Pentecost Sunday
Readings: Acts 2: 1-11 Galatians 5: 16-25 John 15: 26-27; 16: 12-15
Theme: Receive the Holy Spirit
Today we come to the high point of our Easter celebration. As we celebrate the feast of Pentecost, which comes up fifty days after Easter. When Jesus was leaving his disciples and ascending to His Father He promised them to send them the Holy Spirit. That promise Jesus made to his followers is being fulfilled today. We have prepared for the past nine days praying to God in preparation for today’s reception of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Today is also a big celebration for Spiritans all over the world. The Holy Ghost Father’s and Brother’s was founded on this day in 1703. Today is our feast day; remember us in your prayers.
The Holy Spirit has been impacted on us because God is faithful to His promises and the promise made by Jesus himself is fulfilled today. In today’s liturgy we cannot but appreciate God’s love for humanity as he sends us the Holy Spirit; the Spirit of truth, the advocate, to be with us to guide us and direct us.
We are celebrating the Spirit of peace, the Spirit of unity the Spirit of love. In today’s second reading, from Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he admonishes you and I about the need to be people of the spirit. The fruits of self-indulgence are destructive but the fruits of the Holy Spirit will lead us to eternal life and that is why as we celebrate the coming of the Spirit today, the question would be: what fruit am I bearing? Am I for the Spirit or I am for self-indulgence? we are encouraged in a very special way to embrace the Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit that will lead us to eternal life. That is why my brothers and sisters, as we are impacted in a very special way today having prepared for the coming of the Holy Spirit, it is for you and I to now resolve to bear fruits through the Spirit, fruits that will last, fruits that will lead us to eternal life. That is why in all that we do, we must endeavor to ensure that our life is guided by the Spirit.
Self-indulgence is destructive, it cannot lead us to eternal life at the end of time and the world in which we live today is in serious need of people of the Spirit, it is in need of people who make use of the gifts of the Spirit to propagate the Gospel, to lead others to Christ as they make their way to Christ. That is why today there is need for us to resolve to be people of the Spirit, and live it out in our lives. Let our actions reflect that we are truly people of the Spirit. Self-indulgence does not lead anyone to eternal life. Self-indulgence separates us from the love of God. It becomes a barrier between us and God’s love. And we are children of love, we are children of peace, we are children of unity.
The gifts God has given us should be used for the common good of all and not for our selfish reasons. That is why today as we receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit, as we go through the renewal having prepared for it, it is for us to make a firm resolve that we want to live it out in a very special way in our lives, in our actions, and in our human relationships. That is why my brothers and sisters it is a day to appreciate God’s love for us. When the fruits of the Holy Spirit are properly used, they bring about the growth of the body of Christ. Our gifts are not supposed to be dormant. Our gifts are not given to us for our own sake. Neither is it given for the sake of our families and friends alone but it is rather given to us for the good of the generality of the people of God.
Dearly beloved, as we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Lord is saying to us today that we have to make sincere effort to begin to live this injunction that the Holy Spirit presents to us today that is to live a life that is rooted in the Spirit as against the flesh. The gifts that God has bestowed upon us should be used for the greater Glory of God and for the good of humanity. We pray as we celebrate Pentecost today that the gifts of the Holy Spirit will continue to grow in our lives, and bear fruits that will last. Peace be with you.