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St Philip’s sanctity, his joy, and his apostleship owed much to an experience he had as a relatively young man. On the vigil of Pentecost Sunday in 1544, he was spending the night in prayer in the Catacomb of St Sebastian outside Rome. Part of his prayer that night was that he might receive the Holy Spirit - and his prayer was answered in an unusual way. He had a vision of the Holy Spirit as a ball of fire, and was filled with a great sense of joy and consolation, which remained with him throughout his long life.

It’s not an experience which is likely to be granted to any of us in so literal a way, but it is a powerful reminder that the gift of the Holy Spirit was not given at Pentecost to the first Apostles, and then withdrawn. The Holy Spirit continues to be at work in the Church, whose birthday we celebrate today, and in the lives of her members, the Body of Christ. No Holy Spirit would mean no Church - it really is that simple. We, the Church, need the gifts of the Holy Spirit and that is one reason it is so appropriate that the Archbishop will confirm nearly thirty young people from the Cathedral parish during Mass today, praying that they will be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit, for their good, and the good of all the Church.

So today is a day to thank God for the gift of himself in the Holy Spirit - and also to remember that we are gifted by the Holy Spirit. The joyful sanctity of St Philip was witness to that in sixteenth century Rome. The faith of Christians in our own time, normally less exuberant though it may be, can - must - provide a witness that is no less eloquent in our own cultures and circumstances. Whether we wish to indulge in a bout of Counter-Reformation exuberance or are more restrained, today is indeed a day of joy - a joy that is not to be kept to ourselves, but generously shared.
Fr Alexander Master

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