BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT AND BE NOT AFRAID
Smitten By Faith Issue #000074 14th October 2023
"And he said to them, 'Why are you afraid, O you of little faith? Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm." (Matthew 8:26)
“Be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18)
“If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in Heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13)
Left : In the rear of St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City, the magnificent Italian Baroque Apse of St. Peter’s Basilica by the great Italian artist, Gian Lorenzo Bernini – 1653. The viewer is filled with humility and awe on seeing the sheer size and heavenly aura of the sculpture and intricate artwork in gold and stained glass. The chair of St. Peter’s is backed by a gilded depiction of St. Peter receiving the keys to the church from Jesus. Behind and above the chair is a host of gilded cherubs and angels, as well as sculpted clouds. And then, you see the incredible rays of light that are emanating from a central pane of the stained glass window high above - showing the radiant dove of the Holy Spirit.
Right : Detail of the magnificent dove of the Holy Spirit in the stained glass window pane illuminated by exterior light. The dove is holding an olive branch, a common representation of the Holy Spirit.
Today is 14th October and just like our calendar month, the Catholic Church is mid-way through its final meeting ( Oct 4th -29th 2023) of its 3 year Synod 2021/2023 called, ‘Synod on Synodality’ which was established by Pope Francis in October 2021. The title is indeed quite a mouthful ! This unique assembly of around 360 voting members comprise Catholic priests, bishops, nuns and for the first time ever, a significant number of lay people – men and women, from all walks of life and viewpoints - some controversial and some strict traditionalists. However, the meaning of the title ‘SYNODALITY’ is apt. The participants are to “journey together” in a synodal process where they listen to each other, pray together and then discern to find a path forward to find the answers ( and recommend to the Pope ) to the many issues (some very controversial) facing the Catholic Church today. Fortunately, ‘Synodality’ means that the participants will not be undertaking this journey alone. The most important aspect of the synodal process is that by prayerful discernment God will speak to them – through the Holy Spirit - to help the Synod reach a consensus that “flows from the common obedience to the Spirit”.
Left : Inside St. Peter’s basilica, the huge gathering of the around 360 voting participants and invited guests and facilitators at the commencement of the ‘Synod for Synodality’ in October 2021
Right : At the Vatican city, led by the cardinals, the commencement of the final Part 3 of the Synod in October 2023
In short, the 2021-2023 ‘Synodal Process’ which we are privileged to witness now is a Holy-Spirit led, formational process that will renew and shape the future of the 21st century Catholic Church. Indeed, the importance of the ‘Synod on Synodality 2021/2023’ cannot be over-emphasized nor is the importance of the Holy Spirit as the protagonist here. The Synod needs to be “filled with the Holy Spirit”; walk with Him and trust in Him – with joy. It will be historical moment. The Church is facing problems including falling numbers of congregations and priests (especially in the west), contentious issues such as LGBTQ and same-sex marriages, ordination of women and married priests; celibacy, huge pressures on some traditional settled conservative views of church governance versus a more modern liberal church and so on.
Additionally and during this Synodal Process, the Church asks us not to forget the primary call of all Christians to continue to spread the ‘good news’ of the Kingdom of God. And so, I take this occasion to write today - not about the ‘Synod on Synodality’ - which is definitely very important but way above my capabilities to elucidate further - but instead I will write about every Christian’s obligation to spread the good news and how we do this with the help of the mysterious, elusive but nonetheless real and marvelous Holy Spirit.
“‘What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived’ — the things God has prepared for those who love Him — these are the things God has revealed to us by His Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us”
(1 Corinthians 2:9-12).
“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
(John 3:8)
Just like the wind and its unpredictable path in John’s Gospel above, we cannot see the power of the Holy Spirit; yet the Holy Spirit works in our salvation in ways that our mere human minds cannot fully comprehend. Just as the Holy Spirit is critical and vital to the ‘Synod on Synodality’, the Holy Spirit is also indispensable to all who wish to live active lives as Christians spreading our faith without fear; with passion and with inspiration.
SO WHO IS THE HOLY SPIRIT ? WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE ‘FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT’?
For Christians, we have the unique mystery of the ‘Blessed Trinity’ which means one and the same God in three divine Persons : the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. This is central to our faith; one which we cannot rationalise but which all Christians nonetheless believe - by faith alone. God does not separate himself into three different parts. The divine persons ( Father, Son and Holy Spirit ) are relative to one another. Since God is one; they are one in substance and the real distinction of the persons ( the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit ) resides solely in the relationships which relate them one to the other - in perfect communion. In the Gospels Jesus Christ revealed that God is ‘Father’ not only as our Creator; he is eternally ‘Father’ by his relationship to his only Son Jesus who, reciprocally, is ‘Son’ in relation to his Father. As for the Holy Spirit, after Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection and before His ascension into Heaven, Jesus comforted His Apostles by saying that God will send the Holy Spirit to be with the Apostles and it is the Holy Spirit who will give them the courage and fearlessness to go out and spread the ‘good news’ of the Lord. It is the Holy Spirit who will be the guiding light, the inspiration, the sanctifier, the comforter and the giver of graces to the Church and all who believe, forever and for eternity.
Right : A loving fanciful rendering by Melanie Yeoh, of the Dove of the Holy Spirit – all afire.
© Dr. Melanie Yeoh
Left : The Dove in flight bathed in sublime light.
The ordinary dove portrays the earthly symbol of the Holy Spirit ; the fulfilment of the Scriptures at the beginning of the ministry of Jesus. The Holy Spirit is the promise of the peace, power, purity and forgiveness of sin that comes in a relationship with God. The dove appears many times in the Bible. For example, in the Old Testament, it was a dove that signalled the end of the great flood which had covered all the earth in water. In Genesis 8 :8-12, Noah sent out one of his doves to see if the waters had receded and this dove returned to the ark with a fresh sprig of an olive leaf in its beak.
Above : The Baptism of Jesus by Domenico Tintoretto 1585;oil on canvas; Museo del Prado, Madrid. Dressed in camel skins, John the Baptist baptizes Jesus in the River Jordan. At that moment, the Heavens open and the voice of God speaks : “This is my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
In the New Testament, when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, as you can see in this beautiful painting above by Tintoretto, the Heavens opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus in the form of a dove and there was a loud voice from Heaven with God saying, “ This is my beloved son with whom I am well-pleased.” (Matthew 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John 1:32). The Holy Spirit descending on Jesus at his baptism was a symbolic fulfilment of prophecies in the Old Testament. Christians know that we are filled with the Holy Spirit when we are baptised. However, is it enough just to know that we have the Holy Spirit ? Surely, being Christian entails a lot of ‘doing’ as well ? I believe that it does. Of course, the Holy Spirit is very essential for us to find faith let alone be moved by the Holy Spirit. We cannot find this faith by ourselves; without praying for guidance and help. So, the ‘fruit of the Holy Spirit’ refers to the result of something which we do. When we ask the Holy Spirit to plant the fruit of love in our hearts, we gain the ability to cultivate joy and peace no matter our circumstances ( John 16: 22-23). We invite God to live in our hearts. St. Paul wrote in Galatians 5:22-23 that the fruit of the Holy Spirit “is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
Left : ‘The Pentecost’ by the great artist, El Greco in 1600; oil on canvas at the Prado Museum in Madrid. This work depicts the moment when the Holy Ghost, in the form of flames, rests on the Virgin Mary and the Apostles on Pentecost day. El Greco painted in his usual style emphasizing the vertical format and bathing them in a ghostly light that enhances the unreality of the figures.
Centre : ‘Pentecoste’, the very dramatic oil on canvas by the 18th century French Baroque artist Jean II Restout (1692-1768) at the Louvres Musuem in Paris. The artist places the Virgin Mary and the Apostles in a large Roman style courtyard while the Holy Spirit descends on them as a great light shining in tongues of fire. The dove of the Holy Spirit is at the top of the painting totally suffused in this very bright light.
Right : “Pentecoste” by Juan Bautista Maino ( or Mayno) (1581-1649), an oil on canvas at the Prado Museum in Madrid. Here you can see the Holy Spirit descending in the form of a dove on Mary and the Apostles .
For the Apostles of Jesus who were with him at the River Jordon when John the Baptist baptised Jesus and they saw the Heavens open and the dove descend on their Master and teacher; they did not know then that this would be a prelude to their own spiritual moment, at the Pentecost ( fifty days after the resurrection of Jesus ) when the Holy Spirit would come down upon them and gloriously fill them with His strength, courage and love. ( Acts 2; John 14: 15-17). Before the Pentecost, the Apostles were all filled with fear and confusion. They were terrified to even accompany Jesus on the cross to Golgotha – except for John and the brave women of Jerusalem. The Apostles loved Jesus but their Master was gone and they were paralyzed by their fear. But at Pentecost, God kept his promise and they were filled with the Holy Spirit and this enabled them to have joy, passion and most of all, courage and fearlessness – to go out to the ends of the earth and preach the good news of the Kingdom of God.
“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them” (Acts 2:1-4).
This time, empowered by the Holy Spirit, the Apostles were all willing to die for Jesus. After the Pentecost, the Apostles went out to lands far beyond Judea and Galilee to preach the good news with passion and energy; very soon they were arrested by the Romans and ( except for John who lived to a ripe old age) they were tortured and martyred for Christ. It's a wonderful thing to aspire for – to be filled with the Holy Spirit – not necessarily to the jaws of death ( like the Apostles ) but surely to have courage and bravery and the ability to discern how to be good Christians; how to love God with passion and how to use the talents which God has given to each one of us, inspired by the power of the Holy Spirit.
I end with an ancient refrain below sung joyfully in every Christian church as its congregation prays to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
“Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful and kindle in them the fire of thy love.”
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