THE POWER OF THE HOLY GHOST

Homily for Pentecost Sunday, Year A

Fr. Ugochukwu Ugwoke, ISch

Scriptural Readings: Acts 2:1-11, 1 Corinthians 12:3-13, John 20:19-23

One of the promises that Jesus made to his disciples before his ascension was the promise of the Holy Spirit. After his departure, he promised to send the Holy Spirit to his disciples to guide, empower, comfort and be with them forever (John 14:16-17, 26; John 15:26-27; John 16:7-15; Acts 1:4-5, 8). This promise was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost. Pentecost was one of the three great Jewish festivals to which every male Jew living around Jerusalem was legally bound to attend. The other two were the feasts of Passover and Tabernacle. Pentecost means “the fiftieth”. It was so called because it was celebrated on the fiftieth day after Passover. It was during this Jewish festival of Pentecost that the promise of Jesus to send the Holy Spirit to his disciples was fulfilled. The coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost was a tangible demonstration of God’s faithfulness to His Word.

Before the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the disciples were in a fearful state (John 20:19). But today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles narrates how the coming of the promised Spirit brought about a dramatic change in the disciples. When the Holy Spirit came down on them, their fear was transformed into boldness and courage (Acts 2:1-4). They were emboldened, empowered, and filled with spiritual gifts. They began to preach and testify about Jesus with great fervor and clarity, overcoming their previous fears and doubts. The Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence empowered the disciples to carry out their mission and continue the work that Jesus had started. As such, one of the things that the Holy Spirit does in our lives is that he transforms and empowers us to be fearless and courageous witnesses to the gospel message.

The other thing that the Holy Spirit does in our lives as we saw in the readings is that the Holy Spirit brings unity out of diversity, creates order, and unifies believers. Through the power of the Spirit, barriers are broken and overcome, and believers are united as one body. As the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit, they began to speak in different languages, yet they were united in their message of God’s mighty works, and were also understood by others from different ethnicities and languages. This event symbolizes the Spirit’s power to transcend barriers and unify people from diverse backgrounds (Acts 2:1-4; 1 Corinthians 12:4-6).

We have to note that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost was not a one-time event confined to the past. The same Spirit poured out on the disciples dwells within us, empowering us for mission and equipping us with spiritual gifts. As Paul reminds us in the second reading in his first letter to the Corinthians, the Spirit manifests in diverse ways, but all for the common good of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:3-13). Each one of us has been uniquely gifted by the Spirit, whether in teaching, preaching, serving, or showing acts of compassion and love.

However, the presence of the Holy Spirit goes beyond merely possessing gifts. The Spirit transforms our hearts, shaping us into Christ’s image. It is through the Holy Spirit that we are conformed to the likeness of Jesus, growing in virtues such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit is a divine force and the breath of God. The breath of God gives life. As such, the Holy Spirit is not a weapon of war as we often think. The fire of the Holy Ghost that we call on our enemies is not meant to destroy our enemies but to transform and purify them.

Today, let us invite the Holy Spirit to renew and empower us once again. Let us be open to the Spirit’s promptings, that we may serve God and others with passion, love, and wisdom. May the Holy Spirit work in and through us, guiding us to be true witnesses of Christ’s love and mercy in the world.