“I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” (Jn 10,10) Jesus was sent from the Father on a life-giving mission. The mission of Jesus is to prepare us for eternal life, a life that is a share in the divine life of the Father. Life is meant to be great, abundant, everlasting and full of the abundance of the Father’s love. Too often when we think about life we think small. We make life plans that are narrow and limited because we see ourselves as small and insignificant. We measure our life in terms of our possessions and our accomplishments, but Jesus warns us that, “one’s life does not consist of possessions.” (Lk 12,15) Our lives are full of fears and anxieties that cause us to become closed and cautious, locking the doors of our hearts and closing ourselves into small, private places. Jesus comes to show us a new way of life. He lives his life without possessions and refuses every offer of public recognition. He chooses to place his trust in the Father’s grace and providential care. From the moment of his baptism, Jesus is led by the Spirit and is never alone. “The one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, because I always do what is pleasing to him.” (Jn 8,29) Jesus promises us that he will not leave us alone but that he will send the Spirit to dwell with us and to lead us into the fullness of life and joy.

The Spirit is sent to continue the life-giving mission of Jesus and to manifest his power and glory. The Spirit comes into our lives as a powerful force of transformation and new life. The invisible Spirit is manifest in visible signs of wind or breath, water and fire. These earthly elements are agents of heavenly forces. The Spirit comes into our lives and transforms our small, hidden lives into great and abundant signs of God’s presence, love and truth.

The Spirit is a strong, driving wind that blows across our lives and transforms the landscape of our lives. We don’t know where the wind comes from or where it goes but we feel its effects in our lives. Wind reminds us of wide open spaces. During the time of his public ministry, Jesus lived in wide open spaces. “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” (Mt 9,58) He taught in public spaces and gathered crowds into large fields. We have a tendency to crowd into small places with locked doors to make ourselves feel safer and to allow ourselves the illusion of control. The Spirit drives us out of our locked spaces and leads us into new freedom and strength. It gives us fresh air to breath.

The Spirit is a spring of water that is welling up from a deep source of life. The water is always fresh and new. It quenches our thirst and satisfies us. It is freely given and abundant. “All you who are thirsty, come to the water!” (Is 55,1) “As the deer longs for streams of water, so my soul longs for you, O God.” (Ps 42,2) The Spirit is a well spring of the living water of grace that gives life to those who drink of it. We drink recycled water that is costly and in short supply. God wants us to drink deeply of his Spirit of life so that we might live and no longer thirst. Jesus was a source of living water while he was among us, “If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” (Jn 4,10) “We were all given to drink of one Spirit.” (1Cor 12,13) The Spirit continues to be a spring of God’s grace freely watering the earth.

The Spirit is a fire that purifies us and transforms us in love. Jesus also came to set the world on fire. “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” (Lk 12,49) The Spirit descends upon the apostles as tongues of fire, “Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and are to rest on each one of them. And they were filled with the Holy Spirit…” (Acts 2,3) The Spirit set the hearts of the apostles on fire with love and that same fire has been burning ardently in the heart of the Church since that day.

The grace of God is poured out upon the earth through the power of the Spirit. The Spirit gives us new life, a life that is divine and eternal. The Spirit is freely given, available to all who ask for it and say: Come Holy Spirit and renew the face of the earth.