Pentecost Sunday concludes the Easter season, which may lead us to think of Pentecost only in terms of an ending; however, the opposite is true. Pentecost is the beginning, the birth of the Church. Yes, it is the purpose and fulfillment of Our Lord’s mission, to imbue us with his Spirit. For that reason, it is also the beginning of God’s presence in the world that is experienced in a new way, by way of the Church. By way of us, his Body.
Pentecost continues
Our celebration of Pentecost is not simply the remembering of a past event, as though it were merely a historical event. We pray that what happened to Christ’s followers on that first Pentecost happens to us as well. This is especially important in our difficult and often distressing times, when we, members of Christ, are called to be faithful and committed disciples. The world needs our witness as followers of Christ who are constantly being filled with the Holy Spirit. This occurs principally through the Sacraments. At the start of Mass on Pentecost Sunday the priest asks God to “fill now, once more, the hearts of believers” with the divine grace “that was at work when the Gospel was first proclaimed.”
As we pray for this grace, we should also prepare ourselves to receive it similarly as the first disciples. That means actively and deliberately opening our minds and hearts to receive the Holy Spirit. He cannot accomplish his work in us without our permission. Our Lord chooses to work through us with our consent, not by force. We should return to that first Pentecost and be attentive to the Spirit’s signs: wind, fire and tongues.
Wind
First, we hear that “suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were” (Acts 2:2). The wind signifies the breath of God initiating a new work in the world. As God once breathed life into Adam (cf. Gn 2:7), so at Pentecost he breathes life into the Body of Christ. The Church comes alive!
Today we need the Church to live with that same vigor. More than ever, the world needs the witness of the Church. We must receive God’s breath anew. We must realize that, on our own, we are short of breath. We need God to breathe his Spirit into us. For the Church to be the Church, we need to receive his breath to give us life.
Too often we try to do work for him on our own, by our own wisdom and strength. We then grow discouraged when we fail. Many people become disheartened by their own limitations. But it is precisely at those moments of weakness that the Spirit does his greatest work. He breathes into us most of all when we recognize our need for his breath to make us alive in Christ. For the Church to be the Church and to do his work, we need to acknowledge our weakness and pray, “Breathe in me, Holy Spirit!”
Fire
Second, “there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them” (Acts 2:3). We see so much darkness in our world as the commands of God and the Gospel of Life are being increasingly rejected. The world needs light, and the Church of Christ is our light in the darkness. No matter our circumstances or trials, Christ is there to light the way.
Our Lord also tells his followers, “You are the light of the world” (Mt 5:14). Of course, we can be that light only if we are enlightened by the Holy Spirit. So, he sends the fire of the Spirit to enlighten our minds, to see the truth of God and proclaim it, to see injustice and fight against it, to see those in need and serve them.
Fire also purifies and strengthens. When a blacksmith fashions a tool or blade, he first places the metal in an intense fire to soften it enough to make the metal easier to shape. Once shaped, it is quenched in water, which hardens the metal and makes it ready to be used. So it is with our lives. If we soften ourselves and show God that we are open to his handiwork, he shapes us through life’s challenges into instruments of his grace, mercy and love.
His fire purifies our hearts of all selfishness, resentment and greed. That way his Church will shine more brilliantly in the world as a beacon of hope and salvation. Thus, we pray, “Come, Holy Spirit! Fill the hearts of the faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love!”
Tongues
Finally, at that first Pentecost, “they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim” (Acts 2:4). Now, not all of us have the ability to speak foreign languages! But each of us can speak the truth of the Gospel, simply and sincerely, beginning with those closest to us. The Spirit is given to animate our speech, so that we speak the truth in love (cf. Eph 4:15) and united as brothers and sisters in Christ.
God did not limit his gifts of the Spirit to that first Pentecost. He intends for them to be for the Church throughout the world and throughout the centuries, including here and now. May we pray that this Pentecost we receive the life, enlightenment and words of the Spirit so that we may be more fully the presence of Christ in our own time and place.
