The Holy Spirit – the Third Person of the Trinity

Homily for the Solemnity of Pentecost

Today we celebrate the solemnity of Pentecost, the final movement in the symphony that we call the Paschal Mystery. We remember that Jesus has left us the Holy Spirit to sanctify, advise, counsel, and teach those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ, the Savior of humankind. We refer to the Holy Spirit as the third person in the Holy Trinity, three persons in one God. In the Nicene Creed, we profess belief in the Holy Spirit, “the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.” This dogma tells us that the Holy Spirit is divine, that the Spirit is to be adored and glorified, and that it was the Spirit which inspired the prophets and patriarchs of the Hebrew Scriptures.

This morning I think it would be helpful if we talked about the fact that the Holy Spirit is the third person in the Trinity. Ordinarily, in our culture, someone or something that is regarded as the third, is ranked after the first and the second. In athletic competition, the person who is third receives a bronze medal while the first and second competitors receive the gold and silver medals. In a horse race, the horse that comes in third is said to have shown. However, when we speak of the Holy Spirit, we are not trying to rank the Spirit as lesser than the first and the second. In this case, being number three is an important and vital part of our faith tradition.

Consider the first person, namely, God the Father. The children of Israel worshipped one God and, consequently, were called monotheists. The number one is important. When we say something is “one,” we immediately speak of unity, of uniformity, of singleness and priority. These are all good things. However, there is a darker side to the number one. “One” can become monolithic. We see this in the culture and society of our Hebrew brothers and sisters. Because they worship one God and because they saw themselves as the Chosen People of the one God, they excluded all others. They did not allow for any diversity. All people who professed the Hebrew faith were expected to eat the same food, to obey the same commandments, and to circumcise all their males. Those who did not follow these expectations were simply regarded as “those who were far off.” The Pharisee St. Paul uses that term in his Letter to the Ephesians. He tells the citizens of Ephesus that they are not considered “those who were far off” by the people who follow Jesus Christ.

Then we consider the second person, namely, God the Son. When Jesus came among us, he taught his disciples that he was one with the Father; that when they saw him, they saw the Father. He constantly reminded his followers that his words were the words that had been given to him by the Father and that the works that he did were the works of the Father. In other words, he was in a relationship with God. This is the beauty of the word “two.” Relationship is the quest of every human being. From the moment of our birth, from the moment that a him doctor or father cuts the cord that connects us to our mother, we constantly seek another companion. At first, we seek relationship with our parents. However, as we grow and mature, we look further afield for our relationships. For most human beings that relationship is found in a mate. However, for those who remain celibate, a relationship is forged either with a good friend or, in the case of priests and religious, with God. However, just as in the case with one, there is also an inherent danger in two. When there are two, there is the possibility of confrontation, division, discord and alienation.

This is where the third person enters into the conversation. The Holy Spirit, the third person in the Divine Trinity, is quite literally the love that exists between the first and the second. God the Father loves God the Son and that love becomes a person in and of itself. It is love that reconciles division. It is love which brings people of differing opinions together. It is love that forms a community.

This is exemplified perfectly in the first reading for today’s Mass. St. Luke goes to great lengths to show us the diversity that exists in the Jewish people who had gathered in Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost. Pentecost was originally a Jewish feast on which Jewish people from around the world would come together to celebrate the giving of the covenant on Mount Sinai. St. Luke enumerates the many different people who make up this community and tells us that though they speak different languages, come from different social backgrounds, honor different cultures, they all hear the language of faith as if it were their own. Through this story, St. Luke tells us that the Holy Spirit has reconciled these people and set aside the ancient curse of the Tower of Babel.

St. Paul also teaches us in terms of the number three. He tells us that there are different gifts, different forms of service, and the different works; but all three – gifts, forms of service, and works – come from God the Holy Spirit. The occasion that gave rise to this particular letter and this particular line of thought was a conflict that had arisen in the Christian community of Corinth. Various people were claiming that their gift, their form of service, or their work was more important than the others. For instance, those who were given the gift of interpreting the gift of tongues said that their form of service was more important than the gift of tongues itself. Using the analogy of the human body, St. Paul teaches us that just as every function of the body is different but necessary, every gift, form of service, and type of work are necessary in the Church. Quite literally, St. Paul uses the Holy Spirit to resolve this conflict.

Finally, we come to St. John’s Gospel, a shortened version of the Gospel that we hear on Easter Sunday. Jesus breathes on the gathered disciples and imparts the Holy Spirit and tells them that it is given to them for the forgiveness of sins. Once again, we are reminded that the Holy Spirit is the personification of the love that exists between the Father and the Son, for we all know that it is love that makes it possible for us to forgive. As we gather in prayer today, we cry out, “Come, Holy Spirit, renew the face of the earth,” the face of your people and help us recognize that it is you who unites us in our diversity.