Fr. Richard OMOLADE

The Comforter has come, the Holy Ghost from heaven. This is a fitting comment for the end of the Easter season. The line from that beautiful hymn to the Holy Spirit is both a fitting conclusion and a ray of hope. Beleaguered with myriads of problems, we can at least breathe in some relief that someone is with us to pass through the difficulties, the Holy Spirit Himself. This is an indication that we are no longer talking about material realities but about spiritual matters. 

The Comforter has come, the promised gift of God. With everything happening in the world right now, we need the Comforter.  This is particularly true for us in Nigeria, where desperation is gradually creeping in on many.  Desperate people are angry people and angry people are bereft of ideas and are lacking in clear vision. The scars of the year are piling up and the laments of the people are hardly heard by the leader. Truly, where do we find solace in the midst of the woes in the land?

With the Holy Spirit, we can breathe a sigh of relief. The Spirit has always been with God’s people, but He comes quietly and gently, and many miss the opportunity. While the Israelites were looking for a political messiah, Jesus Christ came as a humble servant. Even today, we are still looking for political messiahs, when no one is worthy.  The people therefore deserve the leaders they get because we have not searched diligently. How many people today truly yearn for God and godly people?  Brilliance is no longer appreciated but tricksters and devious and cunny leaders are cheered to high heavens. Hence, when the pains begin, why would the comforter come when we have not utilized his gift of discernment to choose the good.

The Comforter, the Holy Spirit is the gift of God to humanity, therefore, He must be what we need.  Is this what we yearn for? Is this the desire of the nations? Until we truly yearn for God, we may not be able to create a truly comfortable world. To yearn for God means to be above board, to be spiritual and desire to live like God, in love and peace with the neighbour.  This is a recipe for good interpersonal relationship that is still grossly lacking among us as many are self-absorbed and egocentric. The Holy Spirit is the bond between the Father and the Son and in the process, is also the principle of animation for the whole, God’s creation. The Holy Spirit is the breathe of the life? Can people say this about you and me, that we give life to people even in a metaphorical sense?  Do we enhance the quality of life of our people or do our actions make like much more difficult for them? When you meet with people, how glad are they?  Are you a welcomed guest, or a disdained tormenter? The Comforter has come, the people sang because in his presence, all evil is burnt away, hope is restored, and new life erupts.

Who is your comforter? Or is this a wrong question to ask people who are faced with terror on all sides and hunger at home? Comforters are not yet available because we are yet to build a foundation that holds the society together. Our awareness of God must be sharpened and our knowledge of who we are must change. God is God and able to shape and transform life, we must give him the chance to lead us. And as human beings, we must recognize the fact that we came from God and made by him, it is his spirit that is in us, we are not just materials to be used and discarded. We are sacred unto the Lord; this realization is itself consoling. Because I am a being, I share in the divine life, the Holy Spirit imbues me with life and power, my timidity and doubts are burnt away. I am not only comforted, but I also become comfort-giving- being – indeed, I am in grief until the people around me are comforted.  If the Spirit lives is in me, although the body be a dead things, I am alive through Christ.

 

The comforter has come, the Holy Spirit, he is here to animate us. Let us also enter the world anew and animate the world with the graces we have received. Let us transform the world and make it a place of refuge for the poor and the weak. If the Comforter has come, then we must get up from our slumber and spread the joy of Christ. The time has come to sow hope, spread it and ensure that more people live with hope and have a positive outlook to life. The Comforter has come, what about you? When will you come to bring comfort and hope to your neighbour?