The Holy Spirit and Knowledge (HOMILY FOR SATURDAY OF THE 6TH WEEK OF EASTER MAY 2023

HOMILY FOR SATURDAY OF THE 6TH WEEK OF EASTER

Acts 18:23-28; Ps.47; John 16:23b-28

The Holy Spirit and Knowledge

In this season of the novena to the Holy Spirit, many of us are waiting upon the Holy Spirit so that at Pentecost He will possess us. In order to possess the Holy Spirit or fan into flame the gifts we have earlier received, we feel the need to make this all-important prayerful preparation. However, from the example of Apollos in the first reading of today, we understand that added to prayerful preparation, we must also seek knowledge. Yes, Jesus promised that when the Spirit comes, He will guide us into the truth. This does not mean that we are going to be passive in the process of being guided into the truth. There is a place for human effort.

As we are undergoing the Pentecost novena, how much have we learnt about the Holy Spirit from the Scriptures, good theological books and other media? Apollos was able to do much in preaching that the Christ was Jesus because he was well versed in the Scriptures. He humbled himself to be instructed in the way of the Lord and that was why he could teach accurately. If we are not humble, patient and diligent enough to learn, we will not be able to teach rightly. Making disciples of all nations has teaching as its core; we are to teach others about Christ. But we cannot teach if we are not knowledgeable. So, this period of the novena to the Holy Spirit is also a time to cultivate the habit of reading about the Holy Spirit; a habit that will continue even after Pentecost.

Another virtue we learn from Apollos is readiness to learn, irrespective how much one may think he/she already knows. While Apollos could teach boldly and accurately, he did not refuse Priscilla and Aquila when they offered to teach him more. Learning is a life project. The one who thinks he no longer needs to learn is truly ignorant. Sometimes, we demonstrate great deal of scriptural ignorance. We feel that we have known it all; that no lesson in the bible is new, that we have heard all that there is to be preached. This temptation is even higher for those entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel. We may be tempted to no longer prayerfully prepare our sermons because, having preached over time, we can say something about every part of the Scriptures. These are signs of one who has closed the heart to learning.

See, no matter how much we know about God, He remains a mystery; there will always be something new to learn. The Word of God is not word of men. A particular biblical text can inspire in varied ways, at different times, even to a particular person. So, like Apollos, let us always be disposed to learning. The quality of the services we render is dependent on how knowledgeable we are. The durability of the services we render is dependent on how updated we are. The Holy Spirit will not do much in both the one who does not know and the one who does not want to know more.