Cycle B - Year I:

24 May 2015: Pentecost Sunday
(Liturgical color: Red)

John 20:19-23


Come Holy Spirit!


Pentecost Sunday comes fifty days after the Resurrection of our Lord. That is why it is called Pentecost, from the Greek "pentekoste", which means "the fiftieth" (day after Easter).

In the very first Pentecost, the Apostles, along with Mary, the mother of Jesus, were gathered in the

Upper Room. The Scriptures tell us that "suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues..." (Acts 2:1-4)

After Jesus ascended into heaven, now it is the turn of the Holy Spirit to continue the work of Jesus through his disciples and our Holy Mother Church. The Holy Spirit, the promised gift of the Father and the Son, is the one who will gather together and unite men and women of every race and tongue in one body and one faith. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, the Apostles began their work as fishers of men.

Thus, Pentecost is the celebration of the birth of the Universal Church. So today we greet ourselves a Happy Birthday or Happy Anniversary as we mark a fresh start for all of us as the New Church, the People of God in journey toward the Father's house in heaven.

The evangelist John shares with us the Gospel for this Sunday, which speaks about the first encounter of the risen Lord with his disciples.

When the resurrected Christ appears, He offers proof of His resurrection by showing the disciples the wounds of His passion, His pierced hands and side. Then He calmed their fears and brought them peace, the peace which reconciles sinners and makes one a friend of God.

Then, Jesus commissioned His weak and timid apostles to carry the Gospel to the ends of the earth. And He breathes on them the gift of the Holy Spirit to equip His disciples with power, grace, and strength to accomplish their mission.

In our generation, today we are empowered as well by the same Holy Spirit to continue the missionary work, to face the challenges of our time, especially in matters of faith and morality.

Through the gift of faith, we proclaim that Jesus is our personal Lord and our God. For He died and rose again so that we might have new life in Him. In other words, the Lord offers each one of us new life in His Holy Spirit so that we may know Him personally and walk in this new way of life through the power of the Lord's Resurrection.

How do we "experience" the Holy Spirit in our lives today?

For example,  when we struggle to pray because of so many distractions, or perhaps when we want to pray but do not have the words, it is the Holy Spirit that links us to God and interprets our desire before Him. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI says it well: "It is the Holy Spirit who helps our inability, who enlightens our minds and warms our hearts, guiding us as we turn to God."

Let us pray for the Holy Spirit to come, and showers us with His gifts (of wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord) to keep us unwavering in our faith and remain committed to all the teachings of the Church handed down from the Apostles to the bishops and the Pope. Let us use the gifts of the Holy Spirit to build and strengthen the Church as the Body of Christ through constant prayers. Because it is through prayers that the Holy Spirit works in our humanity, strengthens our weakness and transforms us from men bound to material realities into men filled with the Spirit of Christ. Amen.

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!