Pentecost, like Easter, has a solemn vigil liturgy. This liturgy includes a large number of Old and New Testament readings foreshadowing the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the Church. They highlight His role as unifier of all nations in the Church (Genesis 11:1-9), as God dwelling with His people (Exodus 19:3-8a, 16-20b), as the source of new spiritual life (Ezekiel 37:1-14), as the power which shall enable the Church to work miracles (Joel 3:1-5), and as the source of the Church’s prayer (Romans 8:22-27).
The Fulfilment of Christ’s Mission
In the Gospel reading, Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit as “rivers of living water [that] will flow from within him who believes in Me.” John makes explicit that this reference is to the Holy Spirit and reminds the reader, “There was, of course, no Spirit yet, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.” This intentional linking of the coming of the Holy Spirit with Jesus’ ‘glorification’ is not merely about setting the events in a chronological order. The sending of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost is the fruit of Jesus’ glorification, i.e., the entire Paschal Mystery, His Passion, Death, Resurrection and Ascension. Jesus was not raised from the dead to an earthly life, but to a new, glorified life. Just so, Jesus did not come simply to reset us back to a ‘blank slate’ regarding sin, but to raise us to a new sharing in divine life. This is fulfilled when the Holy Spirit comes to dwell with His people on Pentecost.
Already and Not Yet
In a sense, after Pentecost, there is nothing more to be done. God is dwelling permanently with His people through the Church, and each of us participates in His Divine Nature through sanctifying grace. The prophecies are fulfilled. Yet, we all know that we have not yet reached the final rest and perfect joy of heaven. We are in an ‘already but not yet’ state. We have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, but we do not yet see God clearly face-to-face.
We are united to God by charity, but this charity has not yet been consummated into an indissoluble union. We participate in God’s Divine Nature by the theological virtues, but we still bear the marks of our fallen human nature. As St. Paul says, “We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now; and not only that, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, we also groan within ourselves as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope, we were saved. Now hope that sees is not hope. For who hopes for what one sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance.”
Since the seed of immortality is already sown in us, let us begin to live the life of heaven now, as the Spirit enables us to do. Let us commit ourselves on this Pentecost to begin anew the life of grace and beg the Holy Spirit to fill us with holy resolve in this purpose.
