by Fr. Tommy Lane
The apostles returned to Jerusalem after Jesus’ ascension and gathered in the Upper Room where Jesus had celebrated the Last Supper. It was the first novena, and it was Jesus himself who requested it when he asked the apostles to remain there in prayer until the coming of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4). This was the very same room where Jesus appeared to the apostles on Easter Sunday evening. John tells us in his Gospel that they had the doors locked on Easter Sunday because they were afraid (John 20:19). They locked themselves into the Upper Room because they were terrified. They may have been thinking that what happened to Jesus might happen to them next. Now waiting in prayer in the Upper Room after Jesus’ ascension, the apostles were joined in prayer by Mary the mother of Jesus, and others (Acts 1:14). What happened at Pentecost? After receiving the Holy Spirit, the apostles left the Upper Room and began preaching. When we continue reading Acts after today’s first reading, we see Peter preaching about Jesus at Pentecost after receiving the Holy Spirit. As a result of Peter’s preaching, we read in Acts that three thousand asked to be baptized (Acts 2:41).
Look at the transformation in Peter as a result of receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. When Jesus was being questioned before the Sanhedrin, Peter denied Jesus, and out of all the apostles only John went to cross. But now, as a result of receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Peter is transformed. He is not afraid anymore. He is fearless. Later in Acts we see Peter preaching again, and as a result he was brought before the Sanhedrin and warned not to preach about Jesus (Acts 4). When the Sanhedrin released him, what did he do? He went right back to preaching. When you see Peter in the Gospels, you would never imagine this happening. But after receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Peter is almost unrecognizable. We see this very clearly in one incident later in Acts: the apostles were working many miracles just like Jesus, and people used to bring their sick out onto the streets as they passed by, hoping that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on the sick as he went past (Acts 5:14-15). Nowhere in the Gospels do we read that people hoped Jesus’ shadow would fall on them. Peter grew and grew spiritually after receiving the Holy Spirit. He was not afraid of persecution for the sake of Jesus anymore. When Jesus was being questioned by the Sanhedrin, Peter denied three times that he knew Jesus because he was afraid of persecution, but after Pentecost, he was no longer afraid of persecution. As a result, the Church grew and went from strength to strength.
When we see this enormous change in Peter, we can ask ourselves, “Are we like Peter in the Gospels, afraid to be seen as someone associated with Jesus, or like Peter in Acts, not afraid to be persecuted when known to be a follower of Jesus?” Again and again elsewhere, I have heard this motto, “Proud to be Catholic.” On this Pentecost day, we can ask ourselves, are we proud to be Catholic. Which Peter are we like? Peter in the Gospels or Peter in Acts after receiving the Holy Spirit? Obviously, our ideal is to be like Peter in Acts after receiving the Holy Spirit, no longer afraid of being associated with Jesus but proud to be seen to be with Jesus, proud to be Catholic. If we are not yet proud to be seen with Jesus, proud to be Catholic, we need to pray for more of the Holy Spirit in our lives, to pray for more of what Peter received at Pentecost. Fortitude is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. Certainly, in this culture we need fortitude to be Catholic.
In our second reading today (Gal 5:16-25; Year B), from Paul’s letter to the Galatians, we heard two lists. The first one listed what some translations call “works of the flesh” and other translations call “self-indulgence.” In the second list, Paul gives the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Gal 5:22-23). Traditionally the Church has also added another three fruits of the Spirit—goodness, modesty and chastity—giving us a total of twelve fruits of the Spirit (Catechism of the Catholic Church § 1832). It is a beautiful list. What a wonderful place this world would be if everyone lived that list. We would have heaven on earth: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Just as we can ask ourselves are we like Peter in the Gospels or like Peter in Acts, we can ask ourselves how much more we need these fruits of the Spirit in our lives. We all need to pray for more of the Holy Spirit in our lives, so that we will have more of these fruits of the Holy Spirit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. I conclude with the Opening Prayer / Collect of Mass today:
O God, who by the
mystery of today’s great feast
sanctify your whole Church in
every people and nation,
pour out, we pray, the gifts of the Holy
Spirit
across the face of the earth
and, with the divine grace
that was at work
when the Gospel was first proclaimed,
fill
now once more the hearts of believers.
© Fr. Tommy Lane 2021
This homily was delivered in a parish in Ireland.
More Homilies for Pentecost Sunday
Pentecost: the Spirit helping us
Renewed by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost
Related Homilies: How can we receive the Holy Spirit to raise us up? 2006