"And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on
each one of them." Acts 2:3
As you may know, this Sunday is Pentecost Sunday, and with it comes the end of the Easter Season. On that day the Holy Spirit is given to us in a monumental way - the promised Advocate descends on the early Church, represented in the Apostles and Mary. Jesus told His disciples that He had to return to the Father so that the Advocate could come.
"The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you" (John 14:26). It is from the Holy Spirit that the Apostles received the strength and courage to go out and evangelize after the devastation of the Crucifixion. Even after the Resurrection and Ascension, the Apostles were still holed up in the upper room, afraid to venture out, lest they be arrested or killed. It was only after Pentecost that they were able to bring themselves to risk their lives to bring the message of Salvation to all.
We know from the Biblical accounts that there appeared tongues as of fire over each of their heads. This fire was not simply external, however. It was reflective of what was happening in their hearts. Their hearts were bursting into flames, burning with the fire and passion of the Truth - of the One Who came and died and rose again that we may live. They were so on fire and impassioned that they couldn't stay there and keep it to themselves. They immediately ran from the upper room and out into the streets, telling everyone they could see about what they had seen and heard, no longer held back by their fear. They were even accused of being drunk, even though it was the middle of the day. This kind of joy could not be contained! Suddenly they remembered everything Jesus had told them about His death and Resurrection, all the signs He had explained to them. Suddenly they weren't afraid anymore. They weren't afraid to follow Jesus' instructions - to go and make disciples of all nations. Even though they faced possible death (all but St. John were martyred), they were now filled with the Holy Spirit, who allowed them to see the importance of their mission and to realize that spreading the Good News of Salvation was more important than earthly life!
So what happened that day? What is this Baptism of the Holy Spirit that fell upon them on Pentecost? It is not a sacramental Baptism, the one many of us received as infants, but a spiritual Baptism nonetheless. It is an outpouring of the Spirit anew in our lives. It is a flowering of the graces we received in Baptism. It opens us to the movements of the Holy Spirit, that we may more clearly and confidently discern the movements of God - what He asks of us at every moment. With it often comes special charisms, or gifts. The gifts of tongues, interpretation of tongues, prophecy, healing, intercession, and leadership, among others. The Holy Spirit strengthens each one of us to live our Christian life to the fullest capacity.
Pentecost was not just for the Apostles. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit was not just for the Apostles. The Holy Spirit is for each one of us! The same Holy Spirit that fell on the Apostles at Pentecost is still alive and changing people's lives every day! In college, I received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, and like the Apostles, my heart was burning within my chest, trying to beat its way out for at least a whole week! I tried to explain my excitement and jubilation but there were no words! Since then my life has never been the same. I have felt the Holy Spirit's presence in my life in a special way and received His gifts in my life. I have seen the way He moves in the Church and in people's lives.
Knowing the Holy Spirit is a very intimate experience. He is the fruit of the love between the Father and the Son, so a relationship with Him will naturally draw you in and touch you very deeply. He will reach parts of your heart you had forgotten about, and show you how God has taken care of it. Surrendering to the Holy Spirit's work in your heart brings a sweetness that no words can express. It draws you into deeper, more intimate, and more meaningful prayer. The gift of tongues is often used to build up the body and speak a message that will edify everyone, but there is another aspect to this gift - that used for personal prayer. At those moments when you cannot find the words, the Holy Spirit Himself provides the words. "We do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words" (Romans 8:26). The grace of being able to pray in tongues when you can't find the words is very powerful. It is like letting your heart sigh, letting it exhale, and with your breath comes out heavenly words that come from the very depths of your soul.
The power of the Holy Spirit seen at Pentecost and throughout the New Testament is very real, and it didn't end there - those gifts are available and meant for each one of us alive today. They are not beyond our grasp. The Holy Spirit will always give to those who ask. He desires that we earnestly seek Him and ask Him for these gifts, but we have to be ready for the way it will change our lives. The gifts He gives are to be used to grow and serve the Church; to build up the Body of Christ and strengthen each other on this journey.
Most of us do not face torture or death for what we believe. Certainly we are not in the same circumstances as the Apostles. So let us not be afraid to own up to our Christian faith. Let us use this Pentecost as an opportunity to rekindle the fire in our hearts and to not be afraid to share what we believe with those who are searching! "Evangelism is just one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread" (Niles, D.T.).
The Apostles thought this was a truth worth dying for. Do you?
Written by Catherine
