth, “we hear them telling in our tongues the mighty works of God”, indeed, the Holy Spirit urges us to proclaim the wonderful works God has wrought for us, and as such, it was the major content of the preaching of the apostles that very day. On the other hand, in the book of Genesis (11:1-9), we see a direct opposite of what happened today in the Acts of the Apostles, the tower of Babel, where people because of pride, presumption and distance from God, were divided and thrown into confusion and incomprehension, language became a source of confusion instead of unity and understanding. That indicates simply the absence of the Holy Spirit. The gift of the Spirit is the reversal of babel. Meanwhile, the responsorial psalm talks about the natural and cosmic dimensions of the Spirit’s work (Ps. 104:30). The presence and power of the Spirit creates, recreates and renews.

         The Gospel passage of St. John (Jn. 15:26-27;16:12-15) we read today helps us to understand the importance and need of the presence and the action of the Holy Spirit in the world, in the church and in the life of every single Christian. St. John therein, presents the Holy Spirit as the “witness” of Christ before the world, for “when the Paraclete comes whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who issues from the Father, he will be my witness. And you too will be witnesses, because you have been with me from the beginning” (Jn. 15:26-27). In all, we ought to bear in mind that today, the Holy Spirit desires to continue to speak to the world through our collective (as a church) and individual witnesses, just like in the beginning, through the preaching and testimony of the apostles and disciples. St. John puts it succinctly thus: “And you too will be witnesses, because you have been with me from the beginning” (Jn. 15:27), even though that referred to the disciples, the same word re-echoes for us today.

        Jesus promised his followers formally that he will send them the Holy Spirit, and as such, he fulfilled his promise (first reading) on the Pentecost day. The Holy Spirit is promised and sent by Jesus so that He can accomplish two broad missions amongst the disciples and in the Church; and that is revealed in the two mission-titles given by Jesus: “Spirit of truth” and “Paraclete/Counsellor”. First, He will bring the disciples to the knowledge of the revealed truth and he will give them consolation and comfort. The apparent emptiness created by the absence of Jesus will be filled by the presence of the Holy Spirit, Second, Jesus says, “I shall ask the Father, and he will give you another Paraclete to be with you for ever” (Jn. 14:16). Such that, after being consoled and confirmed by the Holy Spirit, the disciples can give courageous witness of their faith in Christ before the world.

        During his earthly ministry, we could say that Jesus entrusted the mission of a complete teaching of the truth to the Spirit. For this, he assured his followers: “However, when the Spirit of truth comes he will lead you to the complete truth” (Jn. 16:13). Jesus promises fervently that through the action of the Holy Spirit they will be led to the comprehension of the entire truth (on his person, on his doctrine and on the salvific project of the Father). The Spirit will not add anything to the truth proclaimed by Jesus, for in Jesus’ words: “all he reveals to you will be taken from what is mine” (Jn. 16:14). Therefore, the truth remains the same but it will be better understood with great profundity and richness by the disciples.

          In the second reading (Gal.5:16-25), St. Paul gives us an eloquent and concrete indications on how to be witnesses of Christ through the Holy Spirit. St. Paul affirms that deep within us, there is a struggle between “the flesh” and “the spirit”. In his words, “the Spirit has desires contrary to the flesh, and the flesh has desires contrary to the Spirit” (v.17). The consequence is that many a times, we do not do the good we desire, as Paul experienced: “the good thing I want to do, I never do; the evil thing which I do not want- that is what I do” (Rm. 7:19). St. Paul enlists the works of the flesh and afterwards the fruits of the Spirit. The works of the flesh are: “immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, envy, drunkenness, carousing”. The fruits of the Spirit includes: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control”. In Paul’s parlance, with and through our baptism we belong to Christ, and as such, “All who to Christ Jesus have crucified self with all its passions and its desires” (Gal. 5:24), thus, we have become temple of the Holy Spirit. St. Paul further admonished that our Christian life has to be a “walk”, a movement according to the exigencies of the Spirit, a movement in which we align ourselves to the Kingdom’s desires. In that bid, our life in the Spirit abhors passivity, for we are called to allow “our behaviour be guided by the Spirit” (Gal. 5:25), and indeed, “all who are guided by the Spirit of God are sons of God” (Rm. 8:14).

       Dear beloved in Christ, the Pentecost experience still continues, like the first Christian community today we are gathered, but unlike the first Christian community we are not waiting for the absent Spirit to come, rather we have to reawaken ourselves to the Spirit who is already present and working in, for and through us since we received Him during our Baptism. We only need to wake up to His presence. We need the Holy Spirit in all that we do. The life of Jesus from conception, birth, public ministry, passion, death and resurrection was marked by the presence of the Holy Spirit. Little wonder, at the beginning of his mission Jesus declared: ‘The Spirit of God is upon me” (Lk. 4:18; cf. Is. 61:1). At the Incarnation, Mary conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit, and at the Eucharist, Bread and Wine become the Body and Blood of Christ, by the power of the same Spirit (epiclesis). The Holy Spirit guarantees and realizes his continuous Incarnation. The Holy Spirit realizes the consecration of Bread and Wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. During consecration in Eucharistic Prayer II the Priest says: “Let your Spirit come upon these gifts to make them holy, so that they may become for us the Body and Blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ.” Above all, the Holy Spirit is at work in and through the Sacraments of the Church.    

     Above all, we too need Him in our existential sojourn and weaknesses, for this St. Paul said that “the Spirit comes to help in our weakness, for when we do not know how to pray properly, he intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words” (Rm. 8:26). It is the same Spirit that bears witness to our divine identity, as God’s children, “The Spirit himself joins our spirit to bear witness that we are children of God” (Rm. 8:16), He confirms our filial identity. Above all, St. Paul captured the essence of the Pentecost experience when he affirms that “our Hope does not disappoint us, for God has poured out His Love into our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit, who is God’s gift to us” (Rm. 5:5). Today as we receive this outpouring, we join our voices together with that of the Psalmist in saying “Send forth your Spirit Lord and renew the face of the earth” (Ps. 104:30). May He renew us and renew our world battered and engulfed in so many ills and evils, may He renew and heal the world of the current pandemic. We hereby declare freedom and liberty for all God’s children, because “where there is the Spirit of God there is freedom” (2Cor. 3:17). Come o Holy Spirit and fill our hearts with Love and with a hope that does not disappoint! Be renewed as we receive the outpouring! And as we welcome Him today may the same Spirit liberate us from all that do not allow us to be free sons and daughters of God! May He chase away the powers of darkness in our hearts and in our world with His fire! Amen!!!

(Fr. Vitus M.C. Unegbu, SC)