We catch a glimpse of the relationship between the Holy Spirit and the Church in the first public act after the tongues of fire came to rest on those gathered in the upper room. Picture a group of frightened men and the sudden appearance of the tongues of fire. Imagine the exhilaration of Mary. She alone amongst them possesses the certainty of hope and the fullness of grace. She rejoiced at the incarnation and birth of her Son and now once again, at the conclusion of the proto-novena, she rejoices at the birth of His Body, the Church. With the Holy Spirit behind them, the Apostles threw open the windows of the Cenacle to welcome a multitude waiting for the Gospel of Salvation.
Ever since the phrase the “spirit of Vatican 2” entered into our vocabulary, we tend to imagine the Holy Spirit as spontaneously free but here we realise how closely linked the Spirit is with the Church. This association is definitely closer than some of us would have liked it. It is related by Luke in Acts as (1) “the disciples devoted themselves to the doctrine of the Apostles, (2) to the common life, (3) to the Breaking of Bread, and (4) to prayers…”. These descriptions of the Holy Spirit’s presence do not leave much space for free-spirited movements in the way we would like to believe.
The Spirit is definitely not the “spirit” of the times. The 2nd Reading for the Solemnity cautioned that self-indulgence is the opposite of the Spirit. The list of sins is a collection. But the point here is not in the enumeration, that is, the counting of sins. Rather, the intent is to show how the Spirit’s descent upon the Apostolic community is part of the great and ongoing movement of creation, redemption and salvation.
Salvation is indeed a serious business. The Holy Spirit’s role through the Church is to transform individual lives and also to shape human history. Our role is to cooperate with the Holy Spirit. As St Cyril of Jerusalem pointed out that “the Spirit comes with the tenderness of a true friend and protector to save, to heal, to counsel and to console”. Echoed in the CCC, His task is to “inspire, guide, correct and strengthen one’s Christian life”. Through the Church, the Spirit is the continuation of Christ’s presence and mission.
The task before the Holy Spirit is to continually work out our redemption and salvation. He is not a Bohemian spirit that indulges the present causes, fancies or trends. Sometimes the current fads can make us forget why we need the Spirit. Take a look at a current development. If in the past, people were easily labelled as sick or possessed etc, today the pendulum has swung to the other side. Nobody is sick. Instead, one has a syndrome or an addiction or a preference or a fetish. Since nobody is sick, every expression that we can think off, can be justified by turning to the so-called “spirit of the times”. We need to “spirit” to sanctify our sickness but that is not the mission of the Spirit.
Instead, pay closer attention to the Sacrament of Baptism. In this rite, we are cleansed of our sins because we are sickened by sin and through adoption we are made children of God. Our bodies become the Temple of the Holy Spirit which then binds us closely to the Church. For the sake of the Church and her mission, the Holy Spirit gives each one of us gifts so that we can bear His fruits to strengthen the Body of Christ. Through our membership in the Church and in our engagement with the world, we are expected to bear fruits.
The descent of the Holy Spirit enlivens the imagery of the Vine and the branches. This organic structure sees Christ the Head bound to the Church His Body and that connexion is animated by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit makes God’s plan for each of us real, and we know the Holy Spirit by what He does in each life. As the Catechism says, [T]he mission of the Spirit of adoption is to unite [God’s children] to Christ and make them live in Him…” (CCC, No. 690).
Thus, the Holy Spirit’s presence is not for us to do what we want but rather to do what Jesus wants in terms of salvation. He calls us back to who and where God wants us to be. He reveals Christ to us and through baptism He makes us more like Him and to live with Him in eternity. In short, He is more boring than He is exciting.
The Catechism gives many mundane instances where we can discern the Spirit’s presence. He reveals Himself through Sacred Scripture which He inspired. He sustains the timeless Traditions of the Church, through the Magisterium which He assists. Through the different charisms and gifts which He bestows, He builds the Church up.
What is so regular (almost boring) is how He is present in the liturgy of the Church through words and symbols so that we can remain in Communion with the Vine. The Eucharist that we celebrate has no meaning without the Spirit. “Send down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall so that they may become for us the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ” sounds familiar. Together with the words of Institution, we enter into the Real Presence of Jesus.
Finally, the Holy Spirit’s coming down on the Apostles may have been spectacularly narrated but His presence amongst them is a bit more pedestrian or uneventful. He is not showy except to manifest the Father’s love and the Son’s filial sacrifice. His presence is always there in His Church to ensure that we are fed with the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. However, this feast of heaven, the Bread of Angels given is not just so that we might gain life in eternity. Rather, He gives us supernatural food so that we, the Body of Christ, can become alive in this world and become witnesses through love and charity to make this world a little more like heaven. The divinisation of life and the world needs the Holy Spirit. “Come Holy Spirit. Fill the hearts of the faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit Lord, and you shall renew the face of the earth”.
