May the Holy Spirit bestow on you his numerous gifts and may the fruits of the same Spirit be abundant in your life. Happy Solemnity of Pentecost. +John I. Okoye
(Acts 2,1-11; Galatians 5,16-25; John 15, 26-27; 16, 12-15”: Pentecost Sunday; Year B)
The Pentecost represents the triumphal conclusion of the paschal mystery. The Paschal Mystery; the event comprising the suffering, death, resurrection and ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ into heaven is capped with Jesus sending the Holy Spirit on the Apostles as he had promised. Jesus died to give us the Holy Spirit that puts us in direct contact with the life of the Blessed Trinity. The feast of Pentecost has diverse aspects which are expressed through the readings of today. The first reading from the Acts of the Apostles narrates the episode of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. The second reading indicates the importance of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Christian. The gospel reading dwells on the role of the Holy Spirit in Christian witness and in the deepening of the Christian faith.
The external manifestations that accompanied the outpouring of the Spirit were all phenomena associated with a theophany, an experience of God. For example, thunder accompanied God’s revelation at Sinai (cf. Exod 19,16); God spoke to Job from the whirlwind (Job 38,1) and to Moses from the burning bush (Exod 3,2). The text of the first reading reports that these phenomena were audible and visible while the actual outpouring of the Spirit was not. However, as those in the room were filled with the Spirit, they began to speak in other languages, a feat that could only have some supernatural origin.The same Greek word (glossa) is used for the tongues of fire that appeared above each one and for the foreign tongues that were subsequently spoken. There is a question whether the reference here is to communicative speech (foreign tongues) or ecstatic speech called “glossolalia.” Since the people who came to see what had happened did understand the bold proclamations of these Spirit-filled preachers, the meaning here seems to be communicative rather than ecstatic speech (w. 6-11).The crowd that gathered because of the loud noise was confused, astonished, and amazed. They knew that those speaking were Galileans. Yet the hearers were able to understand the message in their own dialect. It was clearly a manifestation of the universal presence and power of the Spirit. Some commentators believe that it demonstrated the reversal of the fragmentation of peoples that occurred when languages were confused after the people attempted to construct the tower of Babel (cf. Gen 11,1-9). The Outpouring of the Spirit and the preaching of the gospel to all nations are seen by some as the reuniting of the human race and the gathering of all into God’s reign.
In the gospel, Jesus announces the coming of the Holy Spirit emphasising two ideas. The first is that the disciples will bear witness to him: And you too will be witnesses. It is the Holy Spirit that will bestow, on the disciples, the extraordinary power to bear witness to Christ. According to the narrative of the first reading, this feat was realised immediately on the day of Pentecost. Peter, who during the passion of Jesus did not have the courage to bear witness to Christ and denied him three times, immediately after the reception of the Spirit took up courage to speak to the Jews about the passion and resurrection of Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Thanks to the gift of the Holy Spirit by whose power and inspiration the faith of the Church is diffused in all the parts of the world and the courage of Christians to submit to martyrdom in order to bear witness to Christ. Jesus also declared that the Spirit of truth will guide the Christian in the acquisition of the truth: But when the Spirit of truth comes he will lead you to the complete truth… During his public life Jesus spoke and acted, worked miracles but the disciples were not able to understand. All seemed strange and superficial to them and did not penetrate into them. But with the coming of the Holy Spirit they came to know the whole truth. This is to say, that the Holy Spirit revealed to them, in the interiority of their being, the meaning of all the works Jesus did and the full implication of the Paschal mystery. The work of the Holy Spirit was to make clearer who Jesus was and what he taught. The Spirit speaks not about himself but will tell you of what he has learnt… since all he will tell you will be taken from what is mine. The work of the Holy Spirit is not a new revelation that has no rapport with the incarnation of the Son of God. The Spirit will excite interior and essential action for the Christian faith, hope and charity. The Holy Spirit is an interior power that brings light, and makes everything lively relating everything to the ministry of Jesus. 
In the second reading Paul indicates that our Christian life should be guided by the Holy Spirit. If the Galatians, Paul’s immediate audience, and we are to be guided by the Holy Spirit we have to decide either following the desires of the flesh or those of the spiritFlesh(sarx), which means body, includes everything that pertains to physical existence or life in this world. It also refers to the weakness of physical existence. The law seeks to control the behaviour that results from this weakness. When the law is unsuccessful in its attempt to control, the works of the flesh produce sexual depravity (immorality, impurity, lust), religious infidelity (idolatry, sorcery), social discord (hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, fury, selfishness, dissensions, factions, envy), and disorderly behaviour (drunkenness, orgies). Those who follow this way forfeit their right to inherit the kingdom of God.Spirit(pneuma) means wind, breath, spirit, and thus it connotes the principle of life. It also refers to the noble aspects of human life. It is used to speak of the spirit of living things (specifically humans) as well as the Spirit of God. When Paul contrasts the spirit and the flesh, he seems to be referring to the spiritual dimension of the individual, which is an intrinsic aspect of the person (w. 16-17). When he contrasts the Spirit and the law, he seems to be speaking of the Spirit of God (v. 18). Paul not only contrasts the way of the flesh and that of the spirit, he also describes the conflict that exists between them. They appear to be opposing inclinations within human beings, not forces external to them. Because they are within us we constantly experience the conflict of their opposition, and we frequently suffer the consequences of this conflict. We may not act in ways that we intend (v. 17; cf. Rom 7,15-20). Paul recognises that choosing the way of the spirit over the way of the flesh is a lifelong process.The reading ends with a play on meanings. Just as Jesus’ flesh (physical body) was crucified, so those who belong to Christ crucify their flesh (human weaknesses). Doing this, they have chosen the way of the spirit over the way of the flesh. Paul exhorts the Galatians and us to follow this Spirit. This is because the Spirit creates harmony, peace and joy. The principal fruit of the Spirit is love which gives rise to joy and peace. Love is also manifested through patience, benevolence, goodness, fidelity and meekness. Our ideal is to live according to the Spirit. When we are to take a decision we should allow ourselves to be led by the Holy Spirit. We need prayer for this. For we receive the Holy Spirit through prayer. The light/illumination of the Holy Spirit comes to us through prayer and the love he pours on us comes even in prayer. In fact, if we live in the Spirit (it is to be borne in mind that from the moment of our Baptism we have the Spirit in us, we are his temple) we should walk/act according to the Spirit. We should therefore, leave ourselves to be guided by the Spirit and then we will be sure to have a good life, a life that will give us full joy that will be to the advantage of even the people with whom we live or come in contact. Come Holy Spirit and fill our hearts and enkindle in them the fire of your love! Amen! Happy Solemnity of Pentecost! +John I. Okoye
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