The Fullness of God Is Revealed

Last week, when we focused on Jesus’ Ascension into heaven, the main point was to reflect on the completion of his mission. One week later, the universal Church celebrates the moment Jesus promised to send the Church another Advocate, the Holy Spirit.  The descent of the Holy Spirit upon Mary and the Apostles is also known as Pentecost.

The word Pentecost is derived from the Greek, which means the fiftieth day. In the Old Testament, it was also known as the Feast of Harvest or the Day of First Fruits. On this day, the Jews also commemorate the promulgation of the Law on Mount Sinai. In the New Testament, Christians celebrated the completion of Christ’s work through the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, which gave birth to the Church. For them, this feast commemorates the promulgation of the Law, this time the New Law of Christ.

The connection between the old and new Law is revealed again when the Holy Spirit descends upon the Apostles. Remember, Jesus told his disciples he had come not to abolish the law but to fulfill it.  With these words, we would expect a connection between the Old and New Testaments, especially when God reveals himself to his people.

The Acts of the Apostles describe the moment when the Holy Spirit was present among them, witnessing a driving wind. Simultaneously, tongues of fire were observed, which parted and came to rest upon each of them. Something similar happened with Moses when he ascended Mount Sinai to receive the Law from God. There were peals of thunder and lightning and a deafening blast. Mount Sinai was enveloped in smoke because the Lord had come down upon it in fire, and the whole mountain trembled violently. 

Pentecost is another time when God reveals himself. When the Holy Spirit was given to his Apostles and by extension to all of us, the fullness of the Trinity was revealed by the gift of the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, God is viewed from a monotheist perspective alone. God spoke repeatedly to Abraham, our father in faith, promising him that his progeny would be as great as the grains of sand on a seashore. Prodded by his people, Moses asked God what he should be named, and in response, God told him, “I Am who Am”.

The monotheism of the Jews is due in part to how God spoke to his people in the Old Testament. Although there were vague references to the Trinity, for the most part, human reason could not conclude that there are three persons in one God. Then, when the Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us, God the Father made his only begotten Son known to the world through his proclamation at the baptism in the Jordan and the Transfiguration, where the words, “This is my beloved Son, listen to him,” were heard. When Jesus referred to his relationship with his Father numerous times, a monotheist understanding of God was changed.

After his Resurrection and Ascension, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit upon his mother and the Apostles, and the revelation of the Trinity became clear. There is no doubt of the existence of the Father through his actions, even though he is invisible. The same holds with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is invisible as well, but the actions of the third person give credence to his existence. In the Acts of the Apostles, they changed dramatically when they received the Holy Spirit. We are told they could speak different languages, which can only be defined as a divine gift because the Apostles did not have those skills beforehand. In addition, the Holy Spirit gave them the power to proclaim the reality of the relationship between the Trinity and believers, even if it cost them their lives, which it did.   

The Holy Spirit, given to the Church, sanctifies and is present to her until the end of time. The Holy Spirit unites the Church with the Trinity, which continually sanctifies her through the sacraments. Jesus’s redemption by his death on the cross, reconciling the world to himself, is renewed every time the sacraments are celebrated. It is through the Holy Spirit that this is accomplished.

Today, as we reflect on the gift of the Holy Spirit given to the Apostles, we are also reminded that, just as they did, we, too, received the gift of the Holy Spirit. At baptism, we received the Spirit so intimately that we were his temple, a holy place where he resides. At Confirmation, we once again received the gift of the Holy Spirit to strengthen and enlighten us to the truths of God—a gift received like the Apostles to proclaim the Kingdom to a skeptical world boldly. How different would our world be if we proclaimed it just a fraction of how the Apostles did after Pentecost? Pray to the Holy Spirit that we use his gift to bring the Kingdom of God more present in our world.  

Come, Holy Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.