Warmer days are ahead and just around the corner is the celebration of Pentecost. The Day of Pentecost brings to a close the Great Fifty Days of Easter and the Eastertide season. The Day of Pentecost marks the coming of the Holy Spirit to God’s people. Pentecost concludes the final gift of Himself to humanity. The Holy Spirit completes the total gift to us through the nature of God’s Being through the Holy Trinity. From the beginning of creation, God has revealed himself to us. In time, God revealed Himself to us and gave His Self to us through his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And in the fullness of time before the departure of Christ, God gave another gift of Himself to us through the revelation and outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
The gift of the Holy Trinity—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit has been given to us so that we may know the fullness of God and his love. The gift of the Holy Spirit has been given to us and to the Church for holy comfort, divine guidance, and intervention, advocacy and empowerment. The Holy Spirit is sent as our Great Comforter, our Great Counselor, and our divine Advocate. The Holy Spirit has been sent not only to be by our side but to empower us to become disciples of love as modeled by the love of God through Jesus Christ. God consecrated his Church through the down pouring gift and anointing of the Holy Spirit. Tradition has marked this time as the “birthday” of the Church—the baptism” of the early Church.
Jesus left us with a “new” commandment to “love one another as I have loved you”. This is not easy. This can get pretty complicated and messy. Way beyond the warm fuzzies of loving family or friends or romantic love, or on our own terms, Jesus calls us to love as he loves. Jesus’ love was a love and faith in action. Jesus’ love was about loving the poor, the marginalized, the oppressed, the unfortunate, and those in need. Jesus’ love was about forgiveness, loving one’s enemies, second chances, and recognizing dignity in all people. Oh, that… Not so easy. Pretty messy territory.
As individuals and as a Church, we are called (commanded!) to be a community of love, a community of living commitment, and a community of love in action. The Christian community is called to the Great Commission of evangelizing, first and foremost, by modeling the love of Christ to a watching world. Jesus tells us plainly that the world will know that we are Christians by our love. I don’t know about you but I think I may need some help living out this new commandment of Jesus’ love. I know the Church does. I think I am going to need a great comforter, counselor, and advocate to be this kind of disciple. Thanks be to God, we have all three—three in ONE to help us accomplish those things greater than we can do ourselves. Come, Holy Spirit, come …
“The best is yet to come.”
Fr. Terry +
