Come O Great Paraclete, Come!

 (Homily for Pentecost Sunday Year C)

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. In the Gospel, the Holy Spirit comes as a consoling presence, a counsellor, Spirit of truth and a witness to Christ. In the Acts of the Apostles, He comes as energy, courage, life force. He opens a new horizon. In the Pauline account, the works of the Spirit are 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. 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 which means fiftieth. The Pentecost was an old Jewish traditional feast that was celebrated 50 days after the Passover, namely the ingathering of the 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 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). The consciousness of the outpouring became more intense in the prophecy of Isaiah thus: “I shall pour out my spirit on your descendants” (Is. 44:3) and again, “until the spirit is poured out on us from above” (Is. 32:15). 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). 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, peace, love, liberation and a rediscovery of who we are before God.

     As evidenced in the Gospel passage (John 14:15-16.23b-26), the most eloquent promise that Jesus made to his disciples before his passion is the Holy Spirit. Jesus makes that promise on a condition “If you love me, you will keep my commandment. I shall ask the Father and he will give you another Paraclete to be with you for ever” (vv.15-16), the phrase “another Paraclete” here is suggestive of a prior Paraclete, and that is no other than Jesus, our First Paraclete! Towards the end of his earthly existence, Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to his disciples, that Spirit was to be the inheritance of the disciples from their Master, and at the same time, as the continuation of his presence. Jesus promises the Holy Spirit to his disciples, and he is the one that will intercede on our behalf, by asking the Father to send the Holy Spirit. He announces the multiple functions of the Holy Spirit in the Apostles, in the Church and in every Christian. He will be the Consoler, the Teacher and Spirit of Truth. Jesus promises the Holy Spirit to his disciples to assure them of his permanent presence in their midst in another way. The Holy Spirit, the Advocate whom the Father will send in my name will teach and remind you everything. In the two verbs, “to teach” and “to remind” the work and mission of the Advocate is condensed. The Advocate will continue to teach us. He will remind us all that Jesus taught us, that is, he will help us to bring to heart, to appropriate and treasure all the words of Jesus. There is need to be reminded of all that He has said, because His word is life. Little wonder, St. Paul posited that, “God has sent into our hearts the Spirit of his Son” (Gal. 4:6).

     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 and by us today.

     The Pentecost as described by St. Luke in the first reading (Acts 2:1-11) is the event that evidenced adequately this gift given to the Church. Therefore, the Holy Spirit is above all, the “spiritual” presence of the risen Christ in the Church, it is a presence that continues in a different way, his historical presence in time. It is a presence that is personified, in the Person of the Holy Spirit (The Third Person of the Holy Trinity). The Holy Spirit is the presence of the God-with-us. In that passage St. Luke tells us that the Holy Spirit came down on the apostles. 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. Moreover, other languages here symbolize a language of love that all understand. Little wonder, St. Paul tells us: “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal” (1Cor 13, 1-2). 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 were 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. On the other hand, 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.

     In the second reading (Rm 8:8-17) St. Paul gives us an eloquent and concrete indications on how to be witnesses of Christ through the Holy Spirit. St. Paul affirms that those who are led by the Spirit are children of God, as opposed to those led by the flesh (cf. 1Cor 2:14-15). St. Paul here talks about the effects of the actions of the Holy Spirit in the heart of the faithful. The Spirit gives us the guarantee showing our belonging to Christ. The Spirit in us is a mark of God’s ownership of us. He says that those who are in the flesh can not please God, because the Spirit does not dwell in them. But those who are in the Spirit are not in the flesh. For if Christ is in you, although your bodies are dead because of sin, your spirits are alive because of righteousness. He further said that we are DEBTORS, not to the flesh, but to the Spirit. Those who are led by the Spirit are sons of God. We did not receive the spirit of slavery, but the Spirit of sonship. It is the Spirit that enables us to call God: “Abba Father”. Indeed, St. Paul captured well the collaborative work of the Spirit of God and our spirit thus: “it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Rm. 8:16). With the Spirit on our side and in us, we are no longer under the dominion of the flesh, but of the Spirit.

      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 the 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.    

     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. And above all, St. Paul captured the essence of the Pentecost experience when he affirms and confirms 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 our turbulent country Nigeria. May He renew us, as we declare freedom and liberty for all God’s children, because “where there is the Spirit of God there is freedom” (2Cor 3:17). May God continue to pour His gifts upon us through the Holy Spirit, the highest Gift of God. 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)