The Holy Spirit Is Given to All but Received by Each (Sun. June 23)

The Holy Spirit Is Given to All but Received by Each (Sun. June 23) 

The word of the day is "each." Today is the momentous day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured down upon those gathered in the Upper Room. Yet as we celebrate, we might ask who it was who received the gift of the Holy Spirit at that festival. Just the twelve disciples? And who is given the Holy Spirit today? Only those whom we call the saints? In our reading of Acts 2:1-11, Luke records that when a mighty wind blew, "There appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them" (OSB vs. 3). Today we emphasize that all the baptized are given the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit does not belong to selected believers as their special possession, while the rest of us must do without the "power from on high."

The Spirit Poured Out on All

St. John Chrysostom asks the critical question of this day, "Was it upon the twelve [disciples] that it [the Holy Spirit] came. Not so, but upon the hundred and twenty," those who were gathered in the Upper Room" (NFPF 1:11, 25). Chrysostom notes that Peter quotes the prophet Joel, who said that believers of all ages would receive the Spirit. The prophet wrote, "In the last days, I will pour out my Spirit upon all:  your sons and daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams (Joel 2:29). Accordingly, the Spirit would no longer be limited to the prophets who briefly receive the inspiration of the Spirit. And it would not be restricted to the original twelve disciples of the Lord. The significance of Pentecost was that it marked the permanent and universal distribution of the Spirit made available to all who believe and are baptized.

Chrysostom says that no one should grieve that one was not specially chosen. For instance, Justus lost the election to be numbered among the twelve disciples in the place of Judas Iscariot, the betrayer (Acts 1:23-26). But no matter. Justus, like Matthias, "not merely received the grace of the Spirit, but [was] filled with the Holy Spirit" on the day of Pentecost (NfPf1:11, 25-26).

The Spirit Received by Each

Yet if we read this passage carefully, we find that though the Spirit is given to all, it must be received by each individual. When the apostles proclaim the Gospel for the first time, Luke, the writer of Acts, emphasizes that everyone heard it, "each in his own language" (vs. 8). Moreover, Peter urged the crowd, "Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (vs. 38).

In these important cases, Luke uses the Greek term translated as "each," meaning everyone (Strong's #1538, 79). But this term does not imply that the Spirit was given to the whole as if it were a general esprit de corps like the team spirit of football team fans. No, the word each means that the Spirit was given separately or serially.

Peter proclaims that each one of you must repent. That means that each of us is responsible for hearing the Word of God and responding to the Gospel. No one and no group can believe us. Peter also says that each one of you must be baptized. We can sponsor those who are candidates for baptism, but no one can be baptized for another.

Each one receives one's own gift of the Spirit, as St. Paul says, "The Holy Spirit gives different gifts to each of us according to the grace that is given to [each one] of us" (Romans 12:6). These endowments are given for the common good. Still, they are distinct to the individual (OSB 1 Corinthians 12:7). Therefore, Paul writes, "But one and the same Spirit works all these things [the various ministries of the Spirit], distributing to each one individually as He wills" (OSB 1 Corinthians 12:11).

Therefore, what unites us in Christ is not a joint hearing of the Gospel. It is not a communal baptism. It is not the same gift of the Spirit. But what joins us together in Christ is the Holy Spirit, who is dispersed among us. Thus, the hearing of faith, the New Life of baptism, and the spiritual gifts of the Spirit all come from "one and the same Spirit who works in these things" (1 Corinthians 12:11).

For Reflection

The Almighty God bestows His mercy on each one of us individually according to our particular needs. Moreover, each one of us has the same value in His sight. Each believer is an equal member of the Body of Christ. The gifts of the Spirit given to each one of us are equally needed in the Body of Christ.

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