In today’s Gospel, Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit to his disciples. What is the purpose of the Holy Spirit? Jesus provides this answer: “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth”.
Yes, the responsibility of the Holy Spirit is to give the disciples true knowledge and understanding of God. But, more importantly, the Holy Spirit is to guide them in a way of living that is immersed in God.
That is what happens on the day of Pentecost. The promise made by Jesus is fulfilled. The Apostles receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Who is the Holy Spirit? Bishop Robert Barron offers this definition: “He is the third person of the Holy Trinity, but more precisely, the love shared by the Father and the Son”. At this moment, the Apostles become more than clever theologians. Their human lives become immersed in the divine life.
What happened to the Apostles happens to us. Jesus sends us the same Holy Spirit that the Apostles received on the day of our Confirmation. Our Confirmation is our personal Pentecost. Like the Apostles, we can’t earn or merit the presence of the Holy Spirit by any action on our part. The Holy Spirit is pure gift from an extravagant and loving God. Since the Holy Spirit is the love between the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit can only lead us to the truth.
Since the Holy Spirit is the love between the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit will lead us to a fuller commitment to the values of the Gospel. Since the Holy Spirit is the love between the Father and the Son, He is the one who will give us the gift of knowing what we must do when the time comes. We can be certain that the Holy Spirit will teach us to do God’s will in every circumstance.
The key message is that the Holy Spirit is real and is active in our own daily lives and experiences. Although the Risen Jesus has ascended into heaven, he has not gone up, up and away, but rather, has come more deeply into our world.
The same Holy Spirit that was operative in the lives of the Apostles in 33 AD. is at work in 2021 in Sudbury in us. As St. Paul proclaims, we are temples of the Holy Spirit. The good news is that we the Holy Spirit literally dwells in our human bodies. Just as this is a tabernacle of God, our bodies are tabernacles of God. This indwelling divine life transforms our bodies.
To use the vocabulary of Dr. David Deane, the Holy Spirit “christifies” our bodies. “Christification” is to think like Christ, to speak like Christ and to act like Christ in the circumstances of daily living. Today’s liturgy encourages us to ask ourselves these questions: Do I allow myself to be guided by the Holy Spirit? Do I allow him to play a role in the practical situations of my life?
The call of Confirmation is to have the courage to ask the Holy Spirit for his help, particularly when we are confused or troubled. That’s the reason for which Confirmation is only administered once in a person’s lifetime. The graces are permanent. They are available on a daily basis just for the asking.
At another point in the Gospel, Jesus tells us that the Father will never refuse someone who asks for the Holy Spirit. So, let’s ask! And ask again! Bishop Robert Barron has commented that the one prayer that is always appropriate, whether one is experiencing success or failure, whether one is confident or afraid, whether one is young or old, is, “Come, Holy Spirit.”
When we have a difficult decision to make, we can pray, “Come Holy Spirit; descend on us and guide our attitudes and our choices”. When sickness, challenges, and adversity come, we can pray, “Come Holy Spirit; descend with your healing and comforting power.”
As we witness the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic upon the people of India, as “christified” bodies we ought to do more than just say, “Isn’t this awful?” or “Thank God, I live in Canada”. As the bare minimum, we can pray, “Come Holy Spirit; descend with your mercy and strength upon our brothers and sisters in India as they continue to deal with this horrible tragedy”. “Come Holy Spirit; protect, guide, inspire the minds, hearts, bodies and souls of Indian government leaders and health care professionals as they serve their fellow citizens in the midst of such suffering”.
“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth”. These powerful words are addressed to each of us today. As our Eucharist continues, let us ask the Holy Spirit to “christify” us by influencing and by directing our thoughts, words and actions in our daily lives.
Amen.
Deacon Roland Muzzatti
May 12, 2021