Faith is not just an individual endeavor, it involves a community. Joe Nolla, SJ, reflects on Pentecost, when we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit sent to enliven an entire community of believers. Based on the readings for Pentecost Sunday, May 28, 2023.
We can’t expect to receive the Holy Spirit if we try to go about it alone.
I’m Joseph Nolla and this is my One-Minute Reflection.
There is an idea in some New Age spiritualities, and even among some Christians, that one’s relationship with God is just a matter between you and God; it concerns nobody else but the two of you. Yet we see in the Scriptures that God prefers to work within a community of believers.
“When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together.”
And in John’s Gospel, Jesus doesn’t give the Holy Spirit to the Apostles individually, but when they’re gathered together. Even in our own cases, we can’t just baptize and confirm ourselves.
The Trinity itself is a community, bonded by the Spirit, that builds up the Church community, united in the Spirit, and is sent out to bring others into the community, called by the Spirit. Because we don’t just exist for God, we exist for each other.
