Pentecost Sunday
"To each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the
common good." (1 Corinthians 12: 7)
The Solemnity of Pentecost, 50 days after the Resurrection,
reminds us that the apostles had to wait until the first
Pentecost to receive the Holy Spirit. What a joy for to
celebrate this feast! But we were blessed with the Holy
Spirit when we were baptized. St. Paul reminds us that
"To each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for
the common good." As we celebrate Pentecost, let us be
aware of our own calling to proclaim with our lives the
fruits of this Spirit given to each one of us. Scripture tells
us that the power of the Spirit was manifested in a strong
wind and tongues of fire. There is more than one version
of the coming of the Holy Spirit in the Acts of the Apostles.
One makes reference to the coming of the Spirit to the
twelve apostles and another to a multitude of 120 disciples
gathered in prayer. Interestingly enough, it is the same
Spirit descending on the apostles, Mary the Mother of
Jesus and Mary Magdalene. From the beginning the Spirit
is manifested not only to men but also women, apostles and
the laity. It is in this context that we must understand the
second reading where St. Paul speaks of the action of the
Spirit in all Christians. Paul says that it is thanks to the
Spirit that we are able to confess that Jesus is Lord. It is
through the Spirit that exist in the Christian community
that diversity of ministries and functions are possible. And
thanks to the same Spirit, there are no differences motivated
by religion into the Christian community and there are no
differences or social classes (slave or free). In short,
everything we are and have as Christians is fruit of the
Spirit, because this is the way the Risen Jesus is still present
to us. The coming of the Spirit is accompanied by the seven
gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude,
knowledge, piety and fear of God. For Luke, author of
Acts, the coming of the Spirit is not only a personal and
private experience, but to the entire community. At the
same time, it closely links the gift of the Spirit to the
apostolate. The Spirit does not come alone to unite the
community internally, but also to command it to proclaim
"the power of the Lord." Our church has to experience the
seven gifts in everything she does and say. In words of Pope
Francis: "The world needs men and women not closed to
the Spirit, but full of Holy Spirit. Men and women who fight
against sin and corruption. Christians must live their faith to
serve others and not based on their personal interest. Men
and women full of courage, hope, faith and perseverance as
real Disciples of Christ. The world needs the fruits of the
Holy Spirit that has been given in abundance to the Church
and each of us, so we can live with genuine faith and active
charity, so we can spread the seed of reconciliation and
peace". Finally remember that was the strength of the Spirit
that brought out the disciples of their confinement in the
Upper Room and filled them with the strength to be his
witnesses and baptize to the ends of the earth.
Fr. Hernán P., SJ