Brothers and sisters in Christ, today’s Scripture readings invite us to marvel at the extraordinary and transformative gift of the Holy Spirit—a gift that was once a profound novelty in the early Church, and remains equally vital for us today.
In Acts 19, we encounter a striking moment: Paul meets a group of disciples who have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit. Their situation was not unusual in the context of that time. Many people knew about John the Baptist’s baptism of repentance, but they had not yet encountered the fullness of God’s gift through the Holy Spirit. When Paul explains and baptizes them in the name of Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes upon them, and they begin to speak in tongues and prophesy—manifestations of divine power and presence that were new to them, and, indeed, revolutionary.
This moment underscores a fundamental truth: the Holy Spirit was not just an addendum to the faith; He was the new and living presence of God actively working in and through the early believers. The Spirit’s coming was a breakthrough—a new way for God to dwell within His people, to guide, empower, and transform them by His very own presence., that is, by the presence of the Third Person of the Divine Trinity.
In our responsorial psalm for today, we sing, "Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth," recognizing that God's reign is universal and His power infinite. Yet, even as the Psalm celebrates God's majesty, it also reminds us that the Spirit’s work is intimately connected to God's justice and care for the vulnerable—“The father of orphans and the defender of widows is God in his holy dwelling.” The Spirit’s presence with the broken hearted signifies God’s ongoing advocacy for the marginalized and His desire to bring about new life, where seemingly, only darkness pervades.
In today’s Gospel from John, Jesus prepares His disciples for the coming of the Spirit, saying, "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth." The Spirit is the "Advocate," the one who reveals divine truth and makes it accessible, breaking down barriers of ignorance and fear. The disciples’ realization that Jesus knew everything and that He came from God was a step towards understanding that the Spirit would deepen their awareness and embolden their mission.
This revelation of the Holy Spirit was a radical novelty for the early Church. Before Pentecost, the Spirit’s presence was more sporadic and reserved. But with the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost, God’s self-disclosure to all believers was no longer limited to prophets or select individuals, but available to everyone, transforming the community into the living and holy Body of Christ.
What does this mean for us today? It means that the Spirit remains the ongoing, dynamic presence of God in our lives even if we are unaware of Who He is in all His splendour. The Spirit nevertheless revealed divine truth, inspired prophecy, and empowered the Early Church to live out the Gospel. Just as our brothers and sisters back then experienced a radical novelty in the Spirit’s coming, so too are we called to be receptive to the Spirit’s ongoing work—renewing, guiding, and strengthening us in our daily walk of faith.
Let us pray for an openness to the Spirit’s transformative power, asking that we might never see the Spirit as a distant or irrelevant force but as the very presence of Christ alive within us always inspiring and working within us our sanctification. May we, like those early disciples, be willing to embrace the novelty of the Spirit’s work—trusting even when we don’t understand, as they did. Something you will always see prominently on display when running into an atheist rant against God’s existence, is an unwillingness to leave room for the inexplicable. “Why does God allow suffering of innocent creatures? Why would he allow something so arbitrary yet evil as a deer falling to its death in the wilderness?” So many questions that seem to close a door on any and all responses. The world continues to doubt.
In the words of Jesus, "Take courage, I have conquered the world." The Spirit’s power is our assurance that, despite challenges and uncertainties, we are not alone. God’s Spirit gives us the strength to face the world with confidence, to be witnesses of divine love and justice.
Let us celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit—God’s ongoing revelation and presence—who continues to make all things new.
Amen.
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