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Pentecost, or the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the
Apostles, ushered in the new age of salvation wherein
they are His witnesses to the world (Acts 2:1-11).
Charged with the Holy Spirit, the followers of Jesus go
forth to a universal mission of peace and reconciliation
(John 20:19-23).
The
birth of the Church
The
outpouring of the Holy Spirit is inextricably bound to
the reality of the Resurrection of Jesus, so that in the
Gospel of John it was on the day of the Resurrection,
”on the evening of that first day of the week,” that
Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit upon His disciples. In
his schema of salvation, however, for kerygmatic
clarity, Luke separated the major moments of our
redemption into the Resurrection, then 40 days later the
Ascension and 10 days thereafter the Pentecost—literally
a Greek term for 50 days. Luke adopted the term from the
Jewish feast that was originally an agricultural
celebration of the grain harvest and later historicized
as commemoration of the gift of the law at Sinai; seven
weeks, or 50 days, after the feast of the Unleavened
Bread, or the number of days Moses and the Hebrews
traveled to reach Sinai where they would receive the
law.
The
Jewish feast of the ingathering of grain and the
reception of the law became for the followers of Jesus
the feast of Pentecost as the ingathering of all peoples
into the community of faith in Jesus and the feast of
the giving of his Spirit to all. The “spirit” (ruah), a
mighty wind, in the story of creation swept over the
waters, and creation began (Genesis 1:2). Similarly, a
strong driving wind filled the house where the followers
were, and the first community of the Church came to
life.
In the
power of the Holy Spirit
The
external manifestations of wind and fire accompanying
the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples
were traditionally associated with an experience of God,
a theophany. At Sinai thunder accompanied God’s
revelation (Exodus 19:16); from the whirlwind God spoke
to Job (Job 38:1); and Moses encountered God in the
burning bush (Exodus 3:2). Emphasizing the continuity
between Jesus and His disciples, the overshadowing
presence of the Holy Spirit figured importantly both in
the birth of Jesus (Luke 1:35) and in the birth of the
Church (Acts 2:2); the Holy Spirit empowered Him for His
mission and the disciples to continue it.
Those
filled with the Holy Spirit began to speak in foreign
languages. And the diverse peoples, devout Jews from
every nation gathered in Jerusalem for their pilgrim
feast of Pentecost, who heard the proclamation of the
Spirit-filled speakers understood the good news. In the
power of the Holy Spirit, a reversal of the
fragmentation of peoples that occurred with the
construction of the Tower of Babel when languages became
confused (Genesis 11:1-9) started to take place. The
advent of the Spirit and the preaching of the good news
to all nations have started to reunite and to gather all
into the reign of God.
Sent to
reconcile
The
Risen Jesus’ greeting of peace to His gathered followers
meant the eschatological blessings of health, prosperity
and all good things. He was affirming already the
arrival of this time of fulfillment through His
Resurrection, the Man no closed door could restrain, the
Man in whose victory time reckoning had been altered to
focus, not on the conclusion of the week in the Sabbath,
but on the beginning of the week, on the future. Jesus
breathed on them the Holy Spirit, a gesture reminding us
of the creation of Adam (Genesis 2:7) and of the
restoration of
Israel
following the exile (Ezekiel 37:9).
In his
creative and recreative power in the Holy Spirit, Jesus
commissioned the disciples to go forth and declare
salvation to all. In the rabbinical terminology of
“binding and loosing,” Jesus gave them complete
authority to continue His mission for the salvation of
the world in reconciliation with God and with others.
Their mission of mercy and forgiveness is sharing with
all believers Jesus’ victory over sin and death.
Alálaong
bagá,
Pentecost, which brings the Easter season to its
conclusion, celebrates the fullness of the Spirit and
the gathering together of nations, the new age of God’s
saving presence. The earth is now charged with divine
power; the Spirit of the Lord fills the whole world. But
why is there so little peace? Why the ugliness of a
polluted earth? Why the chaos of greed and violence, the
humiliation of injustice and lies and poverty? The Holy
Spirit has indeed been poured forth, and the face of the
earth is actually being renewed every time we surrender
to the Spirit’s promptings by forgiving those who offend
us, by reconciling with everyone, by respecting the
rights of others, by upholding the truth, by offering
comfort to the needy. The world is charged with the Holy
Spirit; all we have to do is open ourselves to it and
let it ignite us with divine life and passion.
P.S.
Many thanks to all senior priests who just concluded
their Spirit-filled Ephesus retreat at Angels’ Hills,
Tagaytay. And blessings to all who sponsored them!
For more of my reflections and works, visit my blogsite:
http://alalaongbaga.multiply.com. |
