We are in the final week of Easter and are fast approaching
the feast of Pentecost. During his third
and final missionary journey, Paul made his way through the countryside of what
is now Turkey. He came to Ephesus and
encountered a group of believers. Yet,
they didn’t seem to know much about Jesus; they had been baptized with the
baptism of John the Baptist, rather than Jesus’ Baptism. Remember John was baptizing with a baptism of
repentance, preparing people for the coming Messiah. John the Baptist even said, I baptize you
with repentance, but he who is coming will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and
with fire
So when Paul asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit
when you became believers?” They answered straight-faced: receive the Holy
Spirit? We’ve never even heard of the
Holy Spirit!
So Paul baptized them into the saving death and resurrection
of Jesus, and received the outpouring of God’s Spirit. Immediately God’s Spirit began to transform
their lives: they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
It is good for us to reflect on our own baptism, and in
preparation for Pentecost, it is good for us to recall that person of the
Trinity that often goes neglected and underappreciated.
At the Last Supper, Jesus promised his disciples that God
would send the Holy Spirit to his followers.
He is the gift giver, the sanctifier, the consoler, the comforter. When we are faithful to Jesus, the Holy
Spirit bears fruits to help us build up the kingdom of God. He bestows upon us and strengthens us with his
seven-fold gifts. of wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude,
knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord
The Holy Spirit brings us to a knowledge of our sins, and
guides us to be forgiven by Jesus Christ, and strengthens us to live as his
faithful followers, and he sets our hearts on fire with love for God and
neighbor.
What is the fruit or gift of the Holy Spirit that you think
you need most in your life right now? To
be wiser in prioritizing your life, to be more understanding of the truths of
the faith in order to teach them, to be able to give better counsel to those
who are struggling or lost, a deeper piety in participating in the celebration
of the sacred mysteries?
May we be open to a great outpouring and strengthening of
the Holy Spirit this week, for the Glory of God and Salvation of souls.
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