PENTECOST SUNDAY, YEAR B: REFLECTION BY FR JULIAN EKEH

THEME: RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT

(John 20:19–23)

Today is a great solemnity, the Pentecost Sunday. The Church celebrates the decent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. It is the continuation of the glorious mysteries and, in fact, a very significant one indeed. We celebrate the third glorious mystery today.

Today, the Church calls to mind an event that coincided with the agricultural feast of the Jews and redefined it. We celebrate the fact that a mighty wind blew, to blow away fear and blow in courage and power from above. The Church celebrates the great miracle of recreation. The Church thanks God for the unction with which she began to function. The Church marks her birthday today.

The Church celebrates a reawakening and a return to consciousness and mission effected by the Ruah Adonai. The Church celebrates God-breathedness, the breath that vivifies and revitalizes. The Church calls to mind a transcendental replication of what happened in Eden when God breathed into the motionless man and made him live. The Church witnesses the prophecy of Ezekiel about the spirit that blew on the lifeless bones and gave them life. We celebrate answered prayers that our being locked up in the upper room was not in vain. That the voice of prayer is never silent.

We celebrate in Thanksgiving the fulfilment of the promise made by Jesus, that He will not leave us orphans.

We celebrate our adoption as children of God, for by the Spirit we have received, we can comfortably call God Abba Father.

We celebrate our liberation and the freedom of the children of God, just like a tied fowl or a caged bird celebrates when freed. We rejoice that we have been privileged to be given the gift we cannot merit so much to receive.

We celebrate the New Pentecost.

WHAT IS PENTECOST?

It is derived from the Greek ‘pentekoste’, which means literally ‘50th’. It is an agricultural feast, a wheat harvest festival (cf. Exodus 34:22). It is a Jewish feast with which they marked the end of their Passover celebration. It is also used to celebrate the Shavuot, which is the feast of weeks in Hebrew. It is the celebration of the seven weeks after Passover.

With time, this Jewish festival became an occasion for commemorating the giving of the Torah by God to Moses on Mount Sinai.

It is good to underscore that this celebration gathered a good number of people from far and wide into Jerusalem. It was a homecoming for the Jews in diaspora, a pilgrimage for foreigners, an economic adventure for business tycoons, and tourism as well for great and small alike.

WHAT’S SPECIAL?

What we celebrate is not the Jewish Pentecost. We are not celebrating the Shavuot. Not the giving of the Torah to Moses, not the homecoming nor the pilgrimages. Oh no!

We are celebrating that on this ordinary day of Jewish celebration, something extraordinary happened. It is no longer the giving of the Torah to Moses but the giving of the Holy Spirit to the apostles. It is not a thanksgiving for a journey made by Moses but a thanksgiving for an ascent made by Jesus, the Son of God, which necessitated the advent of the Holy Spirit. It is not the old law that held people bound but the new law of love that set people free. We celebrate that on this day, the Holy Spirit took the centre stage. Attention was focused on the apostles, passivity was translated to activity, the captives were liberated, and the fearful became fearless. A mysterious proclamation resounded, and the whole tongues of the world were unified by the Spirit of understanding.

In a special way, today’s celebration will bring an end to the Easter season.

WHY WE NEED THE HOLY SPIRIT

Proclamation

What Jesus taught His disciples was meant to be communicated. But with timidity that communication cannot occur. So, with the tongues of fire on their heads, they were set on fire to proclaim the Love of God in such a manner that people even accused them of being drunk. Be open to that fire of the Spirit and communicate Divine wisdom by your words and actions. May it not be quenched.

Baptism

Being confirmed and commissioned by the Holy Spirit, they received the authority of regeneration, of bringing people into the body of Christ. Those who received the communication of the word had their rebirth and new life in Christ. 3000 were baptized on the Pentecost day. How are you operating with the baptismal grace you received? It is a day to rekindle the light of our baptism and carry the same light to everywhere we may find ourselves.

Effective functioning in the world

To function effectively in the world, we need the Holy Spirit. The word of God says, take away the Spirit they return to clay (psalm 146:4).

We will do nothing without the Spirit of God. We will be lifeless without it. We will be empty without it. Our prayers will be a waste of time without the Spirit, and our hope will be useless without the Holy Spirit.

We need the Holy Spirit to live holy life. That’s why Jesus says: “Receive the Holy Spirit.” The Church needs it to give and receive forgiveness. He is the forgiving Spirit. We need it to live in us and work with us, He is the wisdom of God. We need it to replace our unholy desires and steer up holy deeds. “Receive the Holy Spirit “means receive answers to your prayers, it means receive fulfilment of my promises to you, it means you’re not alone, it means God will confuse your enemies, they will look at your success and will not understand what’s going on, it means that the righteous will gather around you for Thanksgiving, it means receive reason for living, it means receive power to forge ahead. It means receive power from above. It means that the powers from below can never stop you from soaring high.

May you receive this Spirit, may the operations of the Holy Spirit destroy the activities of the evil cabals who are holding the progress of this country and of our world.

May God bless His word in our hearts.

LET US PRAY

Holy Spirit of God, Spirit of the Risen Christ, fall afresh in us. Fill us with power from above. Fill us with courage and wisdom to face and overcome the world. Fill the hearts of the faithful and enkindle in us the fire of your love. Raise up for us leaders with fear of God and holy dreams. Burn to ashes the power of sin and the agents of darkness. Give us the grace to succeed in all our endeavours. May we enjoy Your abiding presence and work with it for our salvation and those of the whole world through Christ our Lord. Amen

Happy Pentecost Sunday

Rev Fr Julian O Ekeh