The sending of the Holy Spirit

Today, as our Church celebrates the Solemnity of Pentecost we are invited to reflect on a passage from the letter of the apostle Paul to the Romans (8:5-27) entitled "All who are led by the Spirit of God are God's children". Our treasure, which follows, is from a treatise Against Heresies by Saint Irenaeus, bishop. Saint Irenaeus was a late second century Greek bishop noted for his role in guiding and expanding Christian communities in the southern regions of present-day France and, more widely, for the development of Christian theology. Our "treasure" today is from a passage entitled "The Sending of the Holy Spirit" wherein Saint Irenaeus teaches that the Holy Spirit is God's gift sent through Jesus Christ to bring humanity into communion with God. The Spirit prepares people to receive Christ, renews them from within, and helps them grow into the life of God. Irenaeus emphasizes that salvation is the work of the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not distant or symbolic, but actively present in the Church and in believers, guiding, sanctifying, and transforming them into the likeness of God. Of all the letters of Paul, that to the Christians at Rome has long held pride of place. It is the longest and most systematic unfolding of the apostle's thought, expounding the gospel of God's righteousness that saves all who believe; it reflects a universal outlook, with special implications for Israel's relation to the church. Yet, like all Paul's letters, Romans too arose out of a specific situation, when the apostle wrote from Greece, likely Corinth, between A.D. 56 and 58. In our first reading Saint Paul's teaches that Christians are not meant to live in fear, sin, or self-reliance, but in a loving relationship with God through the Holy Spirit. The Spirit makes us true children of God, able to call Him "Abba, Father," with trust and intimacy. As God's children, we share in Christ's life, dignity, and inheritance, and we are called to follow the Spirit's guidance, even when faithfulness involves suffering, knowing that it leads to sharing in Christ's glory.