.
One Sunday morning, during the Eucharist, just before the
people could recite the Creed, the parish priest stopped them and said: “Most of
the time we rattle off the I Believe,
but we forget to say it meaningfully. So
let’s recite it slowly and clearly this time.” As I recited the Creed, my mind
went back to a Christian Doctrine class I had attended. Our teacher told us
that the Creed has three main sections, focused on (a) the Father who is the Creator,
(b) the Son who is the Redeemer, and (c) the Holy Spirit who is the Sanctifier.
The Holy Spirit reminds me of the day of Pentecost. It was on
this day that the Church was born. For the past two thousand years the Holy
Spirit has been at work in the Church. My memory takes me back to the scene of
the descent of the Holy Spirit in the Acts
of the Apostles. The disciples were waiting for the fulfillment of Jesus’
promise that He would not leave them alone but would send His Spirit on them. And
so it happened that when the apostles were together in the upper room, there
came from heaven a sound as of a violent wind which filled the entire house in
which they were sitting and there appeared tongues as of fire which came and
rested on the head of each of them and they were filled with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak different languages as the Holy Spirit gave them power to
express themselves. (Acts. 2:1-4). With
the descent of the Holy Spirit, the apostles were no more frightened but turned
into courageous preachers. As people heard what the apostles preached, they
were cut to the heart and on that day three thousand people were baptized. From
that day till today, the Church still stands strong.
After mentioning the Holy Spirit, the Creed immediately
takes us to the reality of the Spirit’s work of sanctification by mentioning
the Church. The Church has 4 qualities: It is One, Holy, Catholic and
Apostolic. These 4 qualities are
inseparable.
One: Just as there is
only One Christ, there can be only one body of Christ, only one bride of
Christ, and therefore only one Church of Jesus Christ. He is the head and the
Church is His body.
Holy: The Church is holy, not because all her members are
supposedly holy, but rather because God is holy and is at work in her. All the
members of the Church are sanctified by baptism. She is consecrated and
dedicated to God.
Catholic: The word ‘catholic’ means universal. Thus, the
Church embraces people of all ethnic backgrounds. The Church is catholic in a
double sense: (a) The Church is Catholic because the risen Christ is present in
her, and the risen Christ is universal. (b) The Church is Catholic because she
has been sent out by Christ on a mission to the whole human race, so that all
may be gathered together as one family under Christ the head, in the unity of
His Spirit.
Apostolic: The Church
is called apostolic because she was founded by the apostles, holds fast to
their teachings and is governed by their successors who continue the mission
entrusted to them.
These 4 qualities are very much the fruits of the Holy Spirit
working in the hearts of human beings to create unity, holiness and a sense of
universality.
We are in the New Era which is marked by the Holy Spirit. In
the Church, Christ manifests and communicates His work of salvation through the
liturgy until the parousia. In this
age of the Church, Christ now lives and acts with His Church in a new way that
is appropriate to the times. The communion of the Holy Spirit in the Church
restores to the baptized the divine likeness lost through sin. The great St.
Basil says: “Through the Holy Spirit we
are restored to paradise, led back to the kingdom of heaven and adopted as
children, given confidence to call God “Father” and to share Christ’s grace,
called children of light and given a share in eternal glory.”
All these qualities are present since the day of Pentecost. The
vast diversity of languages reveals the Catholicity of the Church; the fact
that all hear the Gospel reveals its unity; the life of grace is the outcome of
the Church’s holiness. And the apostles clearly stand out as the foundation of
the Church which continues to flourish till today.
The solemnity of Pentecost
highlights the important role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church and
in the life of each individual. Pentecost can be called as the birthday of the
Church. The diverse gifts and talents in the individual members of the Church
are all given by the Holy Spirit for the good of the entire Church. Through the
Holy Spirit, we are not to judge the right and wrong actions of humanity, but
by our just and loving actions in the Year of Mercy, we are called to
communicate the unconditional love of the Father to all
