Sermon/Meditation for the celebration of Pentecost Sunday The Third Person of the Trinity May 19 2024

Sermon/Meditation for the celebration of Pentecost Sunday, MAY 19, 2024

Acts 2:1-11; Ps.104; 1Cor.12:3b-7, 12-13; John 17:11b-19

 _To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good_ (1Cor.12:7)

Seek the Fruits not the signs of the Holy Spirit

Today is so special that in the Catholic tradition, we do not come to this day without due preparation. For the past nine days, we have been involved in the Novena to the Holy Spirit. During the novena, we prayed to and for the Holy Spirit to renew, reinvigorate and rejuvenate us; we asked the Holy Spirit to do both new and greater things in and through us. However, today’s celebration offers us ample opportunity to reflect on the Holy Spirit especially in our relationship with this third person of the Blessed Trinity. What do we desire of the Holy Spirit? From the readings of today, we see that there are signs of the possession of the Holy Spirit, and there are the actual fruits of the Holy Spirit. Signs depict presence but fruits depicts activeness.

In the first reading of today, we see the signs of the possession of the Holy Spirit in the apostles: tongues of fire appeared on the head of each of them and they began to speak in tongues. The speaking in tongues was further clarified as the ability of other natives to hear the apostles in their (the natives’) own languages. This was so extra-ordinary and was clearly the handiwork of God. But it was only a sign. The Spirit did not come upon the apostles simply for the sake of speaking in tongues. In fact, when Jesus was promising the apostles the Holy Spirit, he did not mention speaking in tongues as the purpose for the Spirit’s coming but that the Spirit will guide them into the truth. What was more profound and excelling on the day of Pentecost was that the Apostles now possessed courage to openly talk about the manifold works of God, not fearing that those who killed Jesus will come after them too.

The ability to speak in tongues was a sign of the presence of the Spirit; but the courage to speak openly speak the truth, was a fruit of the Spirit. Now, this is where the challenge lies! In calling upon the Holy Spirit, many Christians merely desire the manifestation of the signs of his presence as against being able to manifest the fruits of the Holy Spirit. They pray ceaselessly to feel something new as the sign that the Spirit has come, without desiring to do something new or excellent which amounts to the fruits of the Spirit. So, it has become common place to scandalously observe people who manifest signs of the Spirit’s presence (such as speaking/praying in tongues), but who totally lack any fruit of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is never without its fruits. Whoever claims to have received the Holy Spirit but does not manifest the fruits is simply laying claim to what he/she does not have.

The Spirit will always enable its recipient to bear more witness to the gospel. It does this in different persons through different ways. Now, the ability to bear witness to the gospel must rest on the foundation of conversion. So, we lie when we claim to be growing in the Spirit without a corresponding growth in Holiness. This is because to possess the Holy Spirit is not like possessing skills like tailoring, bricklaying, wood carving, etc. These abilities do not affect the interiority of the individual. Possessing the Holy Spirit is assuming a new and an improved level of being; the possession primary affects the interiority of the individual. The more the Spirit possesses you, the more your heart resembles it. So, it is utterly contradictory to grow in the Spirit without growing in holiness.

It therefore means that what the crowd expects of one who possesses the Spirit, is not what God expects. The crowds expects the person to see visions, cast out demons, speak in tongues, perform miracles, etc. Today, many persons are struggling to meet up with these expectations by faking what they do not have and doing many abominable things. Is it not funny how we put pressure on men of God to do the “extraordinary” and then come to despise those ministers who go the wrong way just to meet up with the “extraordinary”?

While the first reading described the signs of the Holy Spirit, the second and gospel readings dwelt on the fruits of the Spirit. In the second reading, St. Paul talked about unity, service and collaboration as fruits of the Holy Spirit. This means that irrespective of the gifts you possess, you must be ready to serve others, work with others and unite people together. Now, you will agree with me that these virtues are on a steady decline amidst the steady increase of those who claim to possess the Holy Spirit. We want to speak in tongues without serving; we want to see visions while exalting ourselves; we want to work miracles and by that carve out a people for ourselves. See, the Spirit of God seeks to enlighten not to entertain. The fact that the natives around the Pentecost scene could hear the apostles in their different languages, should teach us that the gifts of the Holy Spirit function like our individual names – they are ours but are for the use/benefit of others.

In the gospel, before breathing the Spirit upon the disciples, Jesus spoke to them of peace. After breathing the Spirit upon them, he spoke about forgiveness. Peace and forgiveness are fruits that those who truly possess the Holy Spirit cannot but possess. Today, the desire for peace has become relative and selfish. We want peace only when we are the beneficiaries; but if war will bear us some gains, then let war reign. Peace has been redefined from an atmosphere that enables co-existence and mutual development, into a conducive environment that allows me to do whatever I like (without disturbances or corrections), irrespective of how negatively my action(s) affect others. But, the God is peace is not licentious.

Beloved, we so much need the Holy Spirit, but we must be clear about our intentions. Like the disciples, we need the Holy Spirit to enable us do the right thing we know and avoid what is wrong. Today, it is becoming very difficult for people to concretize their perfect knowledge of good and evil. We know what is good, but find it difficult to do it/them. We know what is evil but often times find ourselves doing them, while giving unjustifiable excuses. We need the Holy Spirit! Without the Holy Spirit, we becoming as uneducated as one who possesses theoretical knowledge with no practical knowledge. Let us seek the Holy Spirit principally for its fruits and not for mere signs; for it is through the fruits that the face of the earth will be renewed.