Joint Gift From Heaven

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily on the Solemnity of Pentecost Sunday

St. Gerard Majella Church, Baton Rouge, LA

May 24, 2015

In my previous homily, I have discussed how amazed, thrilled and extremely happy I was when one of my parishioners in Memphis, Tennessee, by the name Dr. Ann Hinton, bought me a GPS. While giving me the brand new device, she said, “Father Marcel, you came to America to save souls, and as you do that, I do not want you to get lost. Take this GPS and use it. It will help you get around, and direct you to your destination, so that you don’t get lost.” I still use that GPS till today! It’s an amazing piece of technology. Once I type the address of where I want to go, it gives me direction until I get to my destination. It never complains; it does not curse me; it does not get angry at me; and it never criticizes me. Even when I ignore what it is saying, it simply recalculates my route without raising its voice or yelling at me. My GPS, like all others has only one purpose: to guide me safely to my destination. 

Today is Pentecost Sunday! Today, we celebrate the Gift of the Father and the Son, which is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was sent to the disciples of Jesus, and also to us, to guide us safely to our ultimate destination of heaven. He accomplishes this as the comforter, helper, teacher and advocate. When we mourn, grieve, are betrayed, slandered, gossiped about, lied about, hurt etc., the Holy Spirit provides consolation. His consolation assures us that we are not alone and have not been abandoned by the good God. His consolation gives warmth and healing and prevents those ugly experiences from getting in our way and journey to God. God is our refuge and destination, and anything that attempts to divert our journey to him is a distraction. Through the comfort of the Comforter, we get back up and keep moving. Deep pain and sorrow can divert our journey; they are capable of deafening us to the point of not being able to hear the voice of the divine GPS. When that happens, we miss our way. We enter into a wrong lane or highway of sulking and depression. We could get lost. But when the Comforter comes, he not only comforts and heals us, he also recalculates our way back to God. As a helper, the Holy Spirit helps us in all aspects of our lives. He helps us to fulfill our destiny. He helps us to get saved. He helps us in prayer when we do not know how to pray (Romans 8:26-27). He reveals the will of God to us (1 Corinthians 2:10-11), he helps us to build our faith, he helps us to live a victorious Christian life. As a Teacher, the Holy Spirit teaches us the truth of God—that God is greater than what we say he is; that God is a wonderful Daddy, that he is full of love, mercy and compassion; that God is not a cop, but a loving Daddy who is deeply interested in each of us. The Holy Spirit is also our Advocate. An advocate, as we know, is someone who looks after our interests in a court of law, speaks and answers on our behalf. The Holy Spirit is our Advocate in heaven. He looks after our interests in the heavenly court. He does not attempt to provide evidence to show our innocence. He knows that every accusation of the law of God against us is true, but he pleads on our behalf. When we sin, our Advocate presents himself to the Father as the atonement for our sins. By pointing at the wounds on Jesus’ side and hands, he pleads for mercy, clemency and leniency for us.

Everything the Holy Spirit does for us demonstrates among other things, that we are not alone. In the gospel of John 14:16-17 & 18, Jesus made a promise: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, who will stay with you forever. He is the Spirit, who reveals the truth about God.” “I will not leave you orphans, I will come to you.” None of us is alone. In this journey of faith, we are not alone. As we walk and drive to our homeland, we are not alone. In the struggles of this earthly life, we are not alone. Even when we think we are alone, we are not really alone. We cannot walk alone. We have a Companion from the Father and the Son. 

In Galatians 5:16, St. Paul urges us, “Walk in the Spirit and you will not satisfy the desires of the flesh.” Walking in the Spirit means there is a way or a path. The path or way of the flesh leads to all kinds of destructive and disruptive behaviors; but the way of the Spirit brings us to the Kingdom of God. When we walk in the Spirit of the Lord, we bring, even now, the Kingdom of God to earth. The Holy Spirit is our Guide along the way to Jesus Christ. The chief purpose of the Spirit is to guide and bring us to the One who is the Truth, to bring us home safely. 

Learn to pray and invite the Holy Spirit into every aspect of your life and experiences. Let us pray:

Holy Spirit of God, Holy Spirit the comforter,

Love of the Father and the Son,

I need you in my life.

Renew and revive me and give me a spiritual hunger for you.

As a deer yearns for running streams, let me also yearn for you daily.

Fan into flame the spiritual gifts I received on the day of my baptism. 

Grant me a genuine faith and fervent desire for prayer.

Heal me when I am sick and brokenhearted.

Touch and transform me when I become obstinate.

Comfort me when I am sorrowful.

Help me to have patience in dealing with difficult situations and difficult people.

Teach me how to truly love God above all things and love others unselfishly.

Lighten the burdens that I carry.

Open my eyes to see God in others.

Purge me from selfishness.

Wake me up from the sleep of the soul.

Forgive me of my sins; plead and advocate for me before the Father.

Supply me with all the spiritual and material necessities I need to live a true human life.

When my earthly life is over, be my life. Lead me successfully home to my homeland in heaven.

Amen

(Composed by Fr. Marcel E. Okwara, CSsR)