Homily for Pentecost Sunday Year B, 19th May, 2024

 

Readings: Acts.2:1-11; Ps.104; Gal. 5: 16-25;  John 15:26-27.16:12-15

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

 

COME HOLY SPIRIT MAKE US KNOW YOU EXPERIENTIALLY

 

We have gathered here today to celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost. Today we receive a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Today the promised Paraclete has come, the Comforter has come, the purifying fire has come. An experiential encounter with the Holy Spirit. Today all children of God are empowered once more to conquer the world with the Good News of Christ's salvation.

 

Today the fears, the shame, the weakness of sins, the lukewarmness, the lockdown and all the barriers that hold us captive in the upper room of fear and shame have now been consumed by the power of the Holy Ghost, which we receive afresh today. For we have been set free and empowered to transform the world once again with the truth of the Gospel of Christ.

 

This is the fulfilment of the promise Jesus made to his disciples in our Gospel passage today when he said to his disciples: ‘When the Advocate comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who issues from the Father, he will be my witness. And you too will be witnesses, because you have been with me from the outset. ‘I still have many things to say to you, but they would be too much for you now. But when the Spirit of truth comes he will lead you to the complete truth.

 

This promise was made when, after the Last Supper and the ugly event of his passion, death and resurrection, a sense of loss and fear saddened the hearts of the Apostles. But their sadness will not be long, for Jesus will not abandon them, he will not leave them orphans. He will send the Counsellor, the power of Love, the Spirit of the Father. And this Spirit will enable them to understand that his work is a work of love:  love of the One who gave himself, love of the Father who has given him and love for humanity whom he has come to save.

 

Thus, this is the mystery of the Pentecost we are celebrating today as we have it in our first reading, when on the Pentecost day the disciples were in a room of lockdown and fearfulness, and suddenly they heard what sounded like a powerful wind from heaven, the noise of which filled the entire house in which they were sitting; and something appeared to them that seemed like tongues of fire; these separated and came to rest on the head of each of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak foreign languages as the Spirit gave them the gift of speech.

 

Such is the work of the Holy Spirit, who illuminates the human spirit and reveals in it, the image of Christ Crucified and Risen, in order to become more like him, bearing the image and instrument of the love which flows from Christ. It is in this image of love, that the greatness of the Pentecost event is perceived.

 

There are seven gifts and twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit, the seven gifts include wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. While the fruits which are perfections that the Holy Spirit infused in us as the first fruits of eternal glory are as follows: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity.

 

Among all these gifs and fruits, love is the most important of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, just as it is also the most important of all the Christian virtues. Without love, all the good things we have accomplished mean nothing. Hence, St Paul advised us in our second reading saying: If you are led by the Spirit, no law can touch you. But when self-indulgence is at work in you the results are obvious: fornication, gross indecency and sexual irresponsibility; idolatry and sorcery; enmity and strife, jealousy, bad temper and selfishness; disagreements, factions, envy; drunkenness, carousing and similar things.

 

However, Paul continued by saying: I warn you now, as I warned you before those who behave like these will not inherit the kingdom of God. What the Spirit brings is very different and they include love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-control. There can be no law against things like that, to embrace the Spirit of love that will help us to accommodate each other’s gifts and talents, for we, though separate individuals are united as one body and one Spirit in one baptism.

 

Dear friends, today the power of the Holy Spirit of love has been poured upon us, so we are called and empowered to go into the whole world and proclaim the Good News of God’s love to humanity. There are many people in our world today who have not experienced the true love of God in their hearts, because they are distracted by various worldly concerns and their selfishness, as they keep hurting each other and causing trouble and suffering to one another. These should not be our attitude.

 

Let our actions and deeds bear the fruit of this love of God not only to such people but to our fellow brethren by showing genuine care and concern for each other. Let us not close our doors of love because we continually want to feel secure and do not want to be disturbed by others or by God. Rather let us like the apostles break open the doors of our hearts, for Christ overcomes our enclosure to bring us love and peace and build a bridge between heaven and earth, so that we can climb up on this bridge of love to reach him and together with him, we too can reach all humanity, beginning with our families, societies and to the ends of the Earth.

 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, as we lift our hearts together with Mary our mother in the Spirit of Pentecost, singing the Veni Sancte Spiritus, may the Holy Spirit of love come down upon all your children wherever we may be and fill our hearts with the fire of his love. Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in us the fire of your love. Amen. Wishing you a Spirit-filled Pentecost celebration.