Today we are going to talk about the third person of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit. Today we are celebrating Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost is one the three most important feasts in Catholic Church after Christmas and Easter. Come Holy Spirit. We invoke the Holy Spirit all the time. All of us we have experienced the Holy Spirit in our lives. We need the Holy Spirit. Because the Holy Spirit helps us to love like Jesus. He helps us to forgive. He helps us to endure suffering. He helps us to pray. He helps us to see the image of God in each one. He helps us to be merciful and generous. So, the Holy Spirit is at work. The Holy Spirit is working through us, through the people who are ready to open their hearts to him. The Holy Spirit is working through those who allow Him to act. And we have some examples.
A few months ago, I was reading a book about our heroes in faith. The lives of some them struck me and I want to share with you. I think there are connections with the work of the Holy Spirit. Mother Theresa of Calcutta is one of them. I am impressed with her compassion and love for the poor of the poorest. She gave her life to serve the needy people in India. After reading the biography of Mother Teresa, I asked myself some questions: What motivated her to give her life to serve the poor? Where did she find love for the poor? What drew her to spend all her life serving God? The only response I found is because she was open to the Holy Spirit. She allowed the Holy Spirit to work through her and in her. The more she opened her heart to the Holy Spirit, the more she became more sensitive to the needs of the poor. She began to see the image of God in the poor.
Another example that struck me was Saint Francis of the Assisi. Coming from a rich family, he spent part of his life putting his heart in material things. Since he never found the true happiness, he decided to give away all his belongings to the poor and serve God. He changed his life and dedicated the rest of his life to serve God. Again the question I asked myself: What motivated Francis to change his life ? I think that when Francis began to open his heart to the Holy Spirit, changes began to happen. When he began to pay more attention to the Holy Spirit, his life was transformed. He began to love more the things of heaven. He became more generous to share his belongings to others.
Like Mother Teresa and Saint Francis, there are so many people who are touched by the Holy Spirit. People who have opened their hearts to the Holy Spirit. People who let the Holy Spirit guide their lives. Remember those people who volunteer in Saint Vincent de Paul. People who give their time, talents and treasure for the sake of the gospel. In today’s gospel, we read the story of Pentecost. Jesus breathed upon the apostles (gives them the Holy Spirit) and saying, Received the Holy Spirit. Jesus fulfilled his promise to send the Advocate or Paraclete. The gift of the Spirit transformed and enabled the apostles to fulfill Jesus’ commission to preach the Gospel to all nations. The Holy Spirit gives strength, courage and hope to the apostles. Those men who had abandoned Jesus when He was arrested, who denied Him three times. Those apostles who were afraid, scared after Jesus’ death. They had their meeting with closed windows and doors. But when they received the Holy Spirit, they went out to preach the good news to nations. The Holy Spirit empowered the apostles. They were set on fire to speak in public, to proclaim in public the name of Jesus.
Now, in Baptism and Confirmation, we have received the same Holy Spirit. What privilege to receive the power of God. We rejoice to have the Spirit of God. We rejoice to have God himself. And the Holy Spirit we have received is at work. No matter what the situation…..He is working. If we allow Him to work in our lives, He will help us, comfort us, encourage us and lead us. If we allow the Holy Spirit work in our lives, he will help us to do things for Christ – things we have never done before or ever imagined ourselves doing. If we open our hearts to the Holy Spirit, he will say to us, “Stop being so self-focused. Stop looking into yourself all the time and being depressed by what you see, or fool yourself into thinking that what you see in yourself is enough to get you through! Look up, look away, look to Jesus and let Him turn you around; let Him take control!” Because the more we allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives, the more we become close to God, the more we become like Mother Teresa ….the more we do the will of God. …In every way, we look at the Holy Spirit, He is always our Helper, always helping us to be what God made us to be. He helps us to be truly great, namely, to be servants to one another.
My brothers and sisters, the Holy Spirit is at work through us and in us. We have the power of God. We have the Spirit of God. So, I encourage you to make Jesus relevant among the people. I encourage you to be another Christ for others. I encourage you to pray the Holy Spirit every day in your lives.
