I do not know if you have noticed, but these days it is very common to come across people in public spaces: shopping centres, train stations, places with lots of foot traffic. You see them standing behind tables or displays, Bibles open, eager to share some message from their particular church or group.
Most of the time, I will walk by and get on with my day. But sometimes I stop, intrigued by what they are trying to say. Very often, they begin by asking what faith you belong to. Then they quickly move into telling you about some secret knowledge they have, some new interpretation of Scripture that will supposedly give you special access to God or spiritual fulfilment.
It is not unlike what we see from so many influencers on social media. They tell us, if you want to be rich, follow my system. If you want to be a pick-up artist, let me be your mentor. If you want to be fit and strong, subscribe to my workout plan.
You get the idea.
There is a strong current in our culture today selling the idea that access to happiness, purpose, or even to God himself, depends on finding the right formula, the right teacher, the right secret that only a select few know.
But when we look at this through the lens of faith, we see how similar this is to the confusion we read in the Old Testament, in the story of the Tower of Babel. The people say, “Let us make a name for ourselves” (Genesis 11:4). They are working to glorify themselves, building a monument to their own greatness. The result is confusion, division, and frustration.
In this Season of Pentecost in our Maronite Church, we are reminded that God does not require us to come to him through secret knowledge or elaborate systems. Through the power and action of the Holy Spirit, access to God has been opened to us all. It is not reserved for an elite few. It has been given freely.
Now, through the Holy Spirit, God’s power is alive in us. We can speak to him freely as Father. We can know Him, love Him, and serve him without confusion or fear.
Look at the contrast in Scripture. In Genesis 11, sinful people seek their own glory and are scattered in confusion. They lose their ability to “hear one another.” In Acts 2, at Pentecost, people of many languages gather. Through the power of the Spirit, they are “confused” not by division, but by the new ability to understand and hear one another in unity. A new community is born, not built on human pride but on the grace of God.
There is no secret here. What God has revealed through His Spirit, through the Holy Scriptures and the teachings of the Holy Church, Divine Revelation, is accessible to all. You will not find anything out there in the world that is more true, more joyful, or more life-giving.
In living a life empowered by the Holy Spirit, and being faithful to what the Lord has asked of us, we discover our truest purpose and joy. The Lord, in his kindness, has already given us everything we need to live a holy and wholesome life.
So what about us? What does this mean for all of us?
In a world full of people selling “power” or “paths to happiness,” we need to remember that we have already been given the greatest power known to the world. We have been given the power of God’s own Spirit.
For us as Maronites, we are called to embrace and live this extraordinary power. Not as an abstract idea, but in real and tangible ways.
First, we live the sacramental life of the church. The Holy Spirit is active in our lives through the sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist, Confession. These are not empty rituals. They are encounters with the living God.
Second, we pray daily for that power to be alive in us. We need to ask for the Holy Spirit to continue working in us. Prayer is where we open ourselves to that transforming power.
The greatest power known to humanity was given to us when we were baptised and confirmed. We are a temple of the Holy Spirit.
Now is the time to stand up in that power. Now is the time to be the witness that God has created us to be. Trust in that power. We do not need to look elsewhere. It is already alive in us.