Receive the Holy Spirit!

The Apostles, the very people who for days, even weeks, had hidden themselves in fear for their lives, are now out and about and acting in astonishing ways. They now no longer live in secret, as they have been doing notwithstanding the Lord's apparitions to them after his death on the cross. What has actually happened, all of a sudden?

St Luke, the only one of the four Evangelists who reports the coming of the Holy Spirit in some detail in his book of the Acts, provides us with the full explanation. Jesus had already ascended into heaven ten days before. "All of a sudden", he writes, "they were filled with the Holy Spirit!"

It is such a simple statement, a statement that may no longer startle us! The Apostles, previously so terrified, were all filled with the dynamic power of God, the power that refreshes and recreates, that comforts and heals, the power so eloquently acclaimed in the sequence of today's liturgy. This Spirit burned within them like tongues of fire, and they went forth proclaiming the message of God's love manifested in the resurrection of Jesus.

This same Spirit was given to us when we were baptised into the death and resurrection of Christ and renewed and strengthened at our Confirmation, the sacrament of our adolescence, If we received the same Spirit as did the disciples on that first Pentecost, why cannot we do the same marvellous deeds which they did? But we can.

In situations where hatred and discord and violence prevail, kindness and gentleness are also heroic; generosity will be called for wherever greed and selfishness prevail. And how much harm might be avoided, if we had a bit more patience? How many tragedies might have been prevented if we had more love and allowed the Holy Spirit to kindle it in our hearts?

The Spirit that Jesus sent us from the Father is a Spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation, the Spirit that prevents us from holding grudges or nurturing vengeance. It is the Spirit of truth, the Spirit that directs us into lives of honesty and integrity.

The world in which we live is in far greater need of reconciliation and truth than the gift of tongues given to the Apostles. Nations all over the world are still in pain for the wounds of war. Various religious groups still live in constant fear of prejudice and persecution. Even Church leadership has perhaps lost some of its credibility among its members, and its moral voice has been muted within various layers of society.

Hence the words of today's sequence at Mass are more than timely: "Heal or wounds, our strength renew/On our dryness pour your dew;/Wash the stains of guilt away,/Bend the stubborn heart and will/Melt the frozen, warm the chill/Guide the steps that go astray!"

The Holy Spirit, the dynamic power of God, is bestowed on us in all fullness. And with the Spirit come the gifts that can transform the world. The first disciples had their day, and they seized it with such enthusiasm that has been remembered through the centuries. They scattered all around the known world to spread the hope of salvation. This is now our day, this is our challenge as followers of Christ.

We now do have a chance to show others where salvation is to be found, where true and lasting happiness can be enjoyed. Let us all at this time, as followers of Christ allow ourselves to be guided by the Spirit of God and show others by word and deed where true happiness is to be found.