Pentecost: The Spirit Fires Us Up

Holy Spirit Window in St. Peter's Basilica

Today we celebrate Pentecost – the outpouring of the Spirit upon the early disciples of Jesus in Jerusalem. The lesson of Pentecost: the triune God lives in us; and we live in that trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. To paraphrase St. Paul: we are living temples of God.
An awesome truth!

“Pentecost” is a Greek word meaning “fiftieth” – the fiftieth day after Passover. In the Christian tradition, Pentecost celebrated the descent of the Spirit.

The Book of Acts describes the Jews coming to Jerusalem for the harvest festival. Suddenly the Spirit – described in images of wind and fire (symbolizing power and energy and
vitality) – was poured out upon the disciples and fired them up to preach the Gospel
fearlessly throughout the then known world.

The letter of Paul to the Christian community at Corinth in Greece speaks about all the
gifts the Spirit bestows upon us: all to build up the community. We often overemphasize the
individual at the expense of the community. Paul’s words are a powerful reminder to seek the
common good.

The Gospel according to John describes a post-resurrection appearance of Jesus. The
risen Christ breathes upon the disciples (as God originally breathed life into us in the Book of
Genesis) and in that gesture bestows the Spirit. It’s an awesome truth of our faith: the God of the
universe lives within us. You may ask: what does God’s Spirit do within us?

The Spirit transforms us into new creatures, with a destiny beyond this earthly life: eternal life
with God. That life has already begun in us, in the waters of baptism, and is nurtured in today's word and sacrament.

To see what the Spirit can do, look at the early disciples: initially cowards hiding in a room; and then suddenly transformed into heroes proclaiming that Jesus Christ is gloriously alive.

The image I like best for Pentecost is the “breath of God” or “gush of wind.” It's something you can
feel, “catching” the Spirit. The power and force and energy and vitality of the Spirit is within us. The Spirit inspires us, moves us, so that we can be a channel of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-discipline.

As the Spirit moves where it will, it can inspire whoever sees its effect. So keep alert for
God’s Spirit. Yes, only humans receive the “breath of God” but all living things inspire us if we
are alert for God’s creative spirit.

Pentecost begins the mission of the people of God, your mission and mine, to continue
the saving work of Jesus Christ until he comes again in great glory. We can continue that work
by embodying the gifts of the Spirit: wisdom (to recognize what really matters in life),
intelligence (to discern what's true), courage (to step up for what's right), compassion (for the
needy), good judgment (to do right), and wonder and awe (to worship the great God of this
universe).

Let us pray that the Spirit whose gifts we already possess by virtue of our baptism will empower us to live more fully the results of the Spirit’s presence in us – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, self-discipline.

The Spirit of God within Us

St. Peter's Basilica  Holy Spirit Window

Today we celebrate Pentecost – the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Jesus in Jerusalem. The lesson of Pentecost is that the triune God lives in us; and we in God. Yes, as St. Paul taught: we are living temples of God.

There's not much to see visually on Pentecost Sunday. But the description I like best is “breath of God” or “gush of wind.” Not destructive like a hurricane, but life-giving. It's “catching” the Spirit of God. It's feeling the Spirit moving wherever it wants to recreate whatever it touches.

The vitality of the Spirit is within us. It inspires us, moves us, so that we can be a channel of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-discipline.

Pentecost concludes the Easter season and begins the mission of the Church, the people of God, you and me, to continue the saving work of Jesus Christ until he comes again. We can continue that work by embodying the gifts of the Spirit: wisdom (to recognize what truly matters in life), intelligence (to discern what's true), courage (to stand up for what's right), compassion (for the needy), good judgment (to do right), and wonder and awe (to worship the great God of this universe).

“Pentecost” is a Greek word meaning “fiftieth” – the fiftieth day after Passover. The Hebrews initially celebrated after harvesting the spring wheat. Later they associated the festival with the covenant God made with their forebears on Mt. Sinai. Pentecost gradually celebrated one aspect of the entire paschal mystery.

The Book of Acts describes how the Jews had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the festival. Suddenly the Spirit -- described in images of wind and fire (symbolizing power and energy and vitality) -- was poured out and emboldened the disciples to preach the Gospel fearlessly in Jerusalem and throughout the known world.

The letter of Paul to the Christian community at Corinth in Greece speaks about the gifts the Spirit bestows upon us: all for the common good.

The Gospel according to John describes a post resurrection appearance of Jesus where he breathes upon the disciples (as God breathed life into us in the Book of Genesis) and in that gesture bestows the Spirit.

It’s an awesome truth of our faith: the God of the universe, the triune God, lives within us. So we are new creatures, with a destiny beyond this earthly life: eternal life with God. That life has already begun. And to see what the Spirit can do, look at the early disciples: transformed from cowards locked in an upper room into heroes proclaiming from the rooftops that Jesus Christ is gloriously alive.

Let us pray that the Spirit will empower us to live the results of the Spirit’s presence. The same Spirit of God who spoke through the prophets, overshadowed the Virgin Mary, enlivened the disciples, and lives within the Church community and guides human history toward its ultimate fulfillment—a new heaven and a new earth—that same Spirit lives and breathes within us and can transform us ever more fully into "living temples of God."

So we pray today,
“Come, Holy Spirit anew into our lives,
and re-energize us so that we can see God more clearly, love God more dearly and follow God more nearly. Amen.”