Power of the Spirit
First published in 2022 as “Receive the Spirit,” a homily I wrote for Pentecost Sunday.
Happy birthday, brothers and sisters! Today we celebrate Pentecost, 50 days after Easter, the “birthday of the Church.” On that day something amazing happened. Something that encouraged the early followers of Christ so that they no longer hid in fear but instead boldly proclaimed the Good News of Christ so that all who would listen could be saved.
We hear in the Gospel today that after His Resurrection, Jesus stood in the midst of the Apostles who were hiding from the Jews behind locked doors. There Jesus said to the Apostles, “Peace be with you.” Not words of disappointment or questions about why they ran and left when He was arrested, but simply “Peace be with you.” Not only this but He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” and sends them forth just as Jesus Himself was sent by the Father. Peace and Holy Spirit are what Jesus gave to the Apostles, and that is what Jesus seeks to fill our hearts with today.
In the first reading we can see what this Holy Spirit does. We hear in the Acts of the Apostles how tongues of fire descended upon the disciples and that they were filled with the Holy Spirit, causing something very interesting to happen. There were people present from many different places and who spoke different languages, yet they understood one another. The Holy Spirit brings down all barriers and heals all divisions, and He enables people to go and proclaim boldly the Gospel message.
Have you ever been to another country and went to Mass? Maybe you didn’t understand exactly what was said or what the homily was about, but you knew what was happening, right? It was the Mass. It was the same Jesus. The same Holy Spirit. And the language of this Spirit is something that goes beyond our grammar and syntax, it’s a language of love, a language that speaks to the heart. A language that speaks to where we most need healing, peace, comfort, and rest. It is the language that says “I love you.” It is the language between God and His children. St. Paul reminds us that we have received the Spirit of adoption, and we call God, “Abba, Father.”
Brothers and sisters, we are so loved by God. It was not enough for Jesus to suffer and die on the Cross where He gave up his life and spirit for us on Good Friday. It was also not enough for Jesus to rise from the dead on Easter Sunday. He loved us so much that even after ascending into heaven, 10 days ago, He sends us His Spirit as He has promised so that we might no longer live in fear or doubt or shame or guilt, but rather live in the freedom of the children of God, which we have been made. There is nothing more that can keep us from God. Jesus descended into hell, and broke through the gates of hell triumphantly, and the Holy Spirit broke down the language barriers and the gates that kept our hearts locked. Let us live in the Spirit, let us live in God’s love. Brothers and sisters, Jesus gave us His Spirit so that we might know that we are forever loved and held in the hands of His Almighty Father. Today Jesus says to us, “Peace be with you! Receive my spirit!” Will we be open to and allow the transformative power of God’s love to work within our hearts to cast out all the worries and anxieties that may be weighing on our hearts today? He wants to. Let us let Him. What are those things, brothers and sisters that are heavy on our hearts today? Let us take a moment to bring them to the Father now.
In a short while, the same Jesus who asked the Father to send down His Spirit upon the Apostles on that first Pentecost Sunday will once again be made present to us on this very altar, so that all who chooses to receive may be filled with the peace and the love the Jesus brings.
So indeed, Happy Birthday, brothers and sisters, for today, the Spirit of God has come down upon us, renewing us, strengthening us, inviting us to a new life once again, a life that never ends, a life that is in Christ Jesus, Our Risen Lord.
For another reflection on Pentecost Sunday, see “Say What?”
