This weekend the Church Universal observes the Solemnity of Pentecost, that awesome, miraculous moment in time and space when the gift of the Holy Spirit was given to the Apostles. Fifty days following the resurrection of Jesus, they gathered in the upper room, uncertain about the future and the role they would assume in shaping it. What would be their mission? How could they accomplish it? Were they even up for the task? Then, all at once, a divine visitation. They were anointed from above with fire and engulfed in a whirlwind of heavenly power and grace. They were truly ALIVE. Fearlessly, without trepidation, they went forth; having entered into a new age, one which would be directed by the light of the Holy Spirit. By this gift, they were empowered to carry the Word of God into the world, following in the footsteps of Jesus, shaping a Family of Faith through the gift of baptism and the sacred proclamation of His Lordship as Son of God. In this regard, commenting on the words of St. John XXIII, St. John Paul II writes:
“Pope John XXIII helped us to grasp the unlimited missionary impulse proper to the mystery we celebrate on this solemnity of Pentecost. The Church is born as missionary, because she is born of the Father who sent Christ into the world, she is born of the Son who, dead and risen, sent the Apostles to all nations, and she is born of the Holy Spirit, who pours out on them the necessary light and force to accomplish their mission. Even in her distinctive missionary dimension, the Church is the icon of the Holy Trinity: for she reflects in history the superabundant fruitfulness proper to God himself, the subsisting fount of love who generates life and communion. With her presence and action in the world, the Church propagates among men this mysterious dynamism, spreading the Kingdom of God that ‘is justice, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.’” (Rom 14:17)
The mission has never changed, the challenge remains. With clarity of purpose and renewed vision, the Spirit of God alights in the midst of the Church; fashioning us, in this generation, to continue the work of Christ. To be truly Christian necessitates a missionary spirit, a profound personal loving relationship with God and neighbor. It demands regular participation at the Eucharistic Table, involvement in the sacramental life of the Church, prayerfulness, moral rectitude, contrition for sin, active concern for the poor, openness to an authentic dialogue, boldness, humility, prophetic presence, an adventurous nature, lust for life; daring, caring, ever-faithful to the teachings and example of Christ reflected in sacred scripture and the magisterium — the Deposit of Faith. Through the reception of the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, Christians are entrusted with real power from on high to continue the work of those early Apostles, who were energized on that first Pentecost by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Share the person of Jesus with family, friends, neighbors and all those encountered on life’s precious journey. Become what you are called to be: Christ for others.
And so we rejoice and celebrate the great Festival of Pentecost, the birthday of the Church with eagerness, joy and an open heart! As we are soon to conclude this Easter Season, call upon the God of mercy, who established a new covenant with us in Christ. The Spirit of God renews and refreshes the Church by the seven-fold gifts which flow from their source: Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety and Fear of the Lord. United in the Lord, we have entered this new age of grace, reborn in the Spirit of God, instruments of the Good News! Mission impossible? Not for God! All things are possible! Live in the Spirit and go forth!
Father Douglas J. Spina, Ph.D. is pastor of St. Mary Church in West Warwick
