2008 Pentecost May 11
“Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.” The Gospel acclamation is a prayer we need to keep on praying. As we notice in the readings for Pentecost, the reception of the Holy Spirit is not a once and for all event. In the Gospel of John 20:19-23, Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit on the disciples “on the evening of the day Jesus rose from the dead.” In the first reading Acts 2:1-11 The 120 in the upper room were filled with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. As we continue to read through the book of Acts we find that many of the disciples had more than one filling with the Holy Spirit: Acts 4:8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders…”
Acts 4:31 “When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.” Indeed, the sense we get from the Scriptures is that we should be continually being filled with the Holy Spirit. After all, Holy Spirit is God and there is always more of God we can receive. So be continually filled with the Holy Spirit, be continually growing in the fruit of the Spirit, be continually yielded to the Holy Spirit and growing in the exercise of the gifts of the Spirit for service and the building up of the whole Body of Christ. “Holy Spirit, more of you, I want more of you.”
In the Gospel, Jesus again spoke peace to the apostles and assured them that He was not sending them out unequipped: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” In other words, just as Jesus was sent in the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit, so they and we are sent in the anointing and power of the same Holy Spirit. As the Scriptures and the Church teach us, Jesus is the Anointed One and the Holy Spirit is the Anointing that is upon Him. We cannot touch Jesus without at the same time touching the Holy Spirit. Then Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit on the apostles giving them the power and authority to forgive sins. This speaks of forgiveness through the sacrament of reconciliation. We call ourselves Christians or anointed ones. We also have the power to forgive those who have sinned against us. We have the power to be like Jesus who prayed from the cross, “Father, forgive them, they do not know what they are doing.” Like Jesus we can make the decision to forgive and to set ourselves free from the poisonous torments of unresolved anger, bitterness, hatred and unforgiveness. Like Jesus we can extend the undeserved gift of forgiveness. Like Jesus we can pray God’s blessings on those who have hurt us. Remember, they have probably acted out of their own hurts. They may not even be aware that they hurt you; you may be stewing in that hurt, real or perceived while they are free. Forgiving another, in a way, is more for our own good than for theirs. Forgive and be free. Forgive others, forgive yourself, and yes, forgive God for those times you felt He let you down or failed to help you. Be free through the grace of forgiveness. Be free to receive healing from the Holy Spirit who can apply the redemption Jesus won for us to our troubled past and give you a gloriously free present and open you to the wonderful future He has planned for you. Forgive and walk into a new dimension spiritually. As you grow in forgiveness you will likely also find yourself receiving healing in your memories, your emotions, your relationships, in your personality and in your physical body. I have experienced this personally and as I have ministered to others. Forgive and receive bountifully from God who has forgiven you in Jesus Christ and who loves you so very much!
The first reading Acts 2:1-11 describes the awesome experience the 120 had in the upper room at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came on them as tongues of fire and empowered them with spiritual gifts and with courage to boldly and effectively proclaim the salvation that is in Jesus alone. They were ALL filled with the Holy Spirit, and ALL (implied) spoke in other tongues. The people from various countries and of various languages ALL heard them “speaking about God’s deeds of power” in their own languages. At Babel the languages were confused. At Pentecost Babel was reversed. In a local prayer group the prayer language of a member was recognized: it was ancient classical Greek. In another local group, a missionary to India recognized a member’s tongues as Aramaic, a language Jesus spoke on earth. In both cases the speakers did not know the language the Holy Spirit impelled them to speak. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are real and they are for today for the work Jesus left to us, his work: to proclaim the truth, heal the sick, cast out demons; to make disciples of all nations as we heard last Sunday.
We need this anointing, this filling, and this empowering of the Holy Spirit who is freely given to all who ask. This Holy Spirit is to become torrents of living water gushing out of those who believe in Jesus.
“Holy Spirit come in power and might into my life. I need you and I want you. Do in me all that the Father wants to accomplish in my life. Make me holy; lead me in all truth; guide me in your ways; flow in me and through me; reveal Jesus to me; glorify Jesus in me. Holy Spirit, come! Increase in me your presence and help me yield more and more to you and to be sensitive and quickly obedient to your promptings. Have your way in me. Holy Spirit I worship and adore you. I praise you. I delight in you and I expect great things from you. Holy Spirit, come. I gladly receive you and your gifts and your fruit. Holy Spirit, come. Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.”
Jesus is Lord!
Stan
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John 20,19-23
