“Receive the Holy Spirit” by Sam Miller

“Receive the Holy Spirit” by Sam Miller

Pentecost Sunday

When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together.  And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them.  And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim. Acts of the Apostles 2:1-4

Lord, send out Your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth! Psalms 104

And no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual, the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit. 1 Corinthians 12: 3b-7

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.  [Jesus] said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, so I send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” John 20: 19-22

Piety

Spirit of the Living God Chorus

Spirit of the Living God

Fall afresh on me

Spirit of the Living God

Fall afresh on me

Melt me, mold me

Fill me, us me

Spirit of the Living God,

Fall afresh on me

Study

The arrangement of today’s readings is in such a fashion that, if I had the power to do so, I’d put the Gospel first.  Why? The action in the Gospel occurred, to my way of understanding, before the Acts of the Apostles.  The first and second readings speak of the coming and presence of the Spirit, which Jesus had already breathed on the disciples in the Gospel, telling them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

It seems Jesus had to repeat Himself for the disciples to “get it”!!  In today’s Gospel, Jesus said to His disciples, “Peace be with you.”, and later, “said to them again, “Peace be with you.”

How about receiving the Holy Spirit?  Jesus breathed on them and told them to receive the Holy Spirit.  In last week’s reading from Acts 1:5, 8 there were unmistakable hints given regarding the coming of the Holy Spirit, in verse 5 “in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”, and verse 8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.”  (From John 16:7) “It is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you.   But if I go, I will send him to you.

The convincing arrival of THE HOLY SPIRIT for all of Jesus’ disciples occurs today.  The Spirit comes from the sky with a noise as of strong driving wind and then appears as of tongues of fire.  The fire parted and came to rest on each of them! Holy smoke!!!

The phrase “Be not afraid” appears 365 times in the Bible, once for each day of the year.  There also are at least 36 occurrences of “I am with you,” at least one for each day of the month and then starting over, always comforting.

As Fr. Dave Pivonka, TOR (from The Wild Goose) puts it, …” On Pentecost, something happened that changed the disciples—and that same something has to happen to us. We can’t live our spiritual lives in a locked room, but in front of the world, alive and full of joy.”

Action

Lord, please bless me with the ability to “get it,” to know and believe what You say is so!!  Help me be blown away by the presence of Your Holy Spirit in me.  Let me be set afire with a renewed desire to share Your message of love & joy to all boldly!!  Amen!!

De Colores