John 20:19-23
19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you. ”22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”Peace be with you...Receive the Holy Spirit.
Peace be with you...Receive the Holy Spirit.
Since the first centuries, the Church celebrates Pentecost as the fulfillment of our Christian faith. Starting with the creation, the text suggests the presence of a Trinitarian God in One Person. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.... and the Spirit of God was hovering over the water.... and God said, "Let there be light" and there was light” Genesis 1:1-3. God the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit created the heavens, earth, light and the whole creation.
The Holy Spirit is present wherever Jesus is. He is sent by the Father and operating in His name.
Among the most important events where the New Testament mentions the Holy Spirit are:
+ The Annunciation, Luke 1:35
+ Jesus’ baptism followed by the temptations, Luke 3:22, 4:1
+ Jesus' dialog with Nicodemus, John 3:5
+ Jesus teaching at the Synagogue in Nazareth, Luke 4:18
+ Jesus promising the Holy Spirit, John 16:13-14
+ Jesus breathing the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of sins, John 20:22-23
+ Jesus sending the disciples to teach and baptize in the Name of the Holy Trinity, Matthew 28:18-20
+ The Disciples, with the Mother of Jesus, praying to receive the Holy Spirit, Acts 1:14
+ The day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descends upon the Disciples, Acts 2:1-4
The first Baptism performed on the day of Pentecost is known as day of the Birth of the Church. "Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day” Acts 2:41.
The message of the first Church council in Jerusalem was "It seems good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements" Acts 15:28. "Your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you" 1 Corinthians 6:19.
Hopefully, we will read, reflect on these references in their given occasions, and meditate on the significance for us today, praying to remember that "we are temples of the Holy Spirit, thanks to the grace of Baptism.”
Being the temples of the Holy Spirit as a Church and as a Church member, we are to fulfill the empowerment the Lord has entrusted to us through the fruits of the Spirit that we live. St. Paul specifies these fruits in his letter to the Galatians, 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."
Pentecost day is the day of reminding us of who we are and what message we have as Christians today. “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" Acts 1:8.
From Jerusalem, where churches from all around gather to celebrate Pentecost, let us join together to worship the Holy Spirit. We ask for a fervent spiritual renewal and a real readiness to listen to Holy Spirit, who reminds us of Jesus' Person and Model for our lives.
Come Holy Spirit and renew our faith, hope and charity, in Jesus' name we pray.
