First Confessions

Today is Pentecost: the feast commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon our Lady and the disciples of Jesus.

When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.

Acts 2:1-4

From a small upper room in Jerusalem fifty days after the resurrection of our Lord to the ends of the Earth 2000 years after His birth, the Church has carried the message of salvation in both word and deed. From the beginning, Christians have been sent out to proclaim the Gospel on behalf of the Lord. Sent by Christ Himself, Christians are called to open their hearts to the Spirit in order to open the eyes of non-believers. See John 20:21.

Moreover, it is not on their own accord, but by the Holy Spirit that each Christian is able to proclaim the Gospel. See 1 Cor 12:3. It is the Holy Spirit that gives each Christian the words needed to both share and defend the Faith. “For it will not be you who speak,” our Lord says, “but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” Matt. 10:19-20.

Our Lord, however, cautions Christians to avoid scandal and hypocrisy. In Matthew, our Lord chastises the scribes and Pharisees, for “travers[ing] sea and land to make one convert” and then making that convert twice as worthy of Hell by their poor example and sinful ways. 23:15. Moreover, our Lord teaches, it is better to die than to cause others to sin. See Luke 17:2.

Thus, after a careful reading the Gospels, it becomes clear that God generously pours out the Holy Spirit in order to empower believers. Unrepentant hypocrites masquerading as pious believers, however, will incur severe judgment because their example leads people away from God, away from Truth Itself. By careless words and misdeeds, these people misrepresent the Faith and slander Christ in the minds of non-believers. They forget that Christians are sent out on a mission of love, not an errand of debauchery.

On this Pentecost, let us all reexamine our lives and uproot all those bad habits that cause scandal before non-believers. Let us replace vice with virtue in order to win over the hearts of the lukewarm and uncommitted. Let us seek forgiveness for our past misrepresentations and begin to rebuilt the image of God in the minds of our family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues. After all, it is by our example that we share our faith best because our actions plant the seeds of conversion.

Tags:   Acts · conversion · Holy Spirit · hypocrites · Jesus Christ · John · Luke · Matthew · PentecostNo Comments