Empowered by the Holy Spirit

TCEO Commissioning Mass 2025

As we are commencing the work of Catholic Education for this year we have assembled for this commissioning Mass which will conclude with a simple but significant ceremony in which we dedicate ourselves to the work of Catholic Education here in Tasmania.

This year at this Mass the theme of the Holy Spirit is captured in the prayers, readings and hymns. I would like to offer some simple reflection on the presence and activity of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. It is true, I believe, that the work of the Holy Spirit is often overlooked.

Let us begin with a comment on Christian baptism. John the Baptist said that he baptised with water for repentance, but Jesus would baptise “with the Holy Spirit and fire”[1]. Christian baptism is not just a symbolic action showing our desire to turn to God as it was in the case of the baptism that John offered, but Christian baptism is the occasion in which God empowers us with the Holy Spirit “and with fire”.

Each of us has received the Holy Spirit when we were baptised. The Holy Spirit enables us to believe and grow in faith – St Paul taught that we cannot say “Jesus is Lord” unless we have the Holy Spirit in us.

But who is the Holy Spirit? What does he do in us? How does he work in us?

The Holy Spirit is mysterious. He is invisible, silent yet real. The Scripture speaks of the Spirit as ruah, the wind. It is a good description. We cannot see the wind, but the wind is real. In fact, the way we can tell that the wind is blowing is by seeing the effects that it has – trees are moving, fallen leaves or bits of paper move across the ground. The wind can be gentle or strong.

The Holy Spirit is like the wind: invisible but real, and the Spirit is identified by his actions, his effects.

The Holy Scriptures reveal a great deal about the activity of the Spirit and the effects he has on people’s lives.

We have the defining outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost.[2] There was a sound of wind. And then there were tongues of fire. The frightened and confused apostles were wonderfully transformed. They found new courage and boldness. Peter went out on the balcony of the house and began to announce to the crowds that the man they crucified has risen from the dead!

The power of the Holy Spirit can radically transform our lives. And Christian history is full of stories of men and women who have experienced wonderful moments of grace when the Holy Spirit has come upon them. Saints were born under the influence and outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

The Acts of the Apostles tells of the early Christians receiving various spiritual gifts. Peter and John heal a cripple in the temple.[3] St Paul describes some of the ways in which the Holy Spirit was active in the early Christian Communities. He outlines, for instance, some of the spiritual gifts in his letter to the Corinthians which were obviously manifest in the community in Corinth. He speaks of gifts of preaching and teaching, of prophesy and healing and the gift of tongues.[4]

St Mark says in the final words of his Gospel – “In my name they will cast out devils, they will have the gift of tongues, they will pick up snakes in their hands, and be unharmed if they drink deadly poison; they will lay their hands on the sick who will recover”. Then St Mark adds, “they, going out, preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the signs that accompanied it.”[5] This was the experience of the early Christians.

The work of the Spirit in the life of the believer takes other forms as well. When you were confirmed you were told of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit – wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. This list is found in Isaiah 11:1-2. These gifts expressed how the Spirit would be evident in the life of the Messiah.

These same manifestations of the Spirit are intended to be expressed in our lives as followers of Jesus. They enhance the life of faith of those who receive them. They can become the foundation of our daily Christian living, as the Psalmist says, “Let your good spirit guide me in ways that are level and smooth.” [6]

The Spirit, the Lord says, is the spirit of truth[7]. The Spirit comes to us to enlighten our minds. The Spirit thus can lead us to wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, right judgement.

The Spirit also is meant to strengthen our hearts – to give us courage and lead us to a faith marked by reverence and deep awe at the wonder and glory of God.

How can the Spirit be more active within us and accomplish some of what he wants to do in us? Jesus commented that the Spirit is within, saying you will know him: he is in you[8]. But we need to open ourselves to his presence and allow him to be more active.

St Paul said to Timothy, to “fan into a flame the gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you”.[9] The other great image of the Spirit is that of fire. Tongues of fire came upon the Apostles at Pentecost.[10] It is as though each of us has a small flame, like a pilot-light burning within us. We need to fan the flame of the Spirit that abides within us.

This small pilot light can become ignited into a strong fire that burns within us. This fire of the Holy Spirit is not a fire that destroys – like our bushfires – rather it is like the fire of the burning bush that attracted Moses in the desert – it is alight and burning but does not consume the bush.

We need to ask the Holy Spirit to become strong in us. We need to ask for the gifts that only the Spirit can give us. We need to seek the guidance and enlightenment of the Holy Spirit in our thoughts, words and actions. We need to be led by the Spirit as Jesus was.

Jesus said, “Ask and you shall receive; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you”. He goes on to say, “how much more will your Father who is in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”[11]

In this Mass we invoke the Holy Spirit. I encourage you to seek the guidance and empowering of the Holy Spirit in your work in Catholic Education this year.

Archbishop Julian Porteous

Wednesday, 12 February 2025

[1] Luke 3, 16

[2] Acts 2:1-13

[3] Acts 3:1-10

[4] 1 Corinthians 12:4-11

[5] Mark 16:20

[6] Psalm 142 (143):10.

[7] John 15, 26; 16, 13

[8] John 17:26

[9] 2 Timothy 1:6

[10]  Acts 2:3

[11] Luke 11, 9-13