THE OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

THE SOLEMNITY OF PENTECOST - Acts 2, 1-11

Since the beginning and throughout the ages, the Church has been pushed forward by the Holy Spirit. Left only to herself, the Church would have disappeared long ago. It is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that makes the Church move forward as a witness to Jesus Christ, carrying out his mission.

With the death of Jesus, the disciples were disillusioned and began to disperse. The resurrection gave them encouragement and hope. In the Scriptures, they began to have glimpses of the meaning of Jesus' passion and death and became a community. It was, however, a closed community that was afraid to be known and afraid to appear in public. They avoided the limelight and kept away from the public’s eyes. In spite of that, they started meeting together and their prayerful attitude in those meetings made possible the reception of the Holy Spirit, who transformed them, filling them with strength, courage and motivation to bear witness to Jesus Christ, proclaiming him as Lord and Saviour. Jesus had promised that they would be baptised with the Holy Spirit, receiving his strength - that power of the Spirit which "renews the face of the earth" (Psalm 104,30). The disciples became aware of this transforming force when they felt something like  "a mighty rushing wind" and saw what appeared to be "tongues of fire”. The wind and the fire are symbols of the Spirit of God, which awakens us from sleep and fills us with dynamism for the mission of the proclamation of the Gospel. With the power of the Spirit, the barriers of isolation broke down and the doors got wide opened. They left the ghetto where they had taken refuge to meet people of other races and cultures. The Gospel has to be proclaimed to all peoples and in all languages, so that all may recognise and proclaim "the mighty works of God”.

In the second reading (1 Corinthians 12: 3b-7.12-13), Paul teaches us that faith in Jesus Christ is possible only through the action of the Holy Spirit. It is he who takes us to Christ; it is he who prepares our hearts to welcome him and opens our eyes to recognise him. It is the Spirit of God who gives us the wisdom to let ourselves be touched by the mystery of Christ, filling us with the strength to be his witnesses. The Spirit that brings us to Christ manifests and operates in many and varied ways. He is the Spirit of diversity so that in this diversity everyone will make his contribution, establishing bonds of communion.