Salvation History can be divided into three periods: the period of God the father, the period of God the Son, and the period of the Holy Spirit। The Era of the Holy Spirit began with Pentecost. Pentecost is the feast of the Holy Spirit. It is the Birthday of the Church. Today we celebrate this major Feast.
A NEW BEGINNING…!
Pentecost means the 50th day. Originally, it was a Jewish Harvest Festival. Jews within the boundary of 30 miles of Jerusalem gathered together once a year to show their gratitude to God for his blessings upon their agricultural labor with favorable climate and an abundance of fruit. As a sign of their gratitude, they offered the first fruit of the wheat crop on this day. Later this celebration acquired a new meaning: Renewal of the covenant. The Israelites received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai on the 50th day of their departure from Egypt. With the reception of the Law they became a new people and others (non-Israelites) became no people. On the day of Pentecost they commemorated this event and renewed their covenant with God. Eventually, the day of Pentecost became a day of renewal and a new beginning for Israel. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit 50 days after the Resurrection of Jesus marked the beginning of a new Israel, the Church.
TRIPLE FUNCTIONS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit, the third person in the Trinity, is presented in numerous ways in the Scripture. It requires volumes to explain the significance, functions and fruits of the Spirit. Therefore, in this reflection, I would like to focus on three important roles of the Spirit in our life. They are: the life giving function; the unifying function and the guiding function.
1. Life Giving Function
The first book of the Bible (Genesis) opens with this interesting statement: the spirit of God was hovering over the water... In the second chapter of the same book, we have the creation account of Adam and Eve. The Lord God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being. The New Testament also depicts a parallel story. After the resurrection, Jesus breathed on his disciples and said, “Receive the holy spirit.” In this act of Jesus, they experienced a new beginning. In short, all through the Bible, the Holy Spirit is pictured as the breath of God or as the life giving principle. We share in the life of God through the reception of the Holy Spirit. Sin separates us from God whereas the Spirit reconnects us with God. The Holy Spirit sanctifies us, fills us with Grace and makes us fully alive for God.
2. Guiding Function
Our life is a series of choices. Options are unlimited. The dilemma is how to make a right decision that will lead us to growth. Being the wisdom of God, the major function of the Spirit is to lead us down the right path. This role of the spirit is well presented in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles. In fact, this book is also called the Book of the Holy Spirit. The Hero of the Early Church was neither Peter nor Paul but the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit intervened at every critical time with insights and wisdom. The Jerusalem Council, for instance, is the telling example of how the Spirit led the early Church from crises to growth. It was the Holy Spirit who asked the Church to set apart Paul and Barnabas for the gentile mission. The greatness of the apostles was that they had listening ears and willing hearts. If we, individually or collectively, are facing crises, it is due to our failure in listening to the whispering of the Spirit. We need to ask constantly: Where is the Spirit leading us? What is our mission? What are the talents gifted to us by the Spirit to accomplish this call?
3. Unifying Function
Every human being craves for relationship. Relationship is the matrix of growth. We find meaning and relevance in communion and fellowship. Unity does not mean uniformity or speaking the same language. Unity based on uniformity can lead to ethnocentrism, an oppressive attitude and exclusivism. Unity separated from God is destructive as well. Similarly, pluralism, though desirable, can be dangerous too if one culture pitches against the other.
What matters truly is unity in diversity; a culture of accommodation. What makes unity without threatening diversity is the desire for the Kingdom of God. Any attempt to be united for a Godly purpose will last. Two stories are narrated in the Bible to substantiate this point: the Tower of Babel and Pentecost. The Tower of Babel explains the story of a People who came together to make a name for themselves. They were of the same color, culture and language. Their attempts, however, proved to be disastrous. Not only did they fail in completing their project but they ended up in conflict and division. They started talking differently. The reason for their failure was God’s absence in their effort. It was a project outside of God. On the other hand, on the day of Pentecost, even though the crowd was a collection of different colors, cultures and languages, everyone understood everyone else. The Holy Spirit filled their hearts with a new language, a language of love. Love is the third eye. Any one who looks through the third eye will see the image of God in every human being regardless of their differences whatsoever.
Finally, Pentecost clearly reveals the universality of the Church. The Law was given only to Moses where as the Holy Spirit was given too all. Pentecost abolished the division between the people of God and no people.
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TRIPLE FUNCTIONS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit, the third person in the Trinity, is presented in numerous ways in the Scripture. It requires volumes to explain the significance, functions and fruits of the Spirit. Therefore, in this reflection, I would like to focus on three important roles of the Spirit in our life. They are: the life giving function; the unifying function and the guiding function.
1. Life Giving Function
The first book of the Bible (Genesis) opens with this interesting statement: the spirit of God was hovering over the water... In the second chapter of the same book, we have the creation account of Adam and Eve. The Lord God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being. The New Testament also depicts a parallel story. After the resurrection, Jesus breathed on his disciples and said, “Receive the holy spirit.” In this act of Jesus, they experienced a new beginning. In short, all through the Bible, the Holy Spirit is pictured as the breath of God or as the life giving principle. We share in the life of God through the reception of the Holy Spirit. Sin separates us from God whereas the Spirit reconnects us with God. The Holy Spirit sanctifies us, fills us with Grace and makes us fully alive for God.
2. Guiding Function
Our life is a series of choices. Options are unlimited. The dilemma is how to make a right decision that will lead us to growth. Being the wisdom of God, the major function of the Spirit is to lead us down the right path. This role of the spirit is well presented in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles. In fact, this book is also called the Book of the Holy Spirit. The Hero of the Early Church was neither Peter nor Paul but the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit intervened at every critical time with insights and wisdom. The Jerusalem Council, for instance, is the telling example of how the Spirit led the early Church from crises to growth. It was the Holy Spirit who asked the Church to set apart Paul and Barnabas for the gentile mission. The greatness of the apostles was that they had listening ears and willing hearts. If we, individually or collectively, are facing crises, it is due to our failure in listening to the whispering of the Spirit. We need to ask constantly: Where is the Spirit leading us? What is our mission? What are the talents gifted to us by the Spirit to accomplish this call?
3. Unifying Function
Every human being craves for relationship. Relationship is the matrix of growth. We find meaning and relevance in communion and fellowship. Unity does not mean uniformity or speaking the same language. Unity based on uniformity can lead to ethnocentrism, an oppressive attitude and exclusivism. Unity separated from God is destructive as well. Similarly, pluralism, though desirable, can be dangerous too if one culture pitches against the other.
What matters truly is unity in diversity; a culture of accommodation. What makes unity without threatening diversity is the desire for the Kingdom of God. Any attempt to be united for a Godly purpose will last. Two stories are narrated in the Bible to substantiate this point: the Tower of Babel and Pentecost. The Tower of Babel explains the story of a People who came together to make a name for themselves. They were of the same color, culture and language. Their attempts, however, proved to be disastrous. Not only did they fail in completing their project but they ended up in conflict and division. They started talking differently. The reason for their failure was God’s absence in their effort. It was a project outside of God. On the other hand, on the day of Pentecost, even though the crowd was a collection of different colors, cultures and languages, everyone understood everyone else. The Holy Spirit filled their hearts with a new language, a language of love. Love is the third eye. Any one who looks through the third eye will see the image of God in every human being regardless of their differences whatsoever.
Finally, Pentecost clearly reveals the universality of the Church. The Law was given only to Moses where as the Holy Spirit was given too all. Pentecost abolished the division between the people of God and no people.
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