Bishop Joseph Kopacz

By Bishop Joseph Kopacz
Between Easter and the feast of Pentecost, 50 days, we proclaim the Scriptures that tell the story of the growth of the early Church. Nearly 2,000 years ago the Holy Spirit, who raised Jesus from the dead, drove the 120 disciples, gathered around the Apostles and Mary, out into the streets and into the world to bring the Good News of salvation to all the nations.
The Acts of the Apostles, Saint Luke’s companion piece to his gospel, is the first installment of the outpouring of the promised Holy Spirit to go to the ends of the earth until the end of time, until Jesus Christ comes again. Each time the anointing of the Holy Spirit is celebrated in the Sacrament of Confirmation throughout our Diocese of Jackson and everywhere, the work of Pentecost continues.
Oh, but we have known the action of the Holy Spirit long before Pentecost. As our nation observes Earth Day each year on April 22, to celebrate the gift of the natural world, we, as God’s children, recognize the natural order of things as the gift of creation. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.” (Genesis 1:1-2) Moreover, Job 26:13 says, “by His breath the heavens are cleared” or “made beautiful,” and “the Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” (Job 33:4) Another instance is Psalm 104:30 which says, “You send forth Your Spirit; they are created, and You renew the face of the ground.”
The Holy Spirit, the Ruach Yahweh, in a much more personal way, is the power and inspiration at work in Israel’s prophets. “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to all who are bound;” (Isaiah 61,1)
Of course, this burning expectation for the Messiah is fulfilled with the unceasing work of the Holy Spirit in Mary of Nazareth. “The angel said to her, the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.” (Luke 1,25ff). From this first moment of the Incarnation and throughout his earthly life, death and resurrection, the Holy Spirit accompanied Jesus of Nazareth. The Spirit hovered over the waters of the baptism of the beloved Son of God, (Mark 1,7-11) and then at once drove Jesus out into the wilderness. (Mark 1,12).
From the desert wilderness Jesus returned home to the synagogue in Nazareth to proclaim from Isaiah that the Spirit of the Lord was upon him, and that which the prophets and people yearned for was fulfilled in their hearing in him. (Luke 4,18)
During a pivotal moment of his, public Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and praised the greatness of God, his Father. (Luke 10,21)
With his earthly life on the verge of torture and death, Jesus assures his disciples that “the Helper, the Holy Spirit, sent by the Father, will teach you all things.” (John 14,26) In his letter to the Romans, Saint Paul portrays a fundamental belief that the Spirit of God raised Jesus from the dead. (8,11) As promised, Jesus in one of his resurrection appearances, a Pentecost moment in the Gospel of John, breathed into his apostles the gift of the Holy Spirit and sent them into the world to preach and baptize. (John 20,22)
The adventure of salvation prompted by the Holy Spirit continues during the Easter season 2018 to the ends of the earth, and our celebrations of Confirmation further the work of salvation begun in the New Testament. “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bound or free; and have been all made to drink of the one Spirit. (Cor. 12,13)
When I experience the gifts of the Spirit at work in these Confirmation liturgies I recall the profound eloquence of Saint Paul in Corinthians. “No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit, and there are varieties of ministries, but the same Lord. There are varieties of works, but it is the same God who produces all the works in everyone. To each person has been given the ability to manifest the Spirit for the common good. (1Cor 12,1ff).
Our identity is firmly established as God’s children because we are led by God’s Spirit. (Rom 8,14). Through faith and baptism we are the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, God’s temple (1Corinthians 3, 16-17), and the living signs of our guest are the fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5,22-23). As a pilgrim people journeying through time and residing in every inhabitable corner of the earth we further the Lord’s mandate to preach, baptize and teach all that he has commanded us in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Mathew 28).
In Spirit-led faith, his words continue to burn in our hearts, and we continue to recognize him in the breaking of the bread. Although we are not of the world, we are in the world, and our Spirit-led faith compels us to recognize that the Kingdom of God is about justice, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Romans 14,17) This is our mandate and template for living with the mind and heart of Jesus Christ.