This Sunday we celebrate Pentecost, the coming of the
Holy Spirit as Jesus had promised- the fulfillment of the promise of the
Father. We read that the Apostles were “all
together in one place,” (Acts 2) and “the doors were locked…for fear of the
Jews.” (John 20). Here, afraid in that
locked room, they wait for the fulfillment of Jesus’ words that He would not
leave them alone. Here they trust. Jesus had said, “…it is to your advantage
that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you;
but if I go, I will send him to you” (John 16:7).
Here the Apostles find themselves at a moment of
great transition, for each of them personally, but even more for the whole
Church. As they sat in that room with the
doors locked, did they doubt that Jesus would complete the great work He had
begun in them? Did they wonder if they
would have been better off if none of this had ever even happened? Were they tempted to be like the Israelites
in the desert, who, after being freed from slavery in Egypt, complained against
God and against Moses, fearing God would leave them to die in the desert, and
wishing they had never even been freed? But
God is faithful. He did not leave the
Israelites to die in the desert, but He brought them to the Promised Land. And He would not leave the Apostles to die
afraid in that locked room. Rather, “…suddenly a sound came from heaven like
the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of
fire, distributed and resting on each one of them.” (Acts 2:1-3)
I now find myself at a moment of transition. Transition is scary – there are so many
unknowns, so many things to let go of, so many reasons to stay in my “locked
room.” Yet also, so many reasons to trust,
hope, and love. God is faithful, and I
have witnessed so much of the Lord’s power, that there’s no going back to my
old way of life. But why can it be so
hard to believe that the Lord will provide for me when He has already done so
much? St. Jose Maria Escriva wrote, “Get
to know the Holy Spirit, the great Unknown, on whom depends your
sanctification. Don’t forget that you are God’s temple. The Advocate is in the
center of your soul: listen to Him and be docile to his inspirations” (The
Way, 57). The Holy Spirit dwells in me! The same Holy Spirit that descended on the Apostles,
freed them from fear and empowered them to trust, to love Christ and to
proclaim the Gospel, dwells within me everyday.
He makes His home in my soul. And
by the sacramental graces of my Baptism and Confirmation, and simply by loving
me, He strengthens me to trust, to love, and to live the Gospel as they did.
This Pentecost Sunday, I’m praying for the grace to
know the Holy Spirit better, to recognize His voice, and to be docile to His
inspirations. At Pentecost, the
disciples receive the Spirit and are empowered to love God without fear. I’m praying for the grace to love Him boldly
and to be a witness of hope.
Written by Kristen
