Today we celebrate an important Feast. Pentecost is the feast of the Holy Spirit, one of the most important persons of the Triune God.Holy Spirit has different names.
Often the spirit is called as the Wind from God, Spirit of God, Spirit of Truth, Ruach (Hebrew), Pneuma or Paraclete (Greek).
In Acts, we hear about the Spirit around 68 times and among that 37 times is in the first 12 chapters. Yes, the spirit is often present in the New Testament- We heard more on the Spirit in the New Testament.
But the Scripture begins with an account of the Holy Spirit.
„In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.” (Gen. 1:1-2): we hear this in the first Tradition of Creation (Priestly Tradition which contains Gen 1 and some other parts in the Genesis, Exodus and Numbers and all of Leviticus).
Also in the 2nd Creation Tradition (Yahwist tradition), we hear more intense and closer action of the Spirit in the creation of humans.
We read in Gen. 2, 7: “then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being”.
A Spirit that Transforms the shape of the Earth together with God;
A Spirit that is fills the breath of God in people and spreads the life.
This is the same Spirit that strengthened and worked in the Prophets and many leaders of the Israelites.
This is the same spirit of God who dwelt in Mary and gave us Jesus our saviour. During the baptism of Jesus we see this Spirit of God again in signs and symbols.
At the end of his Life, Jesus promises a helper, an advocate for his disciples: The same Spirit above mentioned will assist the apostles.
That's what we hear in Acts, in the first reading today.
They are becoming new Men – A new creation of God in the Holy Spirit.
The disciples were in "Chaos", in the fear swallowed them.
They were so afraid of the Jews and others.
Now, by the presence of the Spirit of God, the disciples receive power and form. They can courageously preach the life and the Gospel of Jesus.
That could cost their lives. But they were no more cowards.
Because, they felt the spirit of God in them. They felt the promise of Jesus in their inside. Not only the Apostles get their form, slowly the church, too gets her form in the Spirit.
In the Gospel of John (20, 22), we hear another narration of the Holy Spirit. Here it is Jesus himself who gives the Spirit to his Apostles by “breathing on them”.
This again reminds us of the creation story... This reminds us the God who breathed his Spirit to the Human.
This gives us picture a God who is so close to his followers.
This promises us, his disciples the Divine Courage and Life.
The Gospel of last Sunday is the Prayer of Jesus for his disciples – He prays for the unity too. And it is very interesting to watch the happening at Pentecost. We see the prayer of Jesus is coming true today.
At first we see the unity of the disciples in the Spirit of God.
Then the unity of the people: because they understand the Gospel in their own language. God is glorified in all these: Yes, the prayer of Jesus comes true from today onwards.
And the disciples of Jesus are gathering such an experience right at Pentecost.
The Holy Spirit makes Jesus' disciples - not only the 12 apostles - and all who believe in him- his inspired apostles and messengers.
He gives us his strength and courage; he unites us all in Jesus.
He now gives us a common language for different receivers.
This is the language of God who created everything.
This is the language of Jesus, who healed people, comforted them;
This is the language of love that unites us.
This is what we celebrate on this Pentecost. We rejoice in our God who is near, who is with us. He strengthens and makes us a new creation in his Spirit. I wish - like the disciples of Jesus - all of us a new beginning in the spirit of God. God bless us all. Amen.-Fr Thomas Kalathil
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