Pentecost

May 15^th 2016 Sunday homily-Fr.Francis Chirackal CMI

Act 2:1-11; 1Cor 12:3b-7,12-13; Jn 20:19-23

For Readings

http://www.usccb.org/nab/051516.shtml 

Jesus said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send  

you”. St.Paul says, “No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord’, except by the Holy Spirit”. “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues”. These are some of the words we heard in today’s readings.

A few weeks we all heard the news that four nuns were killed by terrorists in Yemen and  Fr.Tom was abducted while serving the people with love. In 2013  New York times reported that a Lebanese man was sentenced to 300 lashes with a whip and six years in prison for his role in helping a Saudi woman convert to Christianity. Again, the court in the Eastern Saudi city of Khobar sentenced a Saudi man to two years in prison and 200 lashes for helping the young woman named Maryam in her escape to Sweden to secure asylum. The Jeddah-based paper wrote that she “fell in love with the religions after she found peace in Christianity.” A few months ago, many were declared martyrs by the Church authorities as they offered their lives for faith in Jesus. Why, even after 2000 years, thousands of people come forward to submit their lives for Christ? Why do millions of people even today come forward to follow Christ? We see answers to these questions in today’s readings and in the episode of Maryam, which said, ‘She found Peace in Christianity’. 

Today we celebrate the feast of ‘Pentecost’, the inauguration of the Church. It was the day in which the feared ones became the bravest ones, the weakest ones became the strongest ones, the voiceless ones became the powerful ones, the frustrated ones became the most hopeful ones, the hiding ones became the public figures. What was the secret of this change? No medicine, no counseling, no image building classes, no kick of the liquor or drugs. Then what? You know the answer. It was the power from heaven, the arrival of the powerful Holy Spirit. Once the Apostles received the Holy Spirit, they started preaching the person of Christ courageously responding to the command of Jesus who said, ‘Peace be with you, as the Father has sent me, so I send you.” Those who saw that change became astonished. Listening to Peter’s preaching on that first day itself, over 3000 people believed in Christ. Christ was with them. It was the birth of the Universal Church.

The Church became universal on its first day itself as the Holy Spirit enabled the people to hear the Word of God in their own language, while Peter was preaching in one language. Christ brought peace and salvation to each and everyone. God wants us to experience His peace in our day-to-day lives in this world. God wants us ‘to be Sent’ in our day-to-day situations. So He gives us the gifts of the Spirit. “Wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength, knowledge, fear of the Lord and piety” are the seven gifts, while, ‘love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control’ are the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Gifts to be used to bear fruit. As St. Paul says, “These gifts are not given to an individual for his honor or glory but to help to build up the Church”. To build up the Church, is to help others know Christ and to experience peace. True peace can be found only in God and God gives us that peace out of His love for us. We need to spread this Peace of Christ, from person to person, experiencing God in our lives. The Holy Spirit was sent to us to make this a reality. All who are confirmed are equipped with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, to live a virtuous and holy life, and are sent forth to bear much fruit, something that is possible only when one stays firmly attached to Jesus.

The descent of the Holy Spirit, is the manifestation of the infinite love of God for us, his Chosen People of the new Covenant. Through the incarnation, the human race is empowered to become adopted children of God. Through Baptism, we become members of Christ’s body, his Church. Through the reception of the Holy Spirit in the sacrament of Confirmation, we are made active members of the Church, with all the strength and powers necessary to be effective members, on active service daily, and true soldiers of Christ.

Easter, is the feast of Christ’s triumph over death and the guarantee of our triumph and union with Christ in His eternal glory. Pentecost, crowns Christ’s work amongst us. The Holy Spirit comes to abide with the Church and the same Spirit helps and aids each member of the Church to live a life of holiness, based on the Word of God. As we celebrate this great feast let us receive and become filled with the Holy Spirit and produce the fruits of the Spirit with the gifts that Spirit gives us. Let us make our lives always rejoicing in the Spirit and sing to the Lord every day, Alleluia and help others to sing, Alleluia, to the Lord. Alleluia!!