Alive in the Spirit

This Sunday Christians around the world celebrate Pentecost, the day the early church received the Holy Spirit. When Jesus ascended into heaven he told his disciples that he would send the Holy Spirit who would give them the power to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:3-8) This was the beginning of the Christian church.

On this day, we commemorate the gift of the Holy Spirit which gives us “God’s very life, breath and energy.” Just as the disciples were fearful after Jesus’ death, we also often lack courage to proclaim the Good News. Jesus reminded them and he reminds us that we are co-heirs with him and that we are baptized by one Spirit into one body, and that the Spirit which raised Jesus from the dead lives inside us (Romans 8:9-11).

At that first Pentecost St. Paul relates that there were people from many different countries speaking in their own language yet everybody understood one another. That was a shock to those present and they thought the disciples were drunk. But it was a great lesson in communication. Because the Holy Spirit was speaking though them, there was no language barrier. When we let God speak through us with no obstacles or hindrances, our message will be clear no matter what tongue our listeners speak.

St. Basil the Great captures the essence of the Holy Spirit: “Like the sunshine, which permeates all the atmosphere, spreading over land and sea, and yet is enjoyed by each person as though it were for him alone, so the Spirit pours forth his grace in full measure, sufficient for all, and yet is present as though exclusively to everyone who can receive him. . . As clear, transparent substances become very bright when sunlight falls on them and shine with a new radiance, so also souls in whom the Spirit dwells, and who are enlightened by the Spirit, become spiritual themselves and a source of grace for others.” (From his treatise On the Holy Spirit)