The Long-Awaited Gift Has Come!
Dear Parishioners,
Today we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit as Jesus promised. “Unless I go the advocate would not.” We are the beneficiaries of this awesome gift God spirit descends upon us. This revered visitor awakens our curiosity. Who is he? Where does he come from? Where is he going? We may not fully comprehend this person, but every Sunday in the celebration of the Holy Mass we profess in our creed that “we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.”
There is a mystery surrounding him. We do not fully know his movement. But we do know that He is vital but imperceptible, necessary but hidden. He cannot be seen but his deeds and actions remain convincing. He is everywhere and nowhere; he renews the face of the earth and most of all He finds a dwelling in our souls. Therefore, we are anxious to discern Him, and at the very least be open to receiving Him and collaborating with Him.
First, Jesus breathes on the apostles after resurrection and says: “Receive the Holy Spirit.” This was the first experience of the Spirit given to us. Then on Pentecost day, the dramatic display of the Holy Spirit left everyone speechless. Like a wind that is not seen, we do not know its exact source or its ultimate place of rest; the same is true of the breath that is God’s spirit. We are familiar with the ferocious nature of a wind or storm that often overtakes us with such force and violence leaving trails of destruction that bends things, breaks things, uproots things, and propels clouds, seeds and dust particles. The Spirit that comes from Jesus and the Father is also impetuous and all pervasive. It too devastates, uproots, and destroys. It too refreshes, fertilizes, and transforms. And that is how it is described by God’s Word.
To whom the Spirit touches, his life is bound to change. The Spirit takes away all barriers. For those who witnessed the event in Jerusalem each one had the apostles speaking in his own language. They were no longer separated from each other by different languages and closed in their own individuality. The Apostles Peter spoke and gave testimony to the work of the Spirit. It was the beginning of the renewal. The Spirit of God had just burst into humanity to renew it, re-create it, and perfect it.
We ought to recognize the Spirit and give thanks for Him. We must recognize the manifestations of the Spirit in ourselves and others, knowing well that such manifestations are given to us. Then we must thank the Father for giving us the Spirit and letting us know about Him. In this way we will gradually turn away from ourselves and becoming capable of surrendering wholly to the breath of the Spirit.
What does the Spirit do in the church? The Spirit builds, animates and sanctifies the Church. As Spirit of Love, he restores to the baptized the divine likeness that was lost through sin and causes them to live in Christ the very life of the Holy Trinity. He sends them forth to bear witness to the Truth of Christ.
In His Spirit, I Remain Sincerely Yours In Christ,
Fr. Vitalis Anyanike, Pastor
