Gospel: Pentecost Sunday

Today marks the end of the Eastertide with the celebration of Pentecost Sunday. The Gospel for today is lifted from St John's.

In the evening of the same day, the first day of the week, the doors were closed in the room where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews. Jesus came and stood before them. He said to them, "Peace be with you," and after saying this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy at seeing the Lord, and he said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father sent me so I am sending you. After saying this, he breathed on them and said: Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone's sin, they are forgiven; if you retain anyone's sin, they are retained.

The Gospel today tells us about the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God, the Spirit of Truth, has an important role in the church and in Christian life. In today's second reading, St Paul said that we may have different gifts, but it is the same Spirit. Nobody can say Jesus is Lord except in the Holy Spirit. All of our gifts came from the same God, so that no one can boast.

Our salvation started with the Holy Spirit conceiving Christ Jesus in the womb of the Blessed Mother. After his passion, Jesus rose from the dead with the promise that he will send the Holy Spirit to guide us, and what has been told about our faith now has been told by the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

The Pentecost allowed our physical bodies to be the living temple of the Holy Spirit. After the resurrection of Jesus, we have become worthy like the immaculate Virgin, with the Spirit of Truth living in us. By this very fact, we become instruments of God's love as much as we can do things through the strength of God. The promise of Easter lives in our hearts that allows us to make Jesus known by our charity, and proclaim the greatness of God through our talents.

It is very impossible to know Jesus, to seek God, without the Holy Spirit. Our understanding is limited, our eyes are closed to what we know, so what we seek to comprehend about the will of God is principally anchored on what the Spirit of Truth reveals to us. Unless Jesus opens our eyes, grant us listening, and purify our hearts, we will never understand what God has promised through his resurrection.

Pentecost also marks the beginning of the ministry of the disciples, and is generally considered the birthday or anniversary of the Catholic Church. As the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples, God granted them many gifts that allowed them to preach what Jesus has commanded. Until today, the Holy Spirit continues to guide the church and the faithful into the right direction. Through the Holy Spirit, the sacraments take its efficacy, proclaim the magisterium, and sanctify the Eucharist.

x----x

The Gospel reflection is sponsored by Greenwich Pizza.