BE A UNIFIER LIKE THE HOLY SPIRIT
( Acts 2:1-11,Ps 104, 1 Cor 12: 3b-7,12-13,Jn 20:19-23)
Today we celebrate the birth of the church through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The promise which was made to the apostles and the disciples by Christ was fulfilled on this day. In Acts 1:8, before He ascended to His father, He promised them that they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them. The experience of the power of the Holy Spirit brought a total transformation to the disciples. They received the baptism of the Holy Spirit which in the context of the church is Confirmation. The Spirit made the disciples very powerful in faith and deed to continue the mission entrusted to them. But one element of the Spirit which the disciples portrayed during their preparations in the upper room is the force of unity among themselves. They remained united in prayer no matter the differences they had among themselves.
In the first reading, we are told that “And when the day of Pentecost was now come, they were all together in one place”(Acts 2:1). They could have been at one place but not necessarily being together. Unity is very important so far as the workings of the Spirit is concern. The Holy Spirit does not divide but unite. If you claim to be a Christian and the Holy Spirit dwells in you then you have no excuse than to be a unifier,otherwise you are deceiving yourself. Some Christians have become agents of division wherever they find themselves. My dear friends this is not the work of the Spirit but rather the devil. In his priestly prayer, Christ prayed for unity among His disciples which includes us (Jn 17). Christ did not pray for division for His disciples but unity because His Spirit is not one of division.
The disciples could not have spoken in different languages through the power of the Holy Spirit if they did not remain united in prayer in the period of waiting. The disciples were not all from one common place, or tribe or family. Even if they were all Jews, they were not all from the same root. But they saw themselves as one people with a common goal. What was binding them together is the Christ factor: the fact that they have all received one baptism in Christ. They recognised that the baptismal water is thicker than blood relation. But for some of us blood relations is thicker than baptismal water. Even for some of us political affiliation is thicker than the baptismal water. We are easily comfortable to relate well with people of the same tribe and political affiliation than those of the same faith. In this case, we are not been true witnesses to the power of the Holy Spirit which we received at baptism and empowered through confirmation.
Friends in Christ, we should not think that the empowerment of the Holy Spirit is an event but rather it is a process. The disciples did not sit down one day and the Holy Spirit just descended upon them with His power. They created the environment for this Pentecost to take place among them and in them. We need to create this environment for the Holy Spirit to operate in us and of which is the environment of unity.
My dear friends, in 1Cor 12, the same sense of unity is also proclaimed in relation to the gifts of the spirit. There are varieties of gifts, service, and workings but it is the same Spirit, it is the same Lord who bestows them upon us all. If the gifts given to us are for one purpose as building the peaceful Christian environment and for our salvation then where from the many fightings, competitions and jealousies among Christians? Do we really see ourselves as one people with a common destiny? I do not think so because the kind of lives we are portraying to the world do not testify to the Holy Spirit we have received. We are our own enemies in this kingdom business. God has given us different gifts to promote His kingdom on this earth but the very people who are to be united to fight for this purpose have tend to be bitter rivals. We have resorted to backbiting, slandering, gossip, character assassination and others we can think of. We are supposed to be a team in which we play different roles but with a common objective. This is what the Spirit which we have received encourages us to do. To recognise the gifts of others and encourage ourselves to achieve the potentials in us to the fullest.
The pull him down (PHD) attitude will not help us in any way. We cannot all have the same gifts since we are never the same. The body of Christ is like our human body with different parts. The body has different parts but with different functions. But all these functions are towards a common goal. We have to learn from the body parts which work every time as a team. The Holy Spirit is an agent of revival and renewal in our world and our faith in particular. The Holy Spirit cannot renew the face of the earth if we are not renewed and recreated, because we are the vessels to accomplish this aim. He cannot lead us if we are not agent of unity. We cannot be aglow in the Spirit if we continue to divide and separate people wherever we find ourselves.
The Spirit of God is like a burning fire in every Christian. However, if fire is not fanned into flame, it dies. To be led by the Spirit is to be attuned to the promptings of the Spirit and to freely allow oneself to be directed by him. The fire of the Spirit should be allowed to burn all elements of disunity in us so that we can renew the face of the earth. I want your celebration of Pentecost this year to be a difference to the others. Are you a unifier or an agent of division? Are you really an instrument of the Holy Spirit in this regard? Do you want to renew the face of the earth? Where do you belong or your stand? May the power of the Spirit transform our lives and make us true witnesses to the gospel so that we can bear fruits that will endure forever. Amen
Be an instrument of unity.
BE AGLOW IN THE SPIRIT. Have a blessed PENTECOST Sunday AND A FAVORED WEEK ahead.
REV. FR. Akakpo Matthew
