When the disciples were distressed about Jesus ascending into heaven, he assured them, “It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you” (John 16:7). That Advocate is the Holy Spirit. If Jesus had stayed in the grave, the Holy Spirit would have had no reason to enter the lives of disciples. But Jesus lives, and it makes a difference. The Spirit provides faith and purpose for life.  Pentecost, the celebration of the special arrival of the Holy Spirit, is the third great festival of the Church, along with the Nativity and the Resurrection. Pentecost closes the fifty-day period after Easter and ends the festival half of the church year. The Church dresses in red on this day to commemorate the tongues of fire that marked the Spirit’s gift as well as the blood of the martyrs.

Without the resurrection of Jesus, I would be tempted to live only for myself. After all, I have to be in good shape before I can be of help to anyone else, right? I think I know what’s right for me, and I can identify when other people are standing in the way of my self-improvement. If Jesus is dead, I don’t have to worry about what he said or what he thinks. But he lives, and it makes a difference. He takes care of my basic needs. He promises to do more for me than I can imagine. He puts people into my life so I can help them. Now I live for him.