Signs of the Holy Spirit

Once there was a suburban parish that wanted a special painting for the church vestibule, honoring the Holy Spirit and Pentecost; the theme would be that, through the Church, God calls all nations to be one family. A talent artist was commissioned, and he decided to model the painting after the line of an old religious hymn that read, “Around the throne of God in Heaven thousands of children stand.” The artist worked on it in his studio for weeks; after he finally finished late one night, he went to his bed in the next room and immediately feel asleep. However, a little while later he seemed to hear a noise in the studio, so he got up to investigate—and found a stranger changing the faces of the children in the painting, making some of them yellow, red, black, and brown. “What are you doing?” the artist demanded, and the stranger replied, “I’m correcting your painting. You’ve painted only white faces answering My call, but I told My disciples to bring children of every nation to Me.” With that, the stranger suddenly disappeared, and then the artist awakened and realized he’d been dreaming. Jesus, of course, was the stranger in the dream, and He had revealed an important message—so the next morning the artist changed his painting to include children of every race. God gives the Gifts of the Holy Spirit to all those who seek to know and serve Him, regardless of race, nationality, or any other human distinction, and among these gifts are wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.  If our hearts are indeed open to His truth, the Holy Spirit will help us see and understand things are they truly are. 

We have received the Holy Spirit through Baptism and Confirmation, and the readings for Pentecost speak of the many different gifts, and responsibilities, that are ours as a result. In the Acts of the Apostles, we’re told that people from many different nationalities and races heard the message of salvation—each of them in his or her own language. Through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, there was a wonderful and amazing unity; St. Luke, the author of Acts, was deliberately contrasting this with the disunity and confusion that came into the world when humanity arrogantly tried to construct the Tower of Babel thousands of years earlier.  Sin divides us; humbly surrendering to the Holy Spirit unites us. 

In his First Letter to the Corinthians [12:3-13] St. Paul says, “No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit”; thus, receiving the Spirit gives us the wisdom needed for salvation. The apostle Paul also speaks of the different gifts, ministries, and works given by the Spirit—for as believers, we must serve one another for the common good of the Church, the Body of Christ. The Gospel of John (20:19-23) tells us that on the evening of Easter Sunday Jesus appeared to the apostles and gave them His peace. He emphasized this point by repeating the words, “Peace be with you,” and then He stressed their duty of sharing this gift with others—specifically by using their authority to forgive sins in His Name. 

Unity, wisdom, service of others, peace, and forgiveness are all signs of the Holy Spirit as described for us in today’s readings; they’re also values which frequently go against the priorities and practices of this world.

Unity in Christ is important, but our society often overemphasizes individualism, and stresses the importance of “looking out for #1.” Through the Holy Spirit, however, our understanding is broadened, like that of the artist who changed his painting to include children of every race. 

Wisdom is usually lacking in our modern world, for it considers religious faith foolish, unnecessary, or unrealistic, and rejects God’s commandments as a useless restriction upon personal liberty. Through the Holy Spirit, we know better; the gifts of wisdom and faith help us give life its deepest possible meaning. 

Service is an incomplete value in contemporary society; we like to be served, but for many of us it’s not as important or desirable to be of service to others. The attitude we often encounter is “what’s in it for me?” The Holy Spirit reminds us that being of service is Jesus’ way, and that the more we give, the more we receive. 

Peace is something the world seeks, but in a temporary, illusory way; people run after the false security of money and power and pleasure. The Holy Spirit helps us find true and lasting peace by surrendering to Christ and entrusting ourselves completely to Him. 

Forgiveness is not a value consistently practiced or appreciated today; many people believe instead in getting even and avoiding any appearance of weakness associated with being merciful, while admitting guilt only if they’re caught red-handed and have no other way out. In contrast, the Holy Spirit helps us forgive others while admitting our own need for mercy. 

In a lot of ways, society is badly mixed up and confused, and many people are being led astray—something that can have tragic and eternal consequences. Jesus sent His Spirit upon the Church so His followers would always know the proper path. We must be open to the Gifts of the Holy Spirit by praying regularly, by receiving Holy Communion each week while in a state of grace, by admitting our sins and asking God to forgive us, by seeking the Lord’s guidance in all our decisions and activities, and by remembering and living out our unity in Christ. Pentecost is God’s guarantee that the Church will prevail, that Jesus is truly victorious, and that—as long as they’re open to His presence in all God’s children—His followers will never be alone.