Pentecost: The Promise of the Holy Spirit

“Come, let us adore Christ the Lord, who promised to send the Holy Spirit on his people, alleluia.”
After the Ascension of Our Lord until Pentecost, the Liturgy of the Hours, the official prayer of the Church, uses this beautiful antiphon as an invitation to pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The days from the Ascension until Pentecost find the universal Church reflecting on the apostles gathered in the upper room, together with Mary, Queen of Apostles, and other disciples, waiting for the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus promised He would send upon them. Those days of prayer and anticipation became the Church’s first novena.
The Acts of the Apostles vividly describes the events of Pentecost. “When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim” (Acts 2: 1-4).
From the description of the Pentecost event, we, too, can sense the excitement, the joy and the fervor which burst into the hearts of the disciples. With the same excitement, joy and fervor, which came from the Holy Spirit, the apostles boldly proclaimed Jesus Christ to all who would listen. As a result, 3,000 people came to believe on that first Pentecost day.
The Gift of God
Our Catholic faith is centered on our belief in the Holy Trinity, one God who has revealed Himself in three equal Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In attempting to understand this great mystery, we believe that God is a Father, that Christ is the Son of the Father’s eternal love, and that the Holy Spirit is the personal love with which the Father and the Son love each other eternally. This love is so powerful that it is a third, equal Person.
In his encyclical letter on the Holy Spirit, “Dominum et Vivificantem” (Lord and Giver of Life), Pope John Paul II writes that the Holy Spirit is “Person-Love” and “Person-Gift.” The very identity of the Holy Spirit is love. His personhood is love. It is most accurate to describe Him as “Person-Love.”
At the same time, the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father and the Son is sent into the world and given to the world as a gift. The Holy Spirit is the great gift that is given to the Church by the Father and the Son. Thus, the Holy Spirit is “Person-Gift.”
To further our appreciation of the Holy Spirit, allow me to apply to the Holy Spirit a phrase that we hear in contemporary culture. We can say that the Holy Spirit is “the gift that keeps on giving.”
The Gifts and Fruits of the Spirit
In preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation, we learn about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. These seven gifts are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. These, according to the “Catechism of the Catholic Church,” “… complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them. They make the faithful docile in readily obeying divine inspirations” (CCC 1831). Further, the Catechism instructs us on the fruits of the Holy Spirit. “The fruits of the Spirit are perfections that the Holy Spirit forms in us as the first fruits of eternal glory. The tradition of the Church lists twelve of them: ‘charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self control, chastity’” (CCC 1832). Sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit in Confirmation, Christians, then, have offered to them a life guided by the Spirit of God with all of the gifts and fruits of the Spirit made available to all who are ready to receive them.
These gifts are not given lightly. They are offered by God so that, just as the apostles transformed the world by their preaching, so we, too, will give courageous witness to Jesus. The gift which we have received we in turn are to offer to others: the gift of faith, the hope of salvation, and the love of God.
Renew the Face of the Earth
Psalm 104 is a beautiful hymn of praise to the Creator. This psalm reflects on every aspect of creation: earth, water, all living creatures. This psalm also recognizes the creative power of the Spirit of God: “When you send forth your spirit, they are created and you renew the face of the earth” (Ps 104:30).
In these days, as we prepare to celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Church at Pentecost, I encourage everyone to pray to the Holy Spirit.
Be mindful of the gifts and fruits made available to us and recognize the ability that we have to share in the renewal of our world.
As we are aware of a world torn apart by war and violence, we pray that the Holy Spirit will inspire us to be messengers of peace. Aware of a culture which more and more confuses moral issues, we pray to be teachers of truth and defenders of life. We pray at every moment to be compassionate, charitable and reverent, in an age of vengeance, selfishness and impiety.
It is in this manner, conscious of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, that we can make a difference. The more that we are conscious of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, that much more will we recognize within us the blossoming of the fruits of the Holy Spirit.
Let us pray that this Pentecost Sunday will find us grateful for all that we have received and ready to do all that God asks of us. Guided by the Holy Spirit, let us work with Him to renew the face of the earth!