May God the Holy Spirit glow within you!
This weekend we celebrate Pentecost which is also the birthday of the Church when the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles and disciples of Jesus uniting them in one, Spirit, one faith and one Lord.
When we speak about spirit on a personal level, we are usually referring to something about matters of interest or passion in life. We notice people who are filled with a kind of spirit: a team spirit, a school spirit, a work spirit, and a family spirit. People of spirit are fired with a special passion, love and energy for particular things. You can hear it in their voice, see it in their eyes and on their face and it shows in the way they spend their time and money. Their whole heart is into it. They get excited about it and they are obviously more animated and energized while they are engaged in what they love.
Understanding spirit at a personal level helps us to better grasp why God gave us the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The presence of the Holy Spirit makes people on fire for Jesus and the Gospel! The Holy Spirit builds, unifies, animates and sanctifies the Church. The Holy Spirit is Truth, guiding us in the truth of God! The Holy Spirit is the breath of God speaking and inspiring action in the members of Christ’s body, the Church. The Holy Spirit is the gift of enlightenment and sure sign that we are God’s people: God’s adopted sons and daughters. The gift of fiery faith that we have from the Spirit is not like the flame of a match that can be blown out by the wind or drowned by water. No, the gift of God the Holy Spirit dwelling within us is an eternal, unquenchable, loving fire that drives us into action and ministries. The Holy Spirit within us loves to be shared and expressed with other people in prayer and good works. Its fruits are purity, gentleness, kindness, generosity, joy, peace, hospitality, healing, forgiveness and unity. The Holy Spirit equips the Church in its mission by filling the members with gifts and inspiring them to action for building up God’s Kingdom. I hope that all of us will open ourselves more fully to the Holy Spirit this year. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to ignite us with God’s pure love and passion for life and goodness and share this joy with others! +++ Fr Peter