Before He ascends to the Father, Jesus breathes on His Apostles and imparts to them the Holy Spirit. Then just before His Ascension He tells them to wait for the Holy Spirit to come upon them. Are they receiving the Spirit twice?
Not exactly, at Pentecost the Apostles receive the fullness of the Spirit. This empowers the Apostles with the gifts of the Holy Spirit to enable them to take up the work of the Church, reuniting mankind and bringing the human family back to God.
Through God’s grace, the Apostles are able to speak to all people regardless of their nationality or their native tongue. Whereas before the apostles cowered in a darkened room, for fear of arrest, now they are emboldened to openly preach the teachings of Christ.
We experience our own Pentecost in the Sacrament of Confirmation. At Baptism we receive the Holy Spirit, but our faith is immature and still needs to be formed. At Confirmation we receive the fullness of the Spirit. We are empowered with gifts for the work of mission in the world and the task of becoming mature in Christ.
Confirmation is the Sacrament of maturity and sending. We “leave the nursery” so to speak, and go into the world as adults, speaking of the friendship of God. The grace imparted to us in the sacrament, allows us to take up our part in reuniting the Father with His children.
This is the work of the Church, to which we are all called.
Pax vobiscum
The Solemnity of Pentecost