Every Sunday, Bishop Edward Malesic writes a Scripture reflection for the faithful. Follow the bishop on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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Happy birthday Church!
Today, we celebrate the Church coming to life by the reception of the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The selection from the Acts of the Apostles recounts the early followers of Jesus gathered after his ascension on the Feast of Pentecost. A strong driving wind came to them from the sky and filled the entire house where they were.
This “driving wind” appears at the beginning of creation: “In the beginning, when God created the heavens, and the earth was without form or shape, with darkness over the abyss and a mighty wind sweeping over the waters — then God said, ‘Let there be light, and there was light.” The “mighty wind sweeping over the waters” and God’s spoken command brought forth order out of chaos and the earth was born.
This “driving wind” is reminiscent of the breath that God breathed into the nostrils of Adam, turning clay into living flesh. And the first human was born.
After his resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples and “he breathed on them” giving them the power to forgive sins by uniting people to the restorative power of God’s love.
And today, the “strong driving wind” descends on the disciples and the Church is born and is strengthened for its mission to go out into the whole world and proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ — that salvation is possible for all who believe in him.
This same “driving wind” first entered into us at our baptism, when we first received the life of grace, and its force was accelerated/strengthened in the Sacrament of Confirmation.
One of my favorite prayers is the traditional prayer to the Holy Spirit: “Come, Holy Spirit. Fill the hearts of your faithful. And kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.”
Yes, we can rise up again and be created anew by the life-giving “strong driving wind” of the Holy Spirit. Let’s never fail to ask God to resuscitate us with his breath of life.
Have a blessed week everyone.