Something happened on this day of Pentecost. They received the Holy Spirit. They became full of hope and they found an extraordinary understanding of what their next step ought to be. Peter went into one of the squares of Jerusalem and started to talk about Jesus with boldness. This is the same Peter who was so fearful as he accompanied Jesus during his passion that he denied publicly that he ever knew Jesus. On Pentecost day, Peter was instrumental in helping three thousand people to come into a close relationship with Jesus Christ. That is what I call power.
People today crave and look for power. As Christians, we have the greatest power that anybody can possess. Through our baptism and confirmation, we have the living and life-changing Spirit of Jesus Christ present deep within us. What does this all mean? What does the Holy Spirit give to us and for what purpose?
I go back to the second reading of today. It is taken from the first letter that St Paul wrote to the Christian people living in Corinth, a place which still exists today in Greece. He speaks to them about the gifts that the Holy Spirit gives to all those who are baptized in Jesus’ name. He says, “To one is given fro the Spirit the gift of utterance expressing wisdom, to another the gift of utterance expressing knowledge in accordance with the same Spirit, to another faith from the same Spirit, and to another the gifts of healing through this one spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy; to another the power of distinguishing spirits; to another the gift of different tongue and to another, the interpretation of tongues. But at work in all these is one and the same Spirit, distributing them at will to each individual.” (Cor 12:8-11).
This is extraordinary. We are endowed with all these gifts so that we can continue the mission of Jesus. St Therese of the Child Jesus was convinced that God will not only make clear to each one of us what He desires for us to do, but He will also provide us with the necessary help to achieve this. These gifts of the Holy Spirit are the means so that we can continue the mission of Jesus.
I would like to reflect a bit deeper on two of these gifts. In the first place; What is the gift of faith? Faith does not only mean that we have knowledge of what the Catechism teaches. This is very important too. However faith has a deeper meaning. Jesus made so many promises to you and to me. “I will not leave you orphans”, “I will be with you till the end of time”, “Do not let your heart be troubled or afraid, Trust in me”, “I am the Resurrection and the Life. He who believes in me will not die but may have eternal life”. “I am the good shepherd”. So many extraordinary promises. Faith means that I stand firm and believe that Jesus will never back off from these promises. This is crucial for us to understand and make part of our lives. Our call, is to permeate the values and the teachings of Jesus wherever we might be. Very often this calls for courage and a lot of guts because what Jesus stands for is so very different and at times the very opposite of what we see around us. These promises of Jesus help us to understand that wherever we are, we are not alone. Jesus is with us every move that we make and in every step that we take. Difficulties will not be the cause of desperation or panic but rather opportunities to do something special and life changing.
I have just returned from a three day visit to the parish of Wodonga. The parish was celebrating 115 years since the arrival of the Sisters of Mercy in Wodonga to start Catholic education in that region. This year the Sisters of Mercy are also celebrating the 150th year since the first sisters arrived in Australia from Ireland under the leadership of Sr Ursula Frayne. Sr Melita lives in the community at Wodonga. She told me a little bit about her teaching days. She taught for many years at St Augustine’s school. She taught during the time when many migrants found themselves in the camp at Bonigilla which is not that distant from the school. During that time she had eighty to ninety students in the class, many of them could not understand English. “How did you do it?” I asked her. Her reply was short and to the point. “It was something that needed to be done and God gave us the necessary strength and wisdom to accomplish it”. These words can be echoed by so many of our married, single, religious and priests who are still making such a positive contribution to the benefit of our society because of the belief that God is present within all of us. So courage.
I also like to touch briefly on another gift that St Paul mentions: the gift of healing. With Jesus living in us, we can bring him in the lives of all those who are in need. Let us take every opportunity that presents itself to pray with those whom we meet especially with those who share with us their difficulties, problems, anxieties or fear. Let us trust in the power of prayer. Let us give the opportunity to Jesus to accompany those who seek our help in time of difficulty. We are all in need of healing of our minds, spirits, hearts and bodies. It is not a difficult task to pray for healing. Listen to what the other person is sharing with you. Then talk to Jesus who is alive in you about what you have heard asking Him to help the other person in their situation. Jesus wants us to be bold. There are no courses to help you to pray for healing. We simply do it and let ourselves be surprised with what God can do as a result of our prayers.
On this wonderful day of Pentecost we pray, “Come Holy Spirit, touch my heart, inflame me with a passionate love for Jesus Christ. Melt me, mould me, heal me and fashion me so that I may become more and more a powerful witness of the Resurrected Jesus. Come Holy Spirit. You are welcome in heart and in my life”.
God Bless.
