THE FEAST OF PENTECOST

THE GIFT OF THE SPIRIT

We want to cling to someone to love and depend on. We can´t bear the thought of that person leaving us. When Jesus told the apostles that he was leaving them, they were plunged into gloom. But he said to them, “It is for your own good that I go away, because unless I go, the Spirit will not come to you; but if I go I will send him to you.”

It must have been very hard for them to see how his going away could be for their good. The following illustration may throw some light on the subject.

Imagine that you are watching the sun go down. As it goes down, it appears to be taking the whole world with it. Meanwhile, the moon is high in the sky, but it is so weak and pale that you have to look very carefully to see it. It does not appear to be contributing anything whatsoever to the earth.

Then you notice a curious and beautiful thing. The lower the sun dips in the sky, the brighter the moon becomes. By the time the sun has finally departed the scene, the moon has undergone a complete transformation. It is now, far and away, the brightest object in the sky. And when you look around you, you notice to your surprise and delight that the old world has not only been completely restores to you, but made new, bright and exciting. It is only when the sun has withdrawn that you can see what the moon is contributing.

Loving at times means distancing oneself from the person loved. This means that the person is free to develop in his own way. She is made to feel she has a contribution to make, and is free to receive from another.

Often however, we hung the limelight. We want to be there all the time. We do not know when or how to withdraw. Thus, in a thoughtless and selfish way, we dominate other people. We stifle their development. We make them play second fiddle and as a result they remain underdeveloped.

This gives us some insight into what Jesus meant when he said it was necessary for the apostles that he should go, otherwise the Spirit would not come. Had he always remained with them in his physical presence, they would never have to come of age themselves.

No one ever showed more confidence in, or more respect for, people than Jesus. He did not dominate them. He gave them a chance to shine. He handed his entire work over to them. He knew that they still needed help. That was why he sent them the Spirit.

What the Spirit did was bring out what was already inside them. His love awakened energies in them that they did not know were there, so they were able to do things they did not think they were capable of. After Pentecost their hearts were on fire and there was a wind at their backs.

We need the Holy Spirit. We need him to help us to realise the power and the gifts we have within us. We need him to hardness that power and release those gifts so that we too can become fearless wittinesses for Christ.

Reynaldo Rodrigo Roman-Diaz. SVD