Vibrant Parish
FR. BENJAMIN AREVALOS |
The Action of the Holy Spirit gives Meaning to Everything
Fifty days after celebrating Easter Sunday we celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost. Pentecost brings the Paschal Season to an end and to its culmination. For fifty days we celebrate Jesus' victory over death, his manifestation to the disciples and his Ascension to the right of the Father. Today we highlight the presence and action of the Spirit of God in the Church.
The first reading tells us of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the gathered disciples. “On that day, the Holy Trinity is fully revealed. Since that day, the Kingdom announced by Christ has been open to those who believe in him: in the humility of the flesh and in faith, they already share in the communion of the Holy Trinity. By his coming, which never ceases, the Holy Spirit causes the world to enter into the "last days," the time of the Church, the Kingdom already inherited”… (Catechism of the Catholic Church no. 732). The Catechism of the Church also tells us that through the power of the Holy Spirit, the children of God can bear the fruits of charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, fidelity, meekness, and temperance. |
The Holy Spirit edifies and gathers the Church and gives new life to those who have been incorporated into Jesus Christ through baptism. The Holy Spirit that proceeds from the Father and the Son transforms believers from within giving us the possibility of proclaiming Jesus as Lord. Whoever says that Jesus is their Lord is confessing that He died for their sins and that He has power over life. Whoever says that Jesus is Lord is not only proclaiming a truth of faith, but also making a personal decision. This means that he or she recognizes Him as Lord, submits to Him, accepts Him in his or her life and gives Him authority over it.
In the Sacrament of Baptism we receive the Holy Spirit which helps us to recognize and proclaim Jesus as Lord. That is why it is necessary to recognize the action of the Spirit of God in our life, but not in an abstract or theoretical way, rather it is to let Him take the reins of our life. Therefore, accepting the action of the Holy Spirit in our life means submitting to Him our entire life, relationships, work, prayer, religious practices, everything should be with Jesus and for Jesus.
If it were not for the action of the Holy Spirit in the Church, the Gospel would be lifeless words, Christ would be simple history, the sacraments mere social acts. The Christian life would be meaningless and its mission would be hollow advertising. But thanks to the Holy Spirit life makes sense, we have the capacity to overcome sin, Christ is present, the gospel is life, the Church is a sign of communion and the liturgy is an anticipation of the kingdom and eternal life. For this reason, we invoke the Spirit of the Lord when we celebrate the Eucharist so that it descends on the gifts and they are the Body and Blood of the Risen Lord.
Living under the guidance of the Holy Spirit is knowing that Christ did not stay in the past, but is present in His Church. The Holy Spirit is our strength, he is the one who strengthens us in weakness and at the same time he is our companion in moments of solitude. God wants us to be a people who act according to the will of His Spirit so that everything we do is not merely human but also divine.
Fr. Benjamin
In the Sacrament of Baptism we receive the Holy Spirit which helps us to recognize and proclaim Jesus as Lord. That is why it is necessary to recognize the action of the Spirit of God in our life, but not in an abstract or theoretical way, rather it is to let Him take the reins of our life. Therefore, accepting the action of the Holy Spirit in our life means submitting to Him our entire life, relationships, work, prayer, religious practices, everything should be with Jesus and for Jesus.
If it were not for the action of the Holy Spirit in the Church, the Gospel would be lifeless words, Christ would be simple history, the sacraments mere social acts. The Christian life would be meaningless and its mission would be hollow advertising. But thanks to the Holy Spirit life makes sense, we have the capacity to overcome sin, Christ is present, the gospel is life, the Church is a sign of communion and the liturgy is an anticipation of the kingdom and eternal life. For this reason, we invoke the Spirit of the Lord when we celebrate the Eucharist so that it descends on the gifts and they are the Body and Blood of the Risen Lord.
Living under the guidance of the Holy Spirit is knowing that Christ did not stay in the past, but is present in His Church. The Holy Spirit is our strength, he is the one who strengthens us in weakness and at the same time he is our companion in moments of solitude. God wants us to be a people who act according to the will of His Spirit so that everything we do is not merely human but also divine.
Fr. Benjamin
Si no fuera por la acción del Espíritu, nada tendría sentido
Cincuenta días después de haber celebrado el Domingo de Resurrección celebramos la Solemnidad dePentecostés. Con Pentecostés llega a su término y a su culminación el Tiempo Pascual. Durante cincuenta días celebramos la victoria de Jesús sobre la muerte, su manifestación a los discípulos y su Ascensión a la derecha del Padre. Hoy destacamos la presencia y la acción del Espíritu de Dios en la Iglesia.
La primera lectura nos relata la venida del Espíritu Santo sobre los discípulos reunidos. “En este día se revela plenamente la Santísima Trinidad. Desde ese día el Reino anunciado por Cristo está abierto a todos los que creen en Él: en la humildad de la carne y en la fe, participan ya en la comunión de la Santísima Trinidad. Con su venida, que no cesa, el Espíritu Santo hace entrar al mundo en los "últimos tiempos", el tiempo de la Iglesia, el Reino ya heredado” … (Catecismo de la Iglesia n. 732). El Catecismo de la Iglesia también nos dice que gracias al poder del Espíritu Santo los hijos de Dios pueden dar fruto de caridad, alegría, paz, paciencia, amabilidad, bondad, fidelidad, mansedumbre, y templanza.
El Espíritu Santo edifica y reúne a la Iglesia y da nueva vida a aquellos que por el bautismo se han incorporado a Jesucristo. El Espíritu Santo que procede del Padre y el Hijo transforma el interior de los creyentes dándonos la posibilidad de proclamar a Jesús como Señor. Quien dice que Jesús es su Señor está confesando que Él murió por los pecados y que tiene poder sobre la vida. El que dice que Jesús es Señor no solo está proclamando una verdad de fe, sino también tomando una decisión personal. Esto quiere decir que lo reconoce como Señor, se somete a Él, lo acepta en su vida y le da autoridad sobre ella.
En el sacramento del bautismo es donde recibimos el Espíritu Santo el cual nos ayuda a reconocer y proclamar a Jesús como Señor. Por eso es necesario reconocer la acción del Espíritu de Dios en nuestra vida, pero no de una manera abstracta o teórica, sino más bien es dejar que Él lleve las riendas de nuestra vida. Por consiguiente, aceptar la acción del Espíritu Santo en nuestra vida significa someter a Él nuestra vida afectiva, relaciones, trabajo, oración, prácticas religiosas, todo tiene que ser con Jesús y para Jesús.
Si no fuera por la acción del Espíritu Santo en la Iglesia, el Evangelio seria letra muerta, Cristo seria simple historia, los sacramentos meros actos sociales. La vida cristiana no tendría sentido y su misión sería una publicidad ahueca.
Pero gracias al Espíritu Santo la vida tiene sentido, el ser humano tiene la capacidad de vencer el pecado, Cristo está presente, el evangelio es vida, la Iglesia es signo de comunión y la liturgia es anticipación del reino y vida humana. Por eso, invocamos el Espíritu del Señor cuando celebramos la Eucaristía para que descienda sobre los dones y sean el Cuerpo y la Sangre del Señor Resucitado.
Vivir bajo la guía del Espíritu Santo es saber que Cristo no se quedó en el pasado, sino que está presente en su Iglesia. El Espíritu Santo es nuestra fuerza, es el que nos fortalece en la debilidad y al mismo tiempo es nuestro compañero en los momentos de soledad. Dios quiere que seamos personas que actúan conforme la voluntad de su Espíritu para que todo lo que hagamos no sea meramente humano sino también divino.
Padre Benjamin Arevalos
