THE MARKS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Pentecost Sunday 2023

May 28, 2023

People filled with the Holy Spirit proclaim the Lord boldly.
Kapag iniisip natin ang milagro ng Pentekostes, siguro ang nasa ating mga isipan ay kung
paano pumanaog ang Espiritu Santo at nanahan sa mga piling alagad ni Jesus at sa Mahal na
Ina—at dahil doon sila ay nagkaroon ng panibagong lakas ng loob na ipahayag ang
Mabuting Balita ni Kristo. Ngunit, para sa atin naman, ang biyayang dulot ng Pentekostes ay
paalala na tayo din naman ay pinananahanan ng Banal na Espiritu upang magawang
ipahayag din ang Mabuting Balita sa abot ng ating makakaya. The Pentecost is not simply an
event, rather, it is our transforming encounter with the Holy Spirit making us bold and
courageous proclaimers of the Good News of Jesus.

People filled with the Holy Spirit often manifest signs and wonders.
Sa pagpanaog ng Espiritu Santo, tunay ngang nakagawa ng mga kagila-gilas at mga
kamangha-manghang bagay ang mga apostoles sa kanilang pagmimisyon. Sa mismong araw
ng Pentekostes, tatlong-libo katao agad ang nagpabinyag at sumunod sa mga apostoles. Sa
aklat ng mga Gawa ng mga Apostol mababasa natin ang mga milagrong nagawa ng mga
apostol at libu-libong katao na naniwala sa kanilang ipinapahayag. There is no doubt really
that the working of miracles—these signs and wonders—helped bring people to Christ,
through the Holy Spirit.

People filled with the Holy Spirit have joy.

Kung may isang bagay na hindi natin kayang pikiin eh yung katotohanan na nananahan sa
atin ang Diyos. Nakikita ang pananahan na ito ng Banal na Espiritu kapag merong kagalakan
na umaapaw mula sa presensya ng taong iyon. Sabi pa nga ng isang tao: "The glory of God is
man fully alive." Kapag buhay na buhay, ganado, at masaya ang isang tao sa gitna ng
kanyang mga pinagdadaanan—ay tunay ngang nanahan ang Diyos sa kanya. That is why
Pope Francis was right he said that Christians should not like as someone who just came
from a funeral, with long and sad faces. If we want to attract people to the Church—they will
be attracted because we have joy in our service. Pero kung tayong mga naglilingkod at
namamahala sa Simbahan ay puno ng kasungitan at reklamo, eh wala talaga tayong
mahihimok na sumama sa ating paglilingkod.

People filled with the Holy Spirit they've got intellectual curiosity about the faith.
Minsan ang nakakalungkot na realidad sa ibang Katoliko ngayon ay madaling makumbinse
sa ibang paniniwala. Bakit? Dahil hindi naman talaga nila alam ang kanilang pinaniniwalaan.
May isang pastor na nagsabi na kaya mga Katoliko ang kanilang pinupunterya ay dahil hindi
naman nila alam ang kanilang mga doktrina. Kung hindi nga naman natin alam ang ating
pinaniniwalaan, ay madaling maniwala sa sinasabi ng iba. Ngunit, kapag nagdasal tayo sa
paggabay ng Espiritu Santo, tunay ngang magiging masidhi ang ating pagnanais na
matutunan at lumago sa karunungan tungkol sa ating mga pinaniniwalaan. And so, we pray
for the Holy Spirit's gift of wisdom and understanding that we may be able to defend our
faith when we are being questioned. We pray for courage that we may stand firm to the
things that we believe in.

People filled with the Holy Spirit have love—willing the good of the other.
Tunay na nakikilala tayo bilang mga Kristiyano dala ng ating pagmamahalan sa ating kapwa.
Ang mga sinaunang Kristiyano, isa lang ang marka kung paano sila makikilala, kung gaano
sila magmahalan at magtulungan bilang isang komunidad. You will know by how they love
one another. GK Chesterton beautifully said: "The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and
also to love our enemies; probably because they are generally the same people." The Holy
Spirit is the love of the Father and the Son, and the love of the Son to the Father. And their
love for each other overflows into us. If we do not love, then we don't really know God, for
God is love. At ano nga ba ang dinudulot ng pag-ibig ng Diyos sa atin? Walang iba, kundi
ang ating ikabubuti. To love is to will the good of the other. Ang tunay na pag-ibig laging
hinahangad ang ikabubuti ng minamahal.

My dear friends, in today's celebration of Pentecost Sunday, we recall to mind to great gift of
the Father and the Son to us—their overflowing love for each other which we call the Holy
Spirit. It is this divine Spirit that moves us into action, that transforms us to holiness, and the
Spirit that leads us into fruitfulness in action. And so, we pray that the Holy Spirit fills us
with his gifts that so that we can proclaim the Good News boldly, that we may be able to
signs and wonders, that we may be filled with joy, that we may continue to learn more about
our faith, and that this divine Spirit may always impel us to love our neighbor and our
enemies. We end by praying the prayer to the Holy Spirit:

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your Let us pray.

faithful and kindle in them the fire of your
love.
Send forth your Spirit and they shall be
created, and you shall renew the face of the
earth.
O God, who have taught the hearts of the
faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant
that in the same Spirit we may be truly wise
and ever rejoice in his consolation. Through
Christ our Lord. Amen.