COME HOLY SPIRIT, ENLIGHTEN US WITH YOUR WISDOM AND WARM US WITH YOUR LOVE

THE SOLEMNITY OF PENTECOST - John 20:19-23

On the first day of the week (Sunday), which for the Christians is the Day of the Lord, that is the Day of the Risen Christ, the disciples gathered together in secret, behind closed doors, “for fear of the Jews”. It was an incipient community, one that would quickly disintegrate and disperse, because the members of that community live in fear. The memory of Jesus - his word, the wonders he performed, his passion and death and the resurrection which they had witnessed - and the fellowship they had experienced with him were still important for them, but they would become irrelevant very soon. To overcome their fear and come out of their hiding place, they need to receive the power of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the Risen Lord, who would push and motivate them to give public witness to Jesus Christ.

The first reading (Acts 2:1-11) tells us that the disciples went through a big transformation: the outpouring of the Holy Spirit emboldened them and forced them out of their hiding place to come into the public eye and proclaim fearlessly the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus had entrusted them with the continuation of his mission: “As the Father sent me, so am I sending you.” The Church has no other mission, but the mission of Jesus: to proclaim the Kingdom of God and Jesus as the way to the Father - that is to life and salvation. This mission entrusted to the disciples goes beyond their ability. Knowing that, Jesus gave them the Holy Spirit: “He breathed on them and said: Receive the Holy Spirit.” He is the Spirit of life, the Spirit of wisdom, the Spirit of love. He is the power of God present in us so that we are enabled to carry out the mission entrusted to the Church.

The readings of the Pentecost celebration present the action of the Holy Spirit that makes the Church possible.

• He leads us to faith in Jesus Christ. Without the guidance of the Holy Spirit, it is impossible to recognise Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of the living God: “No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord’ unless he is under the influence of the Holy Spirit.” (1 Cor 12:3)
• It is the power of the Holy Spirit that gives us the boldness to proclaim the gospel and to be public witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:1-11).
• It is the Holy Spirit who congregates us in one community forgiven and reconciled in Christ. Through the Spirit, we become one body - the body of Christ.
• Born of the Spirit, we are children of God. All of us drink of one Spirit so that before God there is no room for discrimination. All have the same dignity and all are offered to share in the same inheritance - the inheritance given to the children.

Let us call on the Holy Spirit to come upon us to strengthen us in faith, hope and love:

Light immortal, light divine,

Visit thou these hearts of thine,

And our inmost being fill:

If thou take thy grace away,

Nothing pure in man will stay

All his good is turned to ill.

Heal our wounds, our strength renew

On our dryness pour thy dew

Wash the stains of guilt away:

Bend the stubborn heart and will

Melt the frozen, warm the chill

Guide the steps that go astray.

     (from the Sequence of Pentecost)