The Holy Spirit

Week 3: Thursday

Reading

Acts 2.37-42

Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what should we do?’ Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.’ And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, ‘Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.’ So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Reflection

In today’s reading we encounter the first converts to Peter’s message. We begin to see that they devote themselves to the teaching of the apostles, a central part of which is that upon repenting of their sins, believing in Jesus, and being baptised, they would receive the Holy Spirit.

This emphasis on the Holy Spirit in these early moments of Christian history is vital for later doctrinal developments. We now stand on centuries of reflection which have rested on the fact that the Holy Spirit is indeed the third person of the Trinity. However, there is more to be done and more to understand about how the Spirit operates in the world. Black Spirituality reminds us that “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4.24).

Watch

Consider how your understanding of the Holy Spirit has developed over time.

...and pray

for a stronger and deeper relationship with the Holy Spirit in your life.

Copyright © The Archbishops’ Council 2024.