3.3.    The action of the Holy Spirit of Pentecost in the apostolic Church

            In the Trinitarian plan, established by the Father in the Son through the Holy Spirit, after the

revelation accomplished through the life, death, resurrection and Ascension of the incarnate Word, there needed to be a new phase of this divine revelation. The new period of the history of salvation was to be distinguished by a new way of the Holy Spirit’s acting. The Holy Spirit had to operate as Paraclete and as Spirit of Pentecost. (cf Lk 24:49; Acts 1:4-5;  2:1-4) The promised Holy Spirit had to confirm and advance the revealing work of Christ, who lived on the earth about thirty-three years, was crucified and buried, arose and went up to heaven and is seated at the right of the Father, awaiting to return in glory.

            The announcement of Jesus’ absence produced great sorrow in the heart of the Twelve: “because I have told you these things, sadness had filled your heart.” (Jn 16:6) For the Twelve, in fact, for that family-group of persons called to the “apostolica vivendi forma”, Jesus was the Founder, the Teacher and Lord, (cf Jn 13:13) the model, leader, person in charge, the “Paraclete”, (Jn 14:16) and like the father. (Cf Jn 13:33; 21:5) Therefore, without him, they would feel like “orphans”. (Cf Jn 14:18)

            Still, Jesus stated that his departure was necessary so that the opportune next phase could begin: “Still, I must tell you the truth: it is for your own good that I am going because unless I go, the Advocate (Consoler) will not come to you; but if I do go, I will send him to you.” (Jn 17:7)  If he was leaving, it was not for lack of love, but because he wanted them to experience the love, light, strength, guidance and consolation of the Spirit “Paraclete”:  “I shall ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you forever…” (Jn 14:16) “I will not leave you orphans.” (Jn 14:18)

            There are three formulae used to describe the arrival of the “Paraclete”, or the Spirit of Pentecost.  According to the first formula, the Holy Spirit “will come” (Jn 16:7, 13; cf Acts 2:2) or “descend upon you”. (Acts 1:8) The second formula indicates that that coming or descent will be the result of being sent by Christ, who died, rose and ascended into heaven: “And now I am sending down to you what the Father has promised;” (Lk 24:49) “the Consoler whom I will send you from the Father”; (Jn 15:26) “the Consoler, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send;” (Jn 14:26) “the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father”. (Jn 15:26) The formulae are not contradictory, but serve to express the richness of the Trinitarian harmony and emphasize different characteristics of the presence of the Holy Spirit in the Church after Pentecost.

            According to the divine plan, the Holy Spirit was, first of all, to confirm all the values of Jesus’ teaching: “the Consoler, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, he…will remind you of all that I have told you”. (Jn 14:26) Still the Holy Spirit didn’t have only the task of confirming the contents of the revelation carried out by Christ, because, by will of the Father of Christ, he had the job of helping the Twelve progress in knowledge of the truth. As a matter of fact, shortly before his departure, Jesus told his apostles: “I still have many thing to say to you but they would be too much for you now. But when the Spirit of truth comes he will lead you to the complete truth, since he will not be speaking as from himself but will say only what he has learned;” (Jn 16:12-12) According to the promise, then, the Father and the Christ who died, rose and ascended into heaven were to offer to the Holy Spirit some new elements of truth, pedagogically reserved for the period of the churches after Pentecost. After having listened to the voice of the Father and of Christ seated at his right, the Spirit would give the apostles a broader and deeper  teaching of the things of revelation: “the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything…” (Jn 14:26)

            In the complete plan of revelation, the Holy Spirit “will render testimony” (Jn 15:26) to Christ, not only recalling all that Christ had said during his earthly life, but also announcing all that the same Christ, seated at the right of the Father, will consider good to communicate to the Twelve for the good of the Church:  “He will glorify me, since all he tells you will be taken from what is mine. Everything the Father has is mine; that is why I said: all he tells you will be taken from what is mine.” (Jn 16: 14-15)

The Holy Spirit of Pentecost will thus assure the continuation of the revelation brought by Christ during his sojourn in the world.

            The Father starts the new phase of revelation, that is, the revelation in the “Paraclete”, only after the full glorification of Christ, which includes also the mystery of his assumption into heaven: (cf Jn 15:7) “there was no Spirit as yet because Jesus had not yet been glorified.” (Jn 7:39) In a harmonious vision of the events and mysteries, we cannot state that the Father and Christ sent the “Paraclete” or the Spirit of Truth on the Church when Christ was still on the cross or during his apparitions as the risen Christ, which went on for a period of “forty days”. (Acts 1:3)

            It was precisely on the day of Pentecost that the solemn realization of the promise made by the Father and by Jesus took place: “When Pentecost day came around, they had all met in one room, when suddenly they heard what sounded like a powerful wind from heaven, the noise of which filled the entire house in which they were sitting; and something appeared to them that seemed like tongues of fire; these separated and came to rest on the head of each of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak foreign languages as the Spirit gave them the gift of speech.”(Acts 2:1-4)  “Then Peter stood up with the Eleven and addressed them in a loud voice”, (Acts 2:14 with the courage of a true witness of Christ (cf Lk 24:48; Acts 1:8)