Holy Spirit Tools

Pentecost Sunday is generally regarded as the birth of the Church. In spite of all our failings and (sometimes grievous) faults over 2000 years, we continue as the Church which began on that amazing Pentecost event all those years ago. This weekend is a good time to reflect how we, as Church, proclaim Christ’s message in every language and witness to the presence of the Spirit by manifesting the Spirit’s fruits, especially the fruit of love. And we ask, “How can we do it better, more faithfully?”

John’s gospel relates Jesus breathing the Holy Spirit into the disciples (John 20:19-23) while Acts (Acts 2:1-11) tells of the wondrous descent of the Holy Spirit like powerful wind and like tongues of fire and 1 Corinthians 12 reassures us that we each receive from the range of the Spirit’s gifts according to our mission. Like Jesus first disciples, after the Resurrection and Ascension, we are eager to get about our mission, but feel we lack the equipment. In Baptism we know we have all been commissioned to continue Jesus mission, but we are fearful of not being up to the task. We first received our gifts, our box of tools for the task, at Confirmation, but we slacken off.

Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit, renews in us the tools. The Gifts, the tools, of the Holy Spirit are: Wisdom, Right Judgement, Courage, Knowledge, Reverence, Wonder and Awe and Understanding. Rearmed with those tools, the Fruits of the Holy Spirit through us will be proclamation of Joy, Love, Peace, Goodness, Kindness, Patience, Self-Control, Trustfulness and Gentleness to the world. Pentecost renews us in these Confirmation gifts of the Holy Spirit; enabling us to reach out to those who have been hurt by ourselves, by our Church and by the world in general, thereby witnessing, as we are called to do, to the truth of Jesus’ message. 

 Deacon Mark Kelly