The Paraclete

Today we celebrate Pentecost Sunday. We’ve all heard the story before: The Apostles are in the Upper Room, the Holy Spirit descends upon them and then it’s time to celebrate the birthday of our Catholic Church. Obviously, this water-downed version misses the mark, and I can assure you that it is so much more than that.

Actual fear can be debilitating. It might demand a fight or flight response from us and I don’t think it is a sign of weakness to accept and implore help to overcome it. Now imagine being an Apostle. Yes, you just witnessed the glory of Jesus Christ’s Resurrection and Ascension into heaven. But weeks ago, you also just witnessed a brutal torture and execution, of your God. Obviously, the glory of the Resurrection will affirm that death has been conquered, but I can’t help but think that the Apostles may have also realized that they may undertake the role of martyr. After all, their God just embraced it.

Weeks before Pentecost, right before Jesus revealed his Resurrected self to the Apostles, they were, in fact, out hiding in a room because they were filled with fear. Their God was crucified and hope was lost within the group. Thankfully, Jesus’ presence destroyed their fear and they were given a wonderful gift; peace.

There is a good chance that the Apostles were again afraid after they were commissioned by Jesus to spread the gospel. Honestly, who wouldn’t be? Any human would be apprehensive about going out to face potential death, even for the greatest reasons. But Jesus sends them their advocate, the Holy Spirit, on Pentecost Sunday. It’s safe to say that fear was conquered and they went out to do what Jesus commanded them to do. It is through their reliance on the Holy Spirit, that the Apostles were able to travel across the world, converting so many to Christ, even in the face of fear. It was not of the Apostles’ own accord, but rather, their Advocate, the Holy Spirit, journeyed with them and gave them gifts to go out and change the world. Reliance on the Holy Spirit is vital when it comes to true discipleship.

This same Holy Spirit is present today, and He is not a watered down version. This same Holy Spirit, is present in us, in the same way He was present within the Apostles in their journey. The Apostles were filled with so much courage, that they could go out in the face of death. This was only done because of the aid of the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit can destroy the fear of death, you can only imagine what the Holy Spirit can do for you in your journey. 

So what’s the point of this? The point is, we are not alone. When we heed our parish motto of “Encounter Jesus, Be Disciples,” we are aided by the Holy Spirit. We are not asked to do this simply on our own merit, but rather, we are promised an advocate, and we cannot do this Journey without him.

God Bless,

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Brett Becker
Youth and Young Adult Minister 

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