IN THE Old Testament (Joel 2:28-29) is written a promise that is intended to be fulfilled in the last days. It says, “I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and daughters shall prophesy. Your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female slaves, in those days I will pour out my Spirit.”
Before Jesus faced his passion, death and resurrection, he reiterated that promise. He said he will not leave us orphans. Rather, he assured us that the Father will send the Holy Spirit in his name (see John 14).
This Pentecost Sunday, we celebrate the fulfillment of that promise. In Acts 2, while the disciples were gathered together in a room, the Holy Spirit descended upon them in what appeared as tongues of fire. Then all began to speak in different tongues as the Spirit enabled each one to proclaim. And from that time on, the disciples have preached the gospel with boldness, causing many to repent from their sins, receive the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, and expand the membership of the Church.
As can be gleaned in the Joel prophesy, this gift – the indwelling of the Holy Spirit – is not exclusive to the disciples. It is a gift that is freely given to all of us who believe in Jesus Christ. It is a gift that God is willing to give to you and to me, and to all the peoples who have lived, who are living, and who will live in the last days.
And if only to stress the importance of this gift, "we should be amazed if we are not amazed" of its significance. Why? Because the gift is the gift of God himself – his very person and his very holy presence. God to us is not a distant God, but a God who is very near – a God who is in us, who dwells in us, who lives in us. In the words of St. Paul, our bodies have become temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). Indwelt by the Holy Spirit we are therefore in union with God. We are members of his body, the church, with God as our Father, and Jesus as our head.
Now the Holy Spirit guides us into righteousness, convicts us of sin, transforms us more and more into the likeness of Jesus, teaches us the ways of God, and reminds us of everything that the Lord commanded us. Having become God’s possession, we now look at the Spirit as the deposit who guarantees our inheritance of redemption (Ephesians 1:14).
This Pentecost Sunday, may we praise God for his goodness in choosing to live in us. At the same time, may we be obedient to his will and not grieve his indwelling Spirit.
A blessed Pentecost to everyone…