 the Apostles went out In recent Sunday liturgies we heard Scriptures that recounted how the early Church was ‘born’ and what life was like for the first Christians. The Acts of the Apostles delineated how the Apostles went out, first to Jerusalem and then beyond, preaching as Jesus had commissioned them to do. The power of the events of Pentecost was so intense and they were so filled with the Holy Spirit that their willing hearts could not but preach, do works of mercy, perform miraculous healings, and baptize new believers. Because God is love, every work of evangelization and every healing the Apostles performed was a labor of love, empowered by Love. Although they were the leaders, the other members of the community also evangelized and did many works of mercy to share the love of God that had been poured out upon them at their baptism and anointing with the Holy Spirit. Each person, deeply loved by God, was empowered with gifts which enabled an apostolic spirit; that is, the ability to live their Christian faith boldly.  the place where they were gathered was shaken When reading the Acts (and the Letters that follow) the zeal with which the Apostles did their work is obvious. Likewise, the newly baptized worked to build the community with the same commitment and earnestness. Luke emphasized this by describing how the believers prayed for boldness: “And when they heard it – [words from Peter and John] they lifted their voices together to God and said, ‘…grant to your servants to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.’ And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.” The power of the Holy Spirit was more than just palpable: the room shook with it. Thus, they freely shared everything they had with one another and also extended their generosity to the poor. (AA 4:23, 29-37) They did everything with boldness, confident in the power of God and filled with Love.  we received the same Holy Spirit We can describe how the early Christians lived and ministered by saying they did so with apostolic zeal. They were baptized with the same baptism the Apostles had received and were filled with the same Holy Spirit with which the Apostles were filled; but they knew their roles were not to be apostles, but to act according to their call as disciples. Those first Christians knew their ministry was to share what the Apostles taught them, utilizing the power received from the Spirit, missioned in evangelizing and doing works of love. Keep this in mind: we were baptized with the same baptism received by the Apostles and early Christians; we were anointed with the same Holy Spirit as were they, and the gifts we were given are the same gifts they received. Therefore, we ought to call upon them and utilize them with the same apostolic zeal. In short, we have the capability to do this: same baptism, same gifts, same call, same potential for apostolic zeal.  go out and tell the Good News We often forget (or perhaps were never told!) that our task is no different than that of the first disciples. We might think something has changed after so many centuries have passed, as if the power of God has diminished, or is not as active, or is only for the holy few. Not at all! As baptized believers, we are meant to build the Kingdom. That is, having the same gifts with the same power we are called to carry on the work they began, the work which was commissioned by Jesus. How we do it is determined by own individual call and situation in life, and it is something we should continually discern through prayer. One way to reflect upon our Spirit-given capabilities would be to prayerfully read the passages in the Gospels in which Jesus sent out the 12 apostles, and then later the 70 disciples, to preach and work miracles. We can prayerfully envision ourselves alongside them, imagining what it would be like to do the same works, trusting so fully in the Holy Spirit that they did not hesitate to pray with people for healing and sharing all they knew of Jesus. We can do similarly with the passages in the Acts.* Then we can ask ourselves what holds us back from acting with the same trust and apostolic zeal, or in what ways we can better live our call with similar boldness.  it is time to renew our apostolic spirit Imagine what our parishes and communities would be like if every one of the baptized truly lived with the zeal of the Spirit we have been given. Since this isn’t always the case now, we need to encourage our Christian brothers and sisters, helping them understand that having an apostolic spirit is not something that is no longer possible. Rather, we can share our apostolic zeal in acts of love (and in words) to enliven the faith of those who are struggling, just as those early believers went out to their Jewish and Gentile brethren alike. This is how the Church began and it is how we are to continue building up the Kingdom. Every gift counts and has impact: St. Paul wrote that there are many gifts in the One Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12 & 13), so no matter how small we think they may be, our various talents and abilities are meant for the good of all. It is time to renew our apostolic spirit and do the marvelous works of discipleship, sharing the power of the love and mercy of God!  may we act with apostolic zeal May we trust more deeply in the power of grace given by the Holy Spirit which is present within us! May we claim and act with the spirit of apostolic zeal! And may we boldly live the gospel taught by Jesus! Let us meet in the Spirit of God! Peace!
©Michele L. Catanese * These are the passages to pray with: Jesus sends out the 12 Apostles: Matthew 10, essentially the entire chapter is an important discourse and contains the commission Jesus gave them; also Mark 6:7-13, and Luke 9:1-2. Jesus sends out the 70 (72 in some translations) is only found in Luke 10:1-23 while none of the other writers recorded it. The description of the early Church is found in the Acts of the Apostles 2:43-47 and 4: 32-37. Also note what is often referred to as the second Pentecost, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Gentiles when Peter was in the house of Cornelius (Acts 10). This outpouring is recorded in AA 10:44-48. It has happened more than once in the history of the Church... and can again. Images: 1. My photo; path in Palo Duro Canyon State Park, Texas. 2. Painting; Pentecost, by Sandro Botticelli. 3. Image; Viriditas - Holy Spirit Detail, by Fr. William Hart McNichols. You can find this at fineartamerica.com/featured/viriditas-holy-spirit-detail-william-hart-mcnichols.html 4. Painting; The Fire Ranger by Frank Johnston. It can be found at http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/canadian/Frank-H-Johnston.html 5. My photo; New Mexico. This little church, San Jan Baptiste, has boarded-up windows. This is a church in need of revival. Let's keep our churches filled with people, light, prayer, and the power of the Holy Spirit! 6. Painting, Chilean Pentecost. On the painting it says: "Envía tu Espirito Señor Y Renueva La Faz de la Tierra" ("Send your Spirit Lord and Renew the Face of the Earth"). Note: In compliance with GDPR rules, I wish to make it clear that I do not gather any information on any of my readers at any time. Comments are closed.
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