For fifty days we have been celebrating the incomparable joy of the Resurrection. Today, Pentecost Sunday, we close the Easter Season by gratefully acknowledging the magnificent and mysterious work of the Holy Spirit. On this day, the Holy Spirit transformed very ordinary men (who ran away when Jesus was arrested and hid in a locked room because they were afraid) and inspired them to begin the challenging process of founding the Church.
Three years earlier, these apostles had dropped everything and followed Jesus. They truly had no idea what to expect. They put their own hopes and dreams on hold, they left their jobs, and they left their families. They put their egos aside, swallowed their pride and humbled themselves before Jesus. They spent three years with Jesus – listening, watching, and following. From Easter until Pentecost the apostles were still trying to figure things out. Like many of us, they were unsure about how to do the important job that Jesus had given them without Him at their side each day.
Jesus knew that, on their own, these men were not capable of starting the Church. So, Jesus caused the Holy Spirit to enter them, fill them with courage, and transform them into men who could inspire people to listen to the Good News of Jesus Christ. With the help of the Holy Spirit, they were on fire for the Lord!
In the Creed we call the Holy Spirit, “the Lord and giver of life” because the Holy Spirit gives us “new” life to fuel our relationship with God so that God can work in us and through us. In the Eucharist, the Holy Spirit is present in two ways: He transforms bread and wine into the Body and Blood of our Lord. Then, after we receive the Eucharist, the Holy Spirit transforms us so that we can become what we receive.
The Holy Spirit set the disciples on fire so that they could carry out the mission of starting and growing the Church. The Holy Spirit sets us on fire with the real presence of Jesus within us – HERE AND NOW – so that we can continue that mission.
Heavenly Father, help us to recognize and accept the Holy Spirit acting in our lives, setting our hearts on fire, and moving us to act in the lives of others.
Fr. Mike