Reflection on Pentecost Sunday

Today is Pentecost Sunday. Pentecost marks the definitive end of the Easter Season. It occupies a very important position in the Church’s life and liturgical calendar. This is because, it marks the beginning of the church’s missionary endeavour. Pentecost day is a day of renewal and empowerment. From the first reading of this Sunday, we see the reward of obedience and steadfastness in prayer. Therefore, today we celebrate a great feast, when Christ fulfilled his promise to us. As Christs disciples, every true believer has been empowered by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the mutual love of the Father and the Son. He empowers us to go into our world to bring peace, unity, joy, love and salvation to nations.

As we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost, the season of Easter reaches its final climax.  This Sunday we celebrate and experience the powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the whole church and on all those who call themselves disciples and followers of the risen Lord.

Last week when we celebrated the Ascension of Jesus, he promised his followers that he would send them the Holy Spirit and that they would be filled with power from high. Theirs and our waiting is over. Today with the whole church we celebrate Pentecost Sunday. This is not something that happened a long time ago to other people. It is happening today, here and now. Today each of us is filled with and anointed with the same powerful Holy Spirit.

The first followers of Jesus weren’t strong, courageous or even very faithful. They betrayed Jesus. They denied and deserted him when we he needed them the most. After his death they hid themselves away in fear. They had lost all heart and hope.

Then the strangest thing happens to them. The house is filled with the sound of a mighty wind and the sight of fire! These frightened and frail men and women are now transformed. Through the Holy Spirit, they are given new hope, new heart and new purpose. Their fear and silence is replaced by courage and conviction. They leave their hiding place and make their way into the streets and proclaim the good news of the resurrection.  They become new people with a new message. At that very moment the missionary church was born.

We are no different than these ordinary men and women. Through our baptism and confirmation, each of us has been filled and anointed with the exact same Holy Spirit. Just as the first followers of Jesus proclaimed the good news about him, we too are called to do likewise today. Just as these men and women were transformed into energetic and outspoken witnesses of Jesus, we too are called and invited to be changed by the Holy Spirit.

There is nothing gentle, mild or gentle about Pentecost. The Holy Spirit is powerful, life-changing and energetic. The Holy Spirit challenges us and calls us to change. Oscar Romero, the Latin American Bishop who was murdered in 1978, and who is soon to be canonised said, ‘The Spirit makes all things new; we are the ones who grow old and want to keep everything to our aged way of doing things… the Spirit is never old, the Spirit is always young.’

As we celebrate the birth of the missionary church, we pray that each of us will be refreshed and renewed by the Holy Spirit. May we do what Pope Francis asks of each of us, ‘Go out again and again, without hesitation without fear and proclaim this joy which is for all people…’