Reflection for Pentecost Sunday

Pentecost Sunday marks the conclusion. Of the fifty days of the Easter Season and the inauguration of the mission of the Church by the power of the Holy Spirit. Even though Pentecost celebrates the manifestation of the Spirit, we recognize the hidden workings of the Spirit from the moment of creation. The Spirit of God that brought about the creation of Adam is the same Spirit that created the new spiritual life of the disciples at Pentecost, and the same Spirit that comes to us through Baptism and Confirmation. With Pentecost, the Spirit becomes visible through the gifts of the Church, gifts given to individual members for the common good of all.
The Hebrew meaning of the term Spirit means breath, air, or wind( Catechism of the Catholic Church # 691). The title Holy Spirit , used by the Catholic Church, evokes the sense of God’s divine breath. The metaphor of breath is indeed an excellent representation of the Holy Spirit to which we can easily relate in a number of ways. Breath is invisible . We cannot detect its presence through sight, yet we ca detect its presence through our other senses. Breath is essential to life. Emerging from the womb, the first act of a newborn is to take in that crucial primary breath. The air and the wind are carriers of seeds, water, and soil which provide for the regeneration of God’s natural creation. Breath, air, and wind are essential for life. As the Psalmist wrote, “If you take away their breath, they perish and return to their dust, when you send forth your spirit, they are created and you renew the face of the earth.” The invisible breath of God is essential for our life in Christ.
Paul in his letter to the Corinthians, zeros in on a key condition to following Jesus: the acceptance and recognition the gifts of the Holy Spirit working in the lives of the baptized. While there are many gifts, different works, and various ministries, there is only one and the same Spirit that bestows on each person gifts for the common good of the entire community. Filled with the Holy Spirit all can say Jesus is Lord. We, too, are faced with the need to recognize the Spirit at work in our community, and to share our gifts for the common good so that we can live as one body in Christ.
In today’s Gospel reading, St. John givers his version of the coming of the Spirit. On the first day, that is the day of Resurrection – the first Easter Sunday- as the disciples ares gathered in fear in a locked room, Jesus greeted them with peace acknowledging God’s abundant blessings on them. He bestowed the divine breath, the Holy Spirit, on the disciples and gave them the authority to bind and loose people’s sins. The death and resurrection of Jesus ushered in the new age of the Church. The Church in turn was given the Holy Spirit as guide, unifier, and source of life, and the Apostles and their successors were given the authority to cary out the work of the Spirit. Knowing that God will give the Church the gifs she needs to cooperate with the work of the Spirit, we have the courage and strength to pray, lord send out your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.”
May God bless you all
Fr. Dominic
Your brother in Christ