Pentecost Sunday

Homily on May 19, 2024.

Cycle B

Acts 2:1-11; Ps 104; 1Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13; Sequence; Jn 20: 19-23.

"Receive the Holy Spirit"

There are many writings about the Holy Spirit, and sometimes it is difficult for Christians to understand who He is. Usually, when we pray, it is easier to address Jesus or the Father. However, the Holy Spirit is an experience—a love that originates from the Father and the Son and pours into our hearts as God's love. The Holy Spirit has always existed and manifested in the world since creation [1]. The Holy Spirit manifests order in the middle of chaos, cleaning, purity, and peace.

We are living in a chaotic society; there is a lot of division. Despite the internet's ability to connect us, we remain disconnected. We are witnesses to a lot of global issues, such as wars, environmental problems, poverty, and others. However, all those problems came from evil, and sometimes we open our hearts to division and lose gladness. But the Lord wants the best for us; He poured out the Holy Spirit on us to make us glad and full; He is the best of comforters; the soul's most welcome guest; sweet refreshment here below.

The Holy Spirit is not an individual gift; he is a community gift because he establishes a new order among us. The Christian community was uncertain because they were waiting for the Lord's gift after Jesus' ascension. They had the resurrection experience, but in the middle of society, they did not feel the power to proclaim the new order from God. We listened as the Holy Spirit manifested in the Christian community, pouring forth in their tongues like fire and "filling them all, enabling them to speak in various tongues." The reading of the acts reminds us that the apostles communicated and proclaimed the new order among different cultures.

They began to proclaim the Holy Spirit's languages, and as we listened to the reading, everyone could understand them. The passage mentioned that the people from different cultures affirmed, “We hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty act of God." It means that the disciples proclaimed patience, peace, clarity, and love among the people. This is because love is both the Holy Spirit's tongue and the universal language of all creatures.

Brothers and sisters, today the Holy Spirit presents us with a liturgy to remind us that he is with us in our daily lives. The Holy Spirit was there when we felt the embrace of one beloved person, received consolation from someone, enjoyed a gathering, or received any gesture of love or peace from someone else.

The Catholic Church tradition, on the other hand, has assigned this passage from Acts as the church foundation; however, why was the foundation necessary? It is because God wants the gospel to spread in every place. In this context, we listened to Jesus say to his apostles, “Peace be with you. As the father has sent me, so I send you.” There is not a church that has a mission; there is a mission that has one church. The Holy Spirit invites us as apostles to embark on a mission, and we understand that we are not alone.

"Receive the Holy Spirit. You forgive the sins of others, and you retain the sins of those you forgive." This implies that God's love is not just a gift but also a task; that is, we must share the Holy Spirit's gift with others. The church's work is to share the love of God, which is the form in which the holy spirit works through the church.

More than ever, our world needs the tongue of the Spirit, and the Holy Spirit has chosen us to spread the gospel. “Lord, send out your spirit and renew the face of the earth.” The psalm told us that in our ordinary lives, we can manifest the gift of the Holy Spirit through our gestures, sharing love, peace, and compassion with others.

The Holy Spirit poured out of you and renewed your lives.

[1] Gn 1:2. “Now the earth was a formless void, there was darkness over the deep, and God’s spirit hovered over the water”.