Come Holy Spirit, Come.

Homily for May 20, 2018.

“When the Counsellor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness to me; and you also are witnesses.” John 15:26-27.

Today’s original Feast dates back to the Old Testament times. Pentecost (meaning fifty) is the second of the great Jewish national festivals which was observed on the 50th day, or 7 weeks, from the Paschal Feast (Passover), 2^nd Chronicles 8:12-13. To this day, the Jews celebrate this festival with a lot of activities, one of which was the gathering of Jews from different parts of the world to the city of Jerusalem.

It was on one of such Feasts of Pentecost that the Holy Spirit came down mightily upon the Church as we read in today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles. On that beautiful Sunday morning, exactly fifty days after the resurrection of Christ, the community of believers (including Mary, the Mother of Jesus) were gathered in one place when received the physical manifestation and outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

They HEARD a sound like that of a mighty wind, they SAW tongues of fire resting on each one of them and suddenly, they all received the gift of UTTERANCE; they started speaking in the native language of all the visitors who had gathered in Jerusalem for the feast. The first lesson we learn today is that Holy Spirit real. He is not something to be imagined. The Holy Spirit is God. You cannot see the Holy Spirit but his presence can be felt, seen, heard, touched and possessed.

As the church was gathered in one place, praying and worshipping God, we too are gathered today and we all ask God for another outpouring of the Holy Spirit. More than ever before, the church today is in dire need of the Holy Spirit. So many things have gone wrong, we have lost our drive for evangelisation, we have so much compromised our values; we have allowed pleasure and material comfort take upper place in our lives. Just yesterday, I read about the resignation of all the Catholic bishops in one particular country over some certain scandals. These are very dark moments.

… sing… Come Holy Spirit, Come…

Dear friends, how do we know when the Holy Spirit is present in us? St. Paul answers this question in today’s second reading saying: “The fruits of the Holy Spirit which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23.

This calls for a personal examination of conscience. Do I have the Holy Spirit in me or am I controlled by my flesh? Am I guilty of any of those characteristics associated with the flesh; fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, envy, drunkenness, carousing and the like? If any of these things exist in my life, then I simply do not have the Holy Spirit in me. It really doesn’t matter my position in the church or how frequent I am to church, I need to sincerely drop down on my knees today and ask for the Holy Spirit.

In our Gospel passage, Jesus identifies the Holy Spirit with FOUR QUALITIES: Counselling, Witnessing, Truth (Revelation) and Glory.

One. *Counsellor.* The Holy Spirit is the Counsellor, He gives advice and direction in life. Are you confused? Not sure where exactly to turn? Do you feel life has not been fair and you really want to give up? Have you reached a dead end and there is no one else to turn to for help? Call on the Counsellor; reach out for the Holy Spirit. He understands what you are passing through better than any human being can.

Again, unlike human advisers, the Holy Spirit not only tells us what to do, he is right there with us, within our reach at any time, he goes with us, and he is the best friend we can ever have. Become devoted to the Holy Spirit today. Get used to uttering that prayer: “Come, Holy Spirit, Come!”

Two. *Witness.* To be a witness is to bring evidence that a particular claim or belief is true. The Holy Spirit bears witness to Jesus Christ and through him, we are able to witness to the existence and reality of God in our world today. Do you want to preach Christ to the world? Do you want to change the world? The Holy Spirit is exactly what you need.

Without the Holy Spirit in us, we become negative adverts of Christ; without the Holy Spirit at work in us, we Christians actually witness against Christ. As St. Paul explains, when we do not give in to the impulses of the Spirit, the flesh takes over. We who claim to be close to God find ourselves scandalizing even the unbelievers.

Three. *Truth – Revelation.* Jesus Christ admitted that in the course of his earthly sojourn, he couldn’t tell us everything we need to know about God. Even the little he said and did are not all contained in the Bible. St. John said, if all were to be written, the world would not contain all the books that would have to be written. John 21:25. The Holy Spirit is the source and final arbiter of Truth. Jesus said: “He will guide you into all the truth… he will declare to you the things that are to come.” John 16:13.

Is there something in the Bible that you do not understand? Are you beginning to doubt if God really exists? Do you want to know God better or desire to have an apparition? Call on the Holy Spirit today. He is the light you need in the midst of your darkness.

Four. *Glory.* The Holy Spirit as Jesus says is the Source of Glory. What does this mean? There is no competition in the Trinity. The Holy Spirit does not outshine Jesus, he glorifies Jesus by taking what is his and declaring it to us. If the Holy Spirit is the agent of glory, it means that the only glory we should seek is that which the Holy Spirit gives. Human glory is vain and extremely limited. We should never seek to be praised by people, the only glory we should work for is that which God alone gives.

Finally, dear friends, let us open our hearts today for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. As we remember that day that the church was born; that day that all timidity and fear was wiped out of the believers; that day that the church received fire and utterance to spread the message across the world; we sincerely pray that God may find us worthy again to receive that fire and begin a new era of Christianity. Amen

Let us pray: Come Holy Spirit, enkindle in us the fire of your love. Send Forth your Spirit and renew the face of the earth. Amen.

Happy Sunday. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Pentecost Sunday. Year B. Bible Study: Acts 2:1-11, Galatians 5:16-25 and John 15:26-27; 16:12-15).