Pentecost

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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