Pentecost Sunday, Year A
First Reading: Gn 11:1-9 or Ex 19:3-8a, 16-20 or Ez 37:1-14 or Jl 2:28-30; Acts 2:1-11
Second Reading: Rom 8:22-27; 1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13
Gospel Reading: Jn 7:37-39; Jn 20:19-23
At Pentecost, the apostles “were filled with the Holy Spirit.” From then on, they handed on this gift by the “laying on” of hands. Now it has reached us, in the sacraments of baptism and, especially, confirmation.
Just as baptism begins our supernatural life, so confirmation brings it to maturity. It gives us the strength to spread and defend this life by word and action, to acknowledge Christ’s name boldly, and never to be ashamed of the cross.
We can see its effect on the apostles. On Easter Sunday, they were all together behind doors, locked “for fear of the authorities.” Just seven weeks later, on Pentecost Sunday, they were out in public, speaking boldly to the crowds about “God’s deeds of power.”
St. Paul refers to the gifts of the Holy Spirit in this Sunday’s Second Reading. They are “infused”; that is, they are given by God, not acquired by human action. They make us capable of supernatural reflexes or instinctive reactions by which we respond to God spontaneously, almost without reflection, but always with full consent.
1) Wisdom makes our soul responsive to God in the contemplation of supernatural truth. Faith is a simple ~knowledge of what we believe, but wisdom gives us a certain penetration. It includes love, which inspires us to contemplate these things and to love dwelling on them, and which directs our mind to judge everything according to their principles.
2) Understanding enables our mind to grasp revealed truths easily and profoundly. Unlike faith, which merely assents to God’s revelation, it gives us insight into its meaning. It enables us to penetrate to the core of revealed truths, gives us certainty, and brings us to the knowledge of other truths.
3) Counsel enables us to judge promptly and rightly what we should do, especially in difficulties. Christ promised this gift when he said, “When they hand you over, do not worry about what you will say or how you will say it. When the hour comes, you will be given what you are to say. You yourselves will not be the speakers; the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you.”
4) Fortitude gives us strength of will, readiness to undergo trials for love of God, courage to bear difficulties even for many years, firmness in carrying out arduous tasks, perseverance in spite of trials or disappointments, and gladness at the privilege of suffering persecution or humiliation for Christ.
5) Knowledge gives us the ability to judge created things from a supernatural viewpoint, so that we can see God’s purpose when they enter our lives and can put them to their right use. It enables us to distinguish easily and effectively between the impulses of temptation and the inspirations of grace.
6) Piety gives us filial affection and respect for God, a ready loyalty to him, and an affectionate obedience by which we want to carry out his commands generously. It enables us to see in God not only our sovereign Master, but also our loving Father.
7) Fear of the Lord inspires us with respect for God’s majesty. It protects us from sin through dread of offending God and gives us strong confidence in his help. This fear is not servile, but filial; in servile fear we dread punishment, but in filial fear we dread doing anything contrary to God’s will. It gives us a vivid sense of God’s greatness, a lively sorrow for all our sins, and vigilance in avoiding occasions of sin.
We have all received these gifts, from the Holy Spirit, through the action of the bishop, at our confirmation. However, we have to “unwrap” them, like any gift, before we can use them. Let us pray, therefore, that the Holy Spirit will fill the hearts of his faithful and kindle in them the fire of his love, for, without him, no one can even say, “Jesus is Lord.”
Father Hawkswell teaches The Catholic Faith in Plain English, with new insights in both print and YouTube form at beholdvancouver. org/catholic-faith-course. Father is also teaching the course in person on Sundays from 2 to 4 p.m. at the John Paul II Pastoral Centre (4885 Saint John Paul II Way, 33rd Avenue and Willow Street, Vancouver) and on Mondays from 10 a.m. to noon in St. Anthony’s Church Hall, 2347 Inglewood Avenue, West Vancouver. Next week’s topic is “The Question of Suffering.”