The Feast of Pentecost is known as the “Birthday” or beginning of the Church and symbolizes a unique point in history between God and man. For upon that wondrous and fateful day, when the Holy Spirit was gifted to the Church, we can rightly say that Jesus’ mission on earth ended, and ours began. Just as the Father imparted a mission to His Son, Christ now entrusts one to us, His followers.
In His teachings, Christ spoke of two baptisms: One by Water and the other by Spirit. Baptism by water, allows us to symbolically die to this life and be born-again into a new life of Christ; to reside “in the world, but not be of the world” (John 17:14-16).
Baptism by Spirit, however, is meant to ignite a dynamic, burning passion within us to both, live the life of Christ and to proclaim and share it with others; to be “fired up,” apostolic; to have faith in Christ, rely upon Christ, call upon Christ, love Christ, and share Christ.
Sadly, although we receive this fearfully astonishing “gift” of the Holy Spirit during the sacrament of Chrismation, we do not always seem to manifest, witness, or even show that we “have” the Spirit. We formally believe, but all-too-often simply go through the motions of being a Christian without enthusiasm or “fire” to back it up. We just, kind of, sort of, believe with complacency – going along as a mere passenger rather than being a driving force.
So, either we catch fire and burn with love of God in this life, or we will surely “burn” in the next.
