“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses.” (Acts 1:8)
The Acts of the Apostles, written by the evangelist Luke, opens with the promise Jesus made to the Apostles before his return to the Father: God will give them the strength they need to continue proclaiming and building his kingdom in history.
This does not mean they will have the power to organize a military coup or set up political and social groups that work in opposition to one another. Instead, Jesus’ words refer to the profound work of God’s spirit in the hearts of those who have received him, making them become “new people.”
Shortly afterwards, the Holy Spirit was to descend on the disciples who were gathered together with Mary. The disciples would then spread Jesus’ message, starting from the holy city of Jerusalem to the “ends of the earth.”
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses.”
The Apostles, and indeed all disciples of Jesus, are sent as “witnesses.”
In fact, once Christians discover through Jesus what it means to be a child of God, they also realize they have been “sent out.” Our vocation and identity as children of God are fulfilled in mission, in going out towards other people, seeing them as brothers and sisters.
We are all called to be apostles who bear witness with our lives and then, if necessary, do so with words too.
We become witnesses when we make Jesus’ lifestyle our own. This means having an attitude of acceptance and sharing towards the people we meet every day: in our family or at work, when studying or relaxing. It means having at heart the Father’s plan for all people — to live as one family.
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses.”
All Christians receive the gift of the Holy Spirit when they are baptized. But the Spirit also speaks in the conscience of all those who sincerely seek what is good and true. That is why all of us can make room in our lives for the spirit of God and allow ourselves to be guided.