I have always known that the descent
of the Holy Spirit was of great importance; nevertheless, it became, to me,
more of a historical event than anything else.
For a few years I had followed the TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network)
group because I knew that Pentecost had to be important event. What I came to conclude: It was nothing but
flowery language, empty promises, and a working up of emotions, not by God but
by the individual. Even after being
brought into full communion with the Catholic Church, Pentecost did not have an
impact upon me, wherein it gave me encouragement. Therefore, this year, I have decided to dig
into Pentecost more.
Jesus has ascended, and now the
apostles and disciples are waiting. St.
John Chrysostom raises the question: “Why had the Holy Ghost not yet come?” He surmises: “It was fit that they should
first be brought to have a longing desire for that event and, [as a result],
receive the grace. For this reason,
Christ Himself departed, and then the Spirit descended. For had He Himself been there, they would not
have expected the Spirit so earnestly as they did. On this account, neither did He (Holy Spirit)
come immediately after Christ’s Ascension but after eight or nine days. It is the same with us also, for our desires
towards God are then most raised when we stand in need.”[1] Do we have this longing, this desire? It must be something that we ask for since it
is not something we can work up of our own strength.
Of course, someone could ask, “Why
do we need to yearn for something that we have already received in Baptism?” In Baptism, we receive Eternal life, divine
nature, within us. Because of this,
there arises the need that we abhor sin, desiring to live a life that pleases
God, a life that is from God. We do not look
at it something that has been completed but as something that is being
completed. As St. Gregory explains, “We
are keeping the feast of Pentecost and of the Coming of the Spirit and the
appointed time of the Promise and the fulfillment of our hope (emphasis added).[2] He goes on to say, “This then is our manner
of keeping festival: to treasure up in our soul some of those things which are
permanent and will cleave to it…”[3] St. Basil teaches us: “Pentecost is a
reminder of the resurrection expected in the age to come... It is a likeness of eternity, beginning as it
does and ending (seven days times seven, plus an “eighth” day) as in a circling
course, at the same point. On this day,
the rules of the Church have educated us to prefer the upright attitude of
prayer, for by their plain reminder they, as it were, make our minds to dwell
no longer in the present but in the future.”[4] This is why I say we don’t look at Baptism as
something that is completed, over and done with, but is a way of life: dying to
sin and rising to live a life of Christ.
However, we must be continuously seeking this, asking for the desire to
persevere.
St. Athanasius remarks: “We also
celebrate the days which follow holy Pentecost, showing … through them the
world to come so that henceforth we may be with Christ forever, praising God
over all in Christ Jesus; and, through Him, with all saints, we say unto the
Lord, Amen.”[5] For this reason, the Church leads us “little
by little, up to what lies beyond [us], and to bring[s] [us] up to the higher
truths, adding light to light and supplying truth upon truth.”[6]
“The Holy Spirit came after Christ
that a Comforter should not be lacking unto us; but Another Comforter, that [we] might acknowledge His co-equality. For this word, “Another” marks an Alter Ego, a
name of equal Lordship, not of inequality. For “Another” is not said … of different kinds
but of things consubstantial. And [the
Holy Spirit] came in the form of Tongues because of His close relation to the
Word; and they were of Fire, perhaps, because of His purifying Power (for our
Scripture knows of a purifying fire, as anyone who wishes can find out), or
else because of His Substance. For our
God is a consuming Fire, and a Fire burning up the ungodly.”[7] This is likened to the two disciples on the
road to Emmaus: “Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on
the way and opened the scriptures to us?”[8]
Although Jesus is not here
physically in the flesh, we are not left alone.
We have Christ in the Eucharist, and we have the Holy Spirit. Although we do not see cloven tongues that
look like fire over each other’s heads, we can be assured of the presence of
the Holy Spirit because He overshadows the Church and its members. “Christian liturgy not only recalls the
events that saved us but actualizes them, makes them present. The Paschal
mystery of Christ is celebrated, not repeated. It is the celebrations that are
repeated; and, in each celebration, there is an outpouring of the Holy Spirit
that makes the unique mystery present.”[9] “The Holy Spirit’s transforming power in the
liturgy hastens the coming of the kingdom and the consummation of the mystery
of salvation. While we wait in hope, he
causes us really to anticipate the fullness of communion with the Holy Trinity.
Sent by the Father who hears the
epiclesis of the Church, the Spirit gives life to those who accept him and is,
even now, the ‘guarantee’ of their inheritance.
In every liturgical action, the Holy Spirit is
sent in order to bring us into communion with Christ and so to form his Body.
The Holy Spirit is like the sap of the Father’s vine which bears fruit on its
branches. The most intimate
cooperation of the Holy Spirit and the Church is achieved in the liturgy. The
Spirit, who is the Spirit of communion, abides indefectibly in the Church. For
this reason, the Church is the great sacrament of divine communion which
gathers God’s scattered children together. Communion with the Holy Trinity and
fraternal communion are inseparably the fruit of the Spirit in the liturgy.”[10] “The mission of the Holy Spirit in the
liturgy of the Church is to prepare the assembly to encounter Christ; to recall
and manifest Christ to the faith of the assembly; to make the saving work of Christ
present and active by his transforming power; and to make the gift of communion
bear fruit in the Church.”[11]
There have been those who have told
me that speaking in tongues was good in that it edifies yourself (1 Cor 14),
thinking that St. Paul was saying this is a good thing. However, when we take what the Apostle says
in context, we find that he is telling us to pursue love, to pursue those
things that edify others, for their building up, encouragement, and solace. This becomes clear when we think about the
apostles on Pentecost: Were they speaking in tongues for their personal
benefit, or for the benefit of the listeners?
It was for the benefit of the listeners.
St. Gregory explains: “They spoke with strange tongues, and not those of
their native land, and the wonder was great: a language spoken by those who had
not learnt it. And the sign is to them
that believe not (1 Cor 14:22), and not to them that believe, that it may be an
accusation of the unbelievers, as it is written, ‘With other tongues and other
lips will I speak unto this people, and not even [then] will they listen to Me,’
(Is 28:11) saith the Lord. But they
heard.”[12]
He continues: “As the old confusion
of tongues was laudable, when men who were of one language in wickedness and
impiety--even as some now venture to be--were building the Tower (Ge 11:7), for
by the confusion of their language the unity of their intention was broken up
and their undertaking destroyed, so much more worthy of praise is the present
miraculous one. For being poured from
One Spirit upon many men, it brings them again into harmony.”[13] It is clear that the speaking in tongues was
for the benefit of the hearers, not the speakers.
The descent of the Holy Spirit is
for the purpose of perfecting the Church, which perfects its members, its
parts. Origen tells us: “…the perfect
Christian--who is ever in his thoughts, words, and deeds serving his natural
Lord, God the Word--all his days are the Lord’s, and he is always keeping the
Lord’s day. He also--who is unceasingly
preparing himself for the true life and abstaining from the pleasures of this
life which lead astray so many, who is not indulging the lust of the flesh but
‘keeping under his body, and bringing it into subjection’—such a one is always
keeping Preparation-day. Again, he who
considers that ‘Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us’ and that it is his
duty to keep the feast by eating of the flesh of the Word never ceases to keep
the paschal feast, for the pascha
means a ‘passover,’ and he is ever striving in all his thoughts, words, and
deeds, to pass over from the things of this life to God, and is hastening
towards the city of God. And, finally,
he who can truly say, ‘We are risen with Christ’ and ‘He has exalted us and
made us to sit with Him in heavenly places in Christ’ is always living in the
season of Pentecost; and, most of all, when going up to the upper chamber like
the apostles of Jesus, he gives himself to supplication and prayer that he may
become worthy of receiving ‘the mighty wind rushing from heaven,’ which is
powerful to destroy sin and its fruits among men, and worthy of having some
share of the tongue of fire which God sends.”[14] This is the purpose of Pentecost.
“[Pentecost is] to kindle to a
greater heat and to fill with larger abundance the hearts that were dedicated
to Him, increasing--not commencing--His gifts, not fresh in operation [but]
richer in bounty. For the Majesty of the
Holy Ghost is never separate from the Omnipotence of the Father and the Son,
and whatever the Divine government accomplishes in the ordering of all things
proceeds from the Providence of the whole Trinity. Therein exists unity of mercy and
loving-kindness, unity of judgment and justice.
Nor is there any division in action where there is no divergence of
will. What, therefore, the Father
enlightens, the Son enlightens, and the Holy Ghost enlightens; and, while there
is one Person of the Sent, another of the Sender, and another of the Promiser,
both the Unity and the Trinity are at the same time revealed to us, so that the
Essence which possesses equality and does not admit of solitariness is
understood to belong to the same Substance but not the same Person.”[15] Because this is the unity of the Trinity, the
Holy Spirit is working the same unity in the Church. Division cannot kindle to a greater heat and
filling of larger abundance the hearts dedicated to Christ; only Unity can do
this.
Pentecost is made up of fifty
days. The week is comprised of seven
days, ending in the Sabbath. Therefore,
in Pentecost, we have seven Sabbaths, which amounts to the Sabbath of Sabbaths. Then you add the “eighth” day, which is a new
creation. Regarding Pentecost, St.
Augustine surmises: “…We, as it were, return to the starting-point: on which
day the Holy Spirit was sent, by whom we are led into the kingdom of heaven and
receive the inheritance and are comforted and are fed and obtain mercy and are
purified and are made peacemakers--and being thus perfect--we bear all troubles
brought upon us from without for the sake of truth and righteousness.”[16] Origen tells us that fifty is the number
which embraces the remission of sins, in accordance with the mystery of the
Jubilee which took place every fifty years and of the feast at Pentecost.[17] From the two Church fathers, I think we can
conclude: Just as Jesus suffered and died for humanity, and His Bride, the
Church, was taken from His side—just as Adam was put into a deep sleep and his
bride was formed from his side—the Catholic Church also suffers for the lost
because Jesus is Its Head. This is on
account of our being a new creation of the image of the Man, Jesus.
God suffers. We know this because Scripture tells us that
He is long-suffering. We also know this on account that Jesus asked
Saul, ““Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”[18] We also know that Jesus, the Son of God,
suffered as a result of our sins. God is
love, good, and just. Anything contrary
to His attributes causes Him to suffer.
St. Paul instructs us, “…Do not grieve the holy Spirit of God, with
which you were sealed for the day of redemption.”[19] The Church, being a new creation, sharing in
the divine nature of God, suffers likewise.
However, God does not leave us to our own strength, for we have none: “May
the Lord give might to his people; may the Lord bless his people with peace!”[20] This, God does in Pentecost. As St. Augustine informs us: “The Lord will
give strength to His people fighting against the storms and whirlwinds of this
world, for peace in this world He has not promised them (Jn 16:33). ‘The Lord will bless His people in peace.’ And the same Lord will bless His people, affording
them peace in Himself, for, says He, ‘My peace I give unto you; My peace I
leave with you.’ (Jn 14:27)”[21]
Just as was told Virgin Mary, “The
holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow
you,”[22] the
same happens to the Catholic Church on Pentecost. If it occurs to the Catholic Church, it also
occurs to its Body parts, its members.
The Holy Spirit came down upon Jesus, the Head; therefore, He also comes
down upon the Body in Pentecost. The
Holy Spirit is Another Comforter. We do
not need comforting in consolation. We
are sent Another Comforter because we must endure suffering and persevere to
the end. This is not just for our
salvation; it is suffering and persevering for others also. In Pentecost, God proves that He loves
mankind. God draws some directly; God
draws many through His Church by virtue of Pentecost. We know that Pentecost is not just a
historical event because many are still being brought into the Church and the
Holy Spirit comes down upon them. Let us
always live in Pentecost.
[1] John
Chrysostom, Saint Chrysostom: Homilies on
the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistle to the Romans, 1889, 11, 6.
[2]
Gregory Nazianzen, S. Cyril of Jerusalem,
S. Gregory Nazianzen, 1894, 7, 380.
[3] Ibid.,
378.
[4]
Basil of Caesarea, St. Basil: Letters and
Select Works, 1895, 8, 42.
[5]
Athanasius of Alexandria, St. Athanasius:
Select Works and Letters, 1892, 4, 517.
[6]
Gregory Nazianzen, S. Cyril of Jerusalem,
S. Gregory Nazianzen, 1894, 7, 381.
[7] Ibid.,
383.
[8] New American Bible,
Revised Edition., (Washington, DC: The United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops, 2011), Lk 24:32.
[9]
Catholic Church, Catechism of the
Catholic Church, 2nd Ed., (Washington, DC: United States
Catholic Conference, 2000), 287, Para 1104.
[10] Ibid.,
287–288.
[11] Ibid.,
288, Para 1112.
[12]
Gregory Nazianzen, S. Cyril of Jerusalem,
S. Gregory Nazianzen, 1894, 7, 384.
[13] Ibid.
[14]
Origen, Fathers of the Third Century:
Tertullian, Part Fourth; Minucius Felix; Commodian; Origen, Parts First and
Second, 1885, 4, 647–648.
[15] Leo
the Great, Leo the Great, Gregory the
Great, 1895, 12a, 191–192.
[16] Augustine
of Hippo, Saint Augustin: Sermon on the
Mount, Harmony of the Gospels, Homilies on the Gospels, 1888, 6, 7.
[17]
Origen, The Gospel of Peter, the
Diatessaron of Tatian, the Apocalypse of Peter, the Visio Pauli, the
Apocalypses of the Virgil and Sedrach, the Testament of Abraham, the Acts of
Xanthippe and Polyxena, the Narrative of Zosimus, the Apology of Aristides, the
Epistles of Clement (Complete Text), Origen’s Commentary on John, Books I-X,
and Commentary on Matthew, Books I, II, and X-XIV, 1897, 9, 433.
[18] New American Bible,
Revised Edition., (Washington, DC: The United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops, 2011), Ac 9:4.
[19] Ibid.,
Eph 4:30.
[20] Ibid.,
Ps 29:11.
[21]
Augustine of Hippo, Saint Augustin:
Expositions on the Book of Psalms, 1888, 8, 67.
[22] New American Bible,
Revised Edition., (Washington, DC: The United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops, 2011), Lk 1:35.
No comments:
Post a Comment