Pentecost

This weekend, the Church celebrates the great solemnity of Pentecost. This feast is traditionally held to be the birthday of the Church inasmuch as the Holy Spirit is poured out onto the disciples. Just as God breathed the Spirit into Adam to bring him to life, so now God sends forth the Spirit into the Church (the gathered disciples) to bring her to life! 

The Holy Spirit is not only given in order to bring the Church to life, though, but also to empower the disciples to carry out their mission of spreading the Gospel, “[making] disciples of all nations.” This empowerment is seen in two ways in the scene of Pentecost. First, in the sheer change in the Twelve. Just a moment before, they were cowering in fear in the upper room, afraid of the crowds and what they might do to them; now that the Holy Spirit has been poured out, they courageously step out onto the rooftop and begin proclaiming the Gospel. Only the Holy Spirit could have brought about such a change. Second, in the gift of tongues. The Twelve would likely have spoken a couple of languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, some Greek and Latin); but now we see them preaching in languages from all over the world, many of which they likely had never encountered before.

This same gift is given to all of us. Through Confirmation, we all receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, and with this gift, we receive His life and the gifts we need in order to carry out the mission He has given to each of us. The more we rely upon Him, listening to His guidance and using the gifts He gives us, the more we are able to fulfill that mission of spreading the Gospel within our own community. May we seek to follow the guidance and promptings of the Holy Spirit each day in order that we may lead others to encounter Christ through us!