Fresh Dew Media

 PENTECOST SUNDAY, YEAR C: REFLECTION BY FR. JULIAN EKEH

THEME: THE HOLY SPIRIT IS HERE FOR GOOD

(John 14:15-16.23b-26)

Today the Church celebrates the fulfilment of a promise. The Church celebrates her life day and birthday. The Church rejoices for her hope that was not made hopeless.

Since the Ascension, the body of Christ in obedience to her Lord has fixed all her hope above, has directed all her gaze in the heavens, has been on invocation for the power from above, has been in wait, crying out 'venite' and putting aside vanities.

Alas, here He comes. He comes to us as He came upon the Apostles on the Pentecost Day.

 

PENTECOST DEFINED

Pentecost in the Church is a celebration in commemoration of the decent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles and other followers of Christ who gathered in Jerusalem for the Feast of weeks.

The term Pentecost comes from the Greek 'Pentecoste' meaning fiftieth. It was originally a harvest festival. The festival was celebrated on 50th day after Passover. Taking its Old Testament origin, it was referred to as the feast of first fruits (Numbers 28:26).

Today, we celebrate not the agricultural harvest in Pentecost but the harvest of the Father's gift to us. It is a Thanksgiving celebration of God's abiding presence.

It is the 50th day after the Passover celebrated not with bulls but with the Son of God. We have a lot of reasons to celebrate as we welcome in our midst the Holy Spirit of God.

 

GOD LOVES US

Jesus in His love for us calls us to love Him in return. The Holy Spirit is the love of the Father and the Son. Jesus wants us to be plunged into His Divine love. He intercedes to His Father on our behalf. He tells the Father what is lacking in us. He sees the empty areas that need divine filling. He knows our openness to have Him in us. And He pronounced the solemn promise. The Father in love sent Jesus to us, in love too, the Son prays the Father to send the Holy Spirit after his Ascension.

 

HE SENDS THE COUNSELLOR

The counsellor promised by Jesus is the Holy Spirit. He is God. He is the Third Person of the Holy Trinity. He comes to live with us. His mission is to be with us. He comes to dwell within us as temples. He comes to make us abodes of divinity. He comes to lead us away from error into the truth. He is not a Spirit of confusion and as such comes to break every barrier. He comes with gifts of wisdom, knowledge, understanding, counsels, fortitude, piety and fear of the Lord. He is not coming as a visitor that goes after. He comes in to stay.

Let us make Him a home today within us. Let us listen to the spiritual directives He gives us and be open to receive the gifts He has in stall for us.

 

THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL TEACH US THE SECRETS OF FRUITFULNESS

Having received the gifts of the Holy Spirit as promised in baptism, confirmation and other Sacraments, the Holy Spirit teaches us how best to be fruitful with the gifts. That has to do with bearing fruit. Jesus will challenge His followers to bear fruits that would last.

The Holy Spirit nourishes through our cooperation the gifts bestowed upon us. He teaches us and reminds us of the will of God for us. The will of God for us is that we bear fruit. In Genesis, God's command to man was to be fruitful and multiply. Jesus teaches that for one to bear much fruit he must remain one with Him. Jesus maintained: "cut of from me, you can do nothing". Jesus curses a fig tree for fruitlessness. O yes, even outside the season of fruiting. Jesus insists that we bear fruit in season and out of season.

The Holy Spirit teaches us the right things to do and reminds us of the wrong things we ought not to do.

To bear good fruits we are to remain good students of the Holy Spirit. This teaching of the Holy Spirit is so necessary because it is through the fruits that God's people are known.

May you produce the fruits of charity, joy, patience, peace, kindness, goodness, longanimity, mildness, faith, modesty, self-control and chastity.

May God bless His word in our hearts.

 

LET US PRAY

As we celebrate the Holy Spirit today, may He enkindle in us the fire of His love, may He blow away whatever that doesn't glorify God in us, may He put to flight spiritual laziness of any sort, May He take possession of our souls and make us all His. May He be a tower of strength to us.

May the Spirit be a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud by day.

May He empower us to preach the Good News with our words and deeds. May He keep us always connected to God in holiness through Christ our Lord. Amen

Happy Pentecost Sunday to you (Yr C)

Rev Fr Julian O Ekeh