Among the three Persons of the Blessed Trinity, we know the Holy Spirit the least. It is not our fault. After all, the Blessed Trinity is a mystery. Indeed, the whole book of the Acts of the Apostles shows how the perception of the believers in the early Church gradually evolved in their understanding of the Holy Spirit. Thus the Acts of the Apostles is rightly called the Gospel of the Holy Spirit.
At the beginning, the Holy Spirit manifested itself as physical energies: a loud sound, strong wind and tongues of fire (Acts 2:2-3). Gradually, a personality was developed, or rather say, the believers began to perceive the Holy Spirit as a person. Ananias dropped dead because he lied to the Holy Spirit (5:3-5). One cannot tell lie to pure energy, right? Finally, the Holy Spirit started talking, telling Philip the deacon to go up and join the chariot of an Ephiopian eunuch (8:29). At this point, the personhood of the Holy Spirit is established. The Father spoke "Let there be light!". The Son spoke "How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" and the Holy Spirit spoke "Go up and join this chariot." The Christian God is one in three persons!
Today, I heard three different homilies on the Pentecost. The one that impresses me most is that delivered by Fr. John Wotherspoon in the Tai Lam Women Prison. He told us the story of an Italian school boy who had study problems. His father advised him to pray to the Holy Spirit before his homework, before class, before exams etc. Gradually, the boy made advances in school, in university, in seminary and became a priest, a bishop, a cardinal and finally Pope Paul VI. Fr. Wotherspoon himself says a very short prayer "Come Holy Spirit come." for the last three decades. It helps him a lot in his missionary work. He encourages us, inmates and volunteers to do the same. It works.
Furthermore, he suggests us seeing the Holy Spirit in water of all forms. When we get up from the bed and wash our faces, imagine that it is the Holy Spirit that refreshes us. When we drink, let the Holy Spirit quench our thirst. When we take a shower, let the Holy Spirit cleanse us and caress us. Let us praise the Holy Spirit when it rains, when we see the stream or river or the sea ... The image of water will definitely help us see the Holy Spirit in a more understandable way.
Remember, it is the Holy Spirit who helps us pray, help us understand the teachings of Christ. The Holy Spirit sanctifies us, strengthens us, sends and accompanies us to evangelize the world. When Jesus told us to forgive, it is with the power of the Holy Spirit that we may overcome our selfishness in order to release ourselves as well as our brethen. Throughout our Christian life, the Holy Spirit is closer to us than we know all the time.
Come, Holy Spirit come. Renew the face of the earth and kindle in our heart the desire to love God and our fellow men. Amen.
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