Theme: The Holy Spirit brings newness in our dead lives.
Scripture reading: Acts. 2:1-11; Ps. 103:1,24, 29-31, 34; 1 Cot. 12:3-7, 12-13; Jn. 20: 19-23
I met a lady who continues to inspire me to date. I fondly call her Sindhutai Sakpal of Konkan. She is a typical Indian woman. After her marriage, she fulfilled her duties as a housewife. She was blessed with two children. Her husband is also a kind and loving man. Everything looked good until disaster struck her family. The husband was diagnosed with brain tumor, and after a couple of months, he passed away. The family was pushed into darkness and despair. They had so many challenges to survive and she did odd jobs for survival.
In this dire situation, something unusual happened within her that changed her life. She picked up a job with a small salary that would not even feed her children properly. She overcame every challenge she faced in society. She appeared for exams to secure a Government job. Finally, she retired from the highest position in the firm she worked. I did not know what inspired her to overcome all the difficulties in her life.
But I learned from her day-to-day life that she was a God-fearing person; she was faithful to her prayers, bible reading Mass; earlier she was shy and an introvert but now she is bold and courageous; initially she was limited to her household work but now she is dealing with crores of rupees as a committed and passionate person; she was getting inspired before but now she has become an inspiration to others.
We find in today’s scriptures a similar example. The death of Jesus had shattered dreams of his disciples. They were living behind closed doors for the fear of the Jewish authorities. They wanted to return to their old profession but could not because of their lockdown. They were confused as they wanted to return to their homes, but they were lonely and were shattered. They were full of anxiety and fear. The world that they dreamt of was over with the death of Jesus. It continued even after the resurrection. Jesus appeared to them but they were not able to recognized or believe in him at once. Initially, Mary Magdalene did not recognize him in the garden on the first day (Jn. 20:14). However, even after Mary Magdalene’s reporting, the disciples were living behind closed doors (Jn. 20:19). Thomas refused to believe in the resurrection until he saw his hands and his side. (Jn. 20:25) Peter did not recognize Jesus standing at the shore (Jn. 21:3).
In such a despairing situation, on the 50th day of feast of Passover (Easter) we find the amazing account of the apostles. They began to speak in foreign languages about the marvels of God. The people who gathered in Jerusalem after listening to the sound were amazed and astonished. The apostles were changed men. They were no more frightened. They were filled with peace and joy (Two gifts of Jesus whenever he met the apostles after the resurrection). They had become bold and courageous; committed and passionate about Jesus; they had become the men of inspiration.
What changed the disciples to speak before the thousands of people with boldness and courage? What changed the lady to work after the husband’s death? We learnt from the eyes of faith. It is the Holy Spirit that enabled them to rise above the occasion. The disciples received the Holy Spirit in the form of wind and fire on the day of Pentecost. The lady received it at the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation so also at the Sacrament of Matrimony.
The presence of the Holy Spirit in them made all the difference in their lives. Similarly, the Holy Spirit has so many functions in our lives, as mentioned in the Holy Scriptures. Jesus often referred to the Holy Spirit in his farewell discourse in the Gospel of John. (Jn.14: 15, 26; 16: 12 – 15). Jesus says that the Holy Spirit will be a helper who will teach and remind all the teachings of Jesus. (Jn 14:26). The Holy Spirit will convict the sin. (Jn. 16:7-8). The Holy Spirit will guide us in truth (Jn. 16: 13-15).
While Jesus made us aware that we need the Holy Spirit in our lives; St. Paul being the witness of the Holy Spirit gives us deeper insights in the Holy Spirit. How beautiful is the thought that the Holy Spirit lives within us! Saint Paul reminds the Corinthian community of this fact when he asks, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16). It is the Holy Spirit who develops our intimacy with God. “God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ (Gal 4:6). “God’s love has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5). “No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3). Moreover, we know that it is the Holy Spirit who teaches us to pray (Romans 8:26).
Among all St. Paul’s teaching on the Holy Spirit, I liked his thoughts on how the Holy Spirit communicates new life to us. In his letter to the Romans, he says, “But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of His Spirit who lives in you” (Rom. 8:10-11) From this teaching, we recall the incident in the book of Ezekiel; God’s spirit brings life in the dead and dry bones. (Ezk. 37:1-14)
We are all living in the valley of dry bones. The present situation has made us like the disciples of Jesus who were dispirited and lost in their lives after the death of Jesus. We might associate ourselves with the lady who had a mountain of challenges after the loss of her husband. Today’s feast reminds us that the Holy Spirit gives us new life to our ‘spiritually dead’ lives. We need to ask ourselves:
Do I allow the Holy Spirit to direct my life?
Do I remember the Holy Spirit in my daily life?
Do I put efforts to relate to the Holy Spirit?
Do I appreciate the presence of the Holy Spirit in my prayer?
Do I ask the help of the Holy Spirit in times of temptation or to break the evil habits?
Do I listen to the Holy Spirit while reading the Scriptures or celebrating sacraments?
Do I pray for the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit?
Do I allow the Holy Spirit to prompt me to walk in His ways?
Fr. Alex D’Mello
