June 5, 2022 Pentecost

Blessed Feast of Pentecost to each of you!  

In today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles 2: 1-11, there is the sense of awesome wonder at this first public outpouring of the Spirit of God in the early Church.

The wonder of it all stemmed from the fact that everyone heard in their own language the message which the newly transformed apostles were proclaiming to the huge crowd that had gathered. Many countries were represented in that ‘first congregation and everyone understood every word of this incredible sermon. How could that be?

Two huge miracles: first, that the apostles who had locked themselves in that Upper Room for fear of being arrested, suddenly burst through the doors and with fearless excitement preached the Gospel of Jesus, heedless of the consequences; and second, that the Holy Spirit enabled the apostles to reach, through the spoken word, the heart of every person there that morning.

What does this say to us as believers? Clearly one gift of the Holy Spirit is courage—fortitude—to do and say what needs to be done and said when it comes to the truth. We can call upon Him to enlighten us and strengthen our commitment to the truth in matters great or small. We know the feeling: ‘I don’t want to be the one to tell her!’ or, ‘I’m not going to say THAT! He’ll never speak to me again.’ So the truth is neither spoken nor heard, but we’ve saved our own skin…. This is where the Holy Spirit of Jesus wants to immerse us in His strength for the sake of the good.

This story also shows us that He comes to each of us where we are, at any given moment, and patiently speaks to us in ways only we can understand.  St. John Paul II so often said, ‘Never be afraid of Jesus.’ Pope Francis says, ‘Never be afraid of the Holy Spirit.’

I say, with my own tiny voice, never be afraid of God. However He reveals Himself to you, embrace Him in the moment. When you need Him, that’s when you will possess Him.
That’s just the way it is.

Spirit of our Loving God,
come and live in me.
 
May this Feast of Pentecost transform us into the person each of us is meant to be.