THE HOLY SPIRIT OF
FREEDOM
PENTECOST SUNDAY
PENTECOST SUNDAY
Nowadays people give a lot of
thought to spirits, albeit, evil spirits.
There is no dearth of market for horror films. Books on exorcism and deliverance are on bestseller
lists. Ghost buster groups can be
found here and abroad. Just
when we think that the world is steeped in materialism and pragmatism, here
comes a renewed interest in the world of the spiritual and invisible
realities.
Many people have come to realize
that the worldly is not complete without its form, the spiritual aspect of
existence. How apt is the reminder
of St. Paul: our struggle is not
against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,
against the power of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil
in the heavenly realms (Ephes. 6:12).
However, as Christians, when we
speak of “spirit”, our hearts are first turned towards the Holy Spirit, the
Lord and Giver of Life, whose powerful presence guides and sustains the course
of our life and history. And as we
celebrate Pentecost today, the great event of the descent of the Holy Spirit in
the midst of believers, we rejoice that God poured and continues to pour his
Spirit on us who invoke him.
The Holy Spirit is Divine as the
Father and the Son. He is God from
the beginning with the Father and the Word, hovering over the chaos and
initiating creation into movement. From that moment, the Spirit is given to all
God’s sons and daughters to make their lives a foretaste of heavenly glory,
re-creating each one to achieve full life.
Take a look at the gospel and
imagine listening to the promise of Jesus: “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven
them.” What a promise, what a gift!
When you receive the Holy Spirit, his first effect is the forgiveness of
sins! His first effect is freedom from that which oppresses our lives. He re-creates
us from the dismal experience of sin and death in our lives.
Evil spirits, whether perceived
by those who claim to be most sensitive or gleaned through the manifestations
of various evils, remind us only of rebellion, distance, sadness and fear. Its
palpable effect is addiction to that which is harmful and destructive; an
enslavement to our various addictions.
The Holy Spirit comes to draw us
to God’s great plan. The Holy
Spirit is given to free us from the hooks that attach us to the addictions that
bring us to danger. That is the
meaning of Jesus’ promise: whose
sins you forgive, they are forgiven.
The Holy Spirit comes to open our hearts to the forgiveness of God so
that we can be free.
Everyday, let us yield to the Spirit
of God, the Holy Spirit, and seek to be freed for love, for God. Let us ask the Holy Spirit each day to
shield us from sin and if we fall, to re-create us and restore us to the
dignity that is ours through the love of the Father and the Son. Come, Holy
Spirit.
p.s.
again, heartfelt thanks to all those who sent greetings of sympathy and assurances of prayers on the passing away of my dear mother Consuelo on May 17, 2012. your kind gesture of solidarity is a strong reminder of the true meaning of Christian compassion and fraternal love. God bless you all!
p.s.
again, heartfelt thanks to all those who sent greetings of sympathy and assurances of prayers on the passing away of my dear mother Consuelo on May 17, 2012. your kind gesture of solidarity is a strong reminder of the true meaning of Christian compassion and fraternal love. God bless you all!
