BIRTHDAY OF THE CHURCH

Pentecost Sunday celebrates the birthday of the Church. It is the beginning of the work of the Church to continue Pentecost Sunday celebrates the birthday of the Church. It is the beginning of the work of the Church to continue the ministry of Jesus. It is at Pentecost that the gift of the Risen Christ, the Holy Spirit is given to the disciples. The Holy Spirit is the power from on High because the power of God is love. God’s love is eternal, excessive, extravagant, boundless, infinite, unconditional. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father and the Son. He is the love that connects the Father and the Son. And by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, God’s love is poured into our hearts because we belong to the Holy Trinity. The Holy Spirit intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words. We are able to say Abba, Father because of the Holy Spirit. We are able to confess Jesus is Lord because of the Holy Spirit. The word Pentecost comes from the Greek word, Pentekoste, which means fiftieth day. Therefore, it means fifty days after Easter, after the Resurrection of Jesus. The disciples are commissioned to go out to the ends of earth and proclaim that Jesus is Risen. Because of the Holy Spirit, the disciples find strength to stand up, go out, unlock doors and begin their proclamation. We are also mandated to continue the work of Jesus and reveal Him to the world by loving one another. We are the physical presence of Christ in our tormented world. We are called to be another Christ in the world. This is not an easy task that is why Jesus sent the Holy Spirit, His eternal, permanent, abiding presence in us. The Holy Spirit is the divine Paraclete, Advocate, Helper, Counselor, Comforter and Aid in times of need. He is the agent of rebirth, regeneration and transformation. He is the way of true freedom and liberation. We need the fruits of the Holy Spirit to speak the truth and to live fearless lives. The fruits of the Holy Spirit are love, joy, peace, meekness, gentleness, mercy, kindness, generosity, fidelity, temperance and long suffering (Galatians 5:22). These fruits empower us to overcome the seven deadly sins. They are pride, envy, greed, anger, sloth, lust and gluttony. They are real and true in our lives. Sin is failure to accept the truth and refusal to accept the Risen Christ. The Holy Spirit therefore, empowers us to be totally free and alive.