Pentecost Happy Birhtday

PENTECOST Sunday YB 5/19/2024

Introduction.

Happy Birthday everyone! We are the body of Christ the Church. And today is Pentecost the Solemnity of the birth of the Church 2024 years ago with the coming of the Holy Spirit from the Father and the Son. In the Gospel Jesus Breaths on the Apostles the Breath of newness resurrection life, the breath of peace joy and love. The same breath and the Spirit we have received in Baptism and Confirmation. From the beginning, the Holy Spirit has shown countless miracles and signs accompanying the Apostles and Saints in Word and deeds. The Holy Spirit continues manifesting signs and miracles in our life, the Church, and the world if we have an eye to look out for them.

Body

The Holy Spirit is the soul that animates the mystical body of Christ. So here are a few points from our reading that the Holy spirit is alive and active in our lives

1) First reading Acts 2:1-11: The apostles filled with the Holy Spirit boldly proclaimed in various languages unknown to them to all the Jews gathered from all over their world of Mighty Works of God. Of God fulfilling all the Old Testament Promises in sending the Messiah Jesus, born of the virgin who died, rose from the dead ascended into heaven, and came again. Preaching the Gospel boldly is not just for the apostle Paul, JPII or Billy Grahm. but another sign that the Holy Spirit is active in us is when faith in the sweet name of Jesus and his resurrection can’t help but come out of our lips and hearts to boldly anytime and anywhere with our deeds.

2) Second Reading Gal 5:16-25: The apostle uses very graphic but appropriate language saying “Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh; if we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit.” Not all Spirits are Holy Spirits; some angles are fallen that work through temptations and insinuations; we are in spiritual warfare, and we all know that we battle powers that we can see and powers that we cannot see. The Holy Spirit has an expulsive power, he expels these wicked spirits. When the Holy Spirit takes residence in us, he gets rid of these dark spirits, they have to flee, replaced by the sign of love joy, and peace of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

3) But the most important mark of the Holy Spirit is love. Because the Holy Spirit is Love. He is the Spirit of Love that connects the Father and the Son—the love into which we have been invited. What is love? Bishop Barron explains, “To Love is to will the good of the other.” He says he derived the definition from Thomas Aquinas, who derived it from the great tradition. That’s it. “To Love is to will the good of the other.” The apostle Paul says, you can have everything, but if you don’t have love, you are nothing. Faith, hope, and love, but the greatest of these is Love; if you don’t have love, you don’t have the Holy Spirit.

Conclusion

I am so glad we are gathered here to celebrate the birthday of the church and worship the Lord in Word and Eucharist, renew our baptismal promises to speak and proclaim the sweet name of Jesus boldly, be filled with joy and peace, and will the Good of the other.

Are you ready,? Take a deep breath my brother and sister, look at the person to your left or right and say Happy Birthday.