After his
death and resurrection Jesus promised to give his disciples the gift of the
Holy Spirit. He said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit! (John 20:22) Jesus knew
that his disciples would need the power of the Holy Spirit to carry out the
mission entrusted to them. The gift of the Holy Spirit was conditional upon the
ascension of Jesus to the right hand of the Father. That is why Jesus
instructed the apostles to wait in Jerusalem until you are clothed with power
from on high (Luke 24:49). Why did they need power from on high? The Gospels
tell us that Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit when he was baptized at the
Jordan River: “And John bore witness, ‘I saw the Spirit descend as a dove from
heaven, and it remained on him…this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit’”
(John 1:32,33; Mark 1:8; Matthew 3:11).
“And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was
led by the Spirit for forty days in the wilderness…and Jesus returned in the
power of the Spirit into Galilee” (Luke 4:1,14).
Just as Jesus
was anointed with the Spirit at the beginning of his ministry, so the disciples
needed the anointing of the Holy Spirit to carry out the mission entrusted to
them by Jesus. The Holy Spirit is given to all who are baptized into Jesus
Christ to enable us to live a new way of life – a life of love, peace, joy, and
righteousness (Romans 14:17). The Holy Spirit fills our hearts with the love of
God (Romans 5:7), and he gives us the strength and courage we need in order to
live as faith-filled disciples of the Lord Jesus. The Spirit helps us in our
weakness (Romans 8:26), and enables us to grow in spiritual freedom – freedom
from doubt, fear, and from slavery to our unruly desires (2 Corinthians 3:17;
Romans 8:21). The Spirit instructs us in the ways of God, and guides us in
living according to God’s will. The Spirit is the source and giver of all
holiness. Isaiah foretold the seven-fold gifts that the Spirit would give:
wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the
Lord (Isaiah 11:2).
The gift of
Pentecost – the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and the spiritual gifts and
blessings of God – are made possible through the death, resurrection, and
ascension of the Lord Jesus. After his resurrection Jesus “breathed” on his
disciples and gave them the Holy Spirit. Just as God breathed life into Adam,
so the gift of the Holy Spirit is an impartation of “new life” for his people.
With the gift of the Holy Spirit a new creation begins. God recreates us for
his glory. Jesus’ gift of peace to his disciples was more than an absence of
trouble. His peace included the forgiveness of sins and the fullness of
everything good. Let us ask the Father to fill us with the power of his Holy
Spirit especially today as we celebrate Pentecost and the Sacrament of
Confirmation.
Fr. Phil
