THE SPIRIT OF EASTER

On the day of Jesus' death, Peter denied Him three times. Even after Jesus' resurrection, Peter disobeyed Him and went back to fishing for fish (Jn 21:3) instead of fishing for men and women (see Mt 4:19).

After receiving the Holy Spirit, however, Peter became a new person. He fearlessly obeyed the Lord even to being thrown into prison. At his trial before "Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly class" (Acts 4:6), Peter defied the religious leaders. He proclaimed that "Jesus is 'the Stone rejected by you the builders Which has become the Cornerstone' " (Acts 4:11). The Holy Spirit transformed Peter from a coward into a powerful evangelist and the fearless leader of the newborn Church.

For Jesus' death to set us free and His resurrection to empower us, we need the Holy Spirit. To truly celebrate Easter as soon as possible, we need Pentecost as soon as possible. We don't have to wait for the Father and Son to pour out the Spirit on us. They are waiting for us to repent of our sins by which we have stifled the Spirit (1 Thes 5:19). Then we will receive the Spirit (Acts 2:38). We will no longer deny and disobey Jesus, but celebrate and proclaim Him risen from the dead. Alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit. Jesus is risen!