But then, just last week, we celebrated the Feast of Jesus’ Ascension into Heaven and, in turn, the Church changed its focus slightly, preparing for today’s feast by praying the Scripture passages in which Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to His disciples.
I said last week, that although we might be tempted to think of Jesus’ Ascension as His going away from us, our Lord Himself explained that He is with us until the end of the age and that it is for our advantage that He ascended into Heaven – so that He might send us “another Advocate,” the Holy Spirit. And so today’s Feast of Pentecost celebrates the fulfillment of that promise: the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and Mary gathered in the Cenacle, or the Upper Room.
Although we are all, undoubtedly, familiar with the meaning of this great feast, and although we invoke the name of the Holy Spirit every time we make the sign of the Cross, I think it’s fair to say that many of us don’t really know much about the Holy Spirit – and as a result, we often shy away from talking about Him. We might think it best to leave talk of the Holy Spirit to charismatic Catholics, or to our Protestant brothers and sisters in Pentecostal movements.And yet, the Holy Spirit as the third person of the Holy Trinity is God Himself, and so we certainly must come to know the person of the Holy Spirit in our lives and develop a deeper relationship with Him.
But how are we to go about doing this? Even the Scripture accounts of the Holy Spirit highlight how mysterious and intangible His presence is. The Holy Spirit is described as a wind – and as we know well, wind cannot be seen or touched. Or the Holy Spirit is described as tongues of flame – and flame too cannot be grasped and held. How then can we get a hold on the Holy Spirit in our lives.
I think these Scriptural images, while they make clear how intangible, how incorporeal the Holy Spirit is, they also give us some indication of how we come to know the presence of the Holy Spirit: a Spirit is not present in the sense of taking up space – a Spirit is present wherever it causes an effect.
Just as one knows and experiences the wind by feeling its movement on our face, or seeing its effects in the rustling leaves – and just as one feels and comprehends flame by experiencing its warmth and illumination – so too, one comes to know and experience the Holy Spirit by the effects He produces, by the gifts He brings.
Indeed, Pope John Paul II said that “through the Holy Spirit God exists in the mode of gift.” Isn’t that an amazing way to understand the third person of the Trinity. In the person of the Holy Spirit, Jesus the Son completes His giving of Himself – which is itself the Father’s gift of reconciling love and eternal life through His beloved Son.
Today’s Scriptural accounts of Pentecost certainly indicate that the Holy Spirit is experienced as a gift, and best understood through the effects that it produces. After the rush of wind and flames of fire descend on the Apostles, what happens?: they are filled with such understanding and courage that they bravely and energetically proclaim the Good News to the large crowds gathered in Jerusalem. And thanks to the power of the Spirit, these Jews from “every nation under heaven” “heard the Apostles speaking in their own language” and some three thousand people joined the Church that day.
But the age of the Spirit was just beginning the life of the Church that Pentecost day. There are endless other manifestations of the Spirit’s gifts all around us if we just take the time to see them.
The Holy Spirit is known and experienced in the Sacred Scripture and Tradition that He inspired – and so every time we read and pray with Scripture we are listening to the whisper of the Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is known and experienced in the sacraments and liturgy of the Church, through which He bestows God’s grace and restores us to the divine likeness. Indeed, whenever we pray, the Holy Spirit is in our minds, or hearts, and on our lips, because, as St. Paul says in today’s Letter to the Corinthians, no one is able to profess faith, or proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord, unless the Holy Spirit gives them that gift.
The Holy Spirit is known and experienced in the Magisterium, which is the teaching authority of the bishops as successors of the Apostles. Through this gift, the Spirit gives His essential gifts of unity and truth to the Church, and is Himself responsible for the Church’s mission of evangelization.
Finally, in the lives of the saints, the Holy Spirit makes Himself known as the wellspring of all holiness, and shows us all a path to that holiness.
But perhaps, it is fair to say that as wonderful and important as these manifestations of the Spirit are, and as much as they are and should be crucial parts of our daily lives, perhaps the Spirit is still somewhat remote if it is only experienced in these ways. Perhaps we need to think of even more personal, individual, daily instances in which we can see the gifts and effects of the Holy Spirit and thus come to know Him better.
The Church has always spoken, therefore, of the gifts that the Spirit pours into each and everyone of us through the grace of Baptism and Confirmation – which is our personal sharing in the mystery of Pentecost. There are seven of these traditional gifts of the Spirit. They are:
The gift of WISDOM: Wisdom is the gift of the Spirit that allows us to see things clearly – the way God sees them. Wisdom helps us focus on the big picture when that is called for – like when we are tempted to explode in anger over some little inconvenience. And it helps us focus on the little things when that is called for – like when we offer someone a small kindness instead of just ignoring them in the hallway at work. When we are given the gift to know things truly, as they really are, then we have experienced the Holy Spirit.
The gifts of KNOWLEDGE and UNDERSTANDING: We are often mysteries to ourselves, and to others. God, and “the meaning of life” can also be mysterious to us. But we know that God wants us to know Him because of the ways He has revealed Himself – in Scripture and especially in Jesus Christ. The gifts of knowledge and understanding help us break open the meaning of Scripture and they help us with the big questions of life, like the nature of suffering and death. Whenever we come to know ourselves, other people, God, or the “mystery of life” just a little bit better, we have experienced the Holy Spirit.
The gift of RIGHT JUDGMENT: We all know very well our own weakness and sinfulness. The gift of right judgment helps us to properly use the gift of free will and to make good choices in life. Whenever we are capable of avoiding evil, or choosing to do some good for our own spiritual lives, or for the needs of a brother or sister, we have experienced the Holy Spirit.
The gift of COURAGE: Though fear is a healthy thing when it keeps us from reckless and dangerous choices, fear is also one of the most dangerous realities in the spiritual life. We all know that fear, especially fear of what others think of us, can paralyze us at times. Courage is the gift that allows us to overcome this kind of fear. Whenever we have the strength to make a difficult but correct choice, to stand up for what is right, to forgive when we have been wronged – then we have experienced the Holy Spirit.
The gift of AWE IN GOD’S PRESENCE: We have all at some point in our life, held a newborn baby, seen a rainbow, watched a spider spin a web, looked out over the Grand Canyon and been awed by the wonder of creation. This gift of the Spirit allows us to appreciate God’s awesome power and the love He has shown us in creating these amazing things. Whenever we glory in God’s creation, or wonder in amazement that He also knit us in love in our mother’s wombs, then we have experienced the Holy Spirit.
Finally, the gift of REVERENCE: Reverence is the gift of the Spirit that helps us respect ourselves and others. It helps us see and treat ourselves and others the way God sees us – as beloved children of God. It also teaches us to show God the respect and honor He deserves by worshipping Him and acting as He would have us act. Whenever we are moved to prayer or find it within ourselves to love another person, we have experienced the Holy Spirit.
Friends, in all of these ways, and in many, many others the Holy Spirit can be known by the effects, the fruits of His gifts in our daily lives. As St. Paul says, wherever there is "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, or self-control" the Holy Spirit can be known in the effects He is having in our lives.
And so it remains only for us to answer: will we open our hearts and minds to correctly recognize the gifts of the Spirit. Will we commit ourselves to praying for the outpouring of His gifts on us and thank Him for His constant presence in our lives? How are we going to allow the Holy Spirit’s gifts to bear fruit in our lives? How are we, like the Apostles, going to allow the fire of the Holy Spirit to so burn within us that God’s message of love is brought to all the peoples of the world?
Brothers and sisters, even now a new Pentecost is pouring the fruits of the Holy Spirit upon us, making us a new creation, and sending us on mission to proclaim the Good News. May all the world be able to see in our lives the effects and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and thus may people of every nation come to know, love and serve the Lord.
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