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)

YOU WILL BE MY WITNESSES TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH

SOLEMNITY OF ASCENSION - Acts 1:1-11

Luke introduces the book of the Acts of the Apostles as a continuation of the gospel, which he wrote before. He begins with a summary of the experience of the Risen Lord: “He had shown himself alive to them after his Passion by many demonstrations: for forty days he had continued to appear to them and tell them about the kingdom of God.” The forty days period was a very special time during which the disciples felt the living presence of Jesus, thus recognising him as the Lord. The passion and death on the cross had left the disciples hopeless with a big sense of loss. How could a man dead on a cross be the Messiah? The people of Israel waited for a powerful king that would take back the throne of David, conquer the world and govern it with God’s righteousness. However, in the end, all seemed to be nor more than an illusion. That’s why the forty days experience of the living Christ was of paramount importance. Despite that, the misunderstandings persisted and they questioned Jesus about the restoration of the Kingdom of Israel: “Lord, has the time come? Are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” Up to the last moment, they were dreaming of earthly power. And Jesus’ answer was clear: “It is not for you to know times or dates that the Father has decided by his own authority”. Instead of looking for power, wealth and glory, they must prepare themselves to receive the Holy Spirit, who will enable them to become true witnesses of Jesus Christ: 

“you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and then you will be my witnesses not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judaea and Samaria, and indeed to the ends of the earth.”

Jesus entrusts his mission to the disciples - a worldwide mission - “to the ends of the earth”, which will be possible through the guidance and the power that comes from the Holy Spirit.

Then “as he said this he was lifted up while they looked on, and a cloud took him from their sight.”

In the responsorial Psalm (Ps 47), we find these words, which are applied to the Ascension of Jesus:

“God goes up with shouts of joy;

  the Lord goes up with trumpet blast.”

The cloud is also a sign of God’s presence and glory. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul explains the dimension of Jesus’ glory:

God’s power was made manifest “when he used it to raise him (Christ) from the dead and to make him sit at his right hand, in heaven, far above every Sovereignty, Authority, Power, or Domination, or any other name that can be named not only in this age but also in the age to come. He has put all things under his feet and made him, as the ruler of everything, the head of the Church” (Ep 1:20-22)

Let’s trust Jesus’ promise: The Holy Spirit will come upon us so that we may become true disciples and witnesses of Jesus. Let us prepare ourselves to the great celebration of the Pentecost, the feast of the Holy Spirit.

THE FATHER WILL GIVE YOU THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH

VI EASTER SUNDAY - John 14:15-21

The disciples were worried about the future. What would happen to them after Jesus’ departure? Jesus reassures them saying: “I will not leave you orphans; I will come back to you.” Here, Jesus is not referring to his second coming at the end of times, but to a continuous presence among his disciples. How is it going to happen? He is going to send the “Paraclete” (παράκλητος), that is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, who will be with us forever. He will work within us and within the Church, being a “Counsellor", "Helper", “Advocate”, or “Comforter”. He will guide, protect and defend the Church so that she is a faithful witness to Jesus Christ and carries out the mission entrusted to her. It is not surprising then that, after the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples, we find continuous references to the presence and the action of the Holy Spirit. The big decisions, like the opening of the Church to the gentiles (Acts 10), the mission of Paul and Barnabas (Act 13) and the council of Jerusalem (Act 15) were taken under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. He is the one who makes the community possible. The first reading (Act 8:5-8,14-17) indicates that. After the persecution in Jerusalem, the deacon Philip went to Samaria, preaching the gospel there. Many people believed and were baptised. In Jerusalem, the Apostles heard about it and sent Peter and John to confirm them in the faith. “Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.” (Act 8:17). The receiving of the Holy Spirit made them one community with the Church in Jerusalem, united under the same leadership. Without the Holy Spirit, there is no Church. He is the one who takes us to Christ, leading us to recognise Jesus as the Son of God who came to save us. He is the one who transforms us from within so that the image of Christ becomes more and more visible and present in us. He is the Spirit of love, who kindles our hearts with the fire of his love, thus cementing the communion which makes us the body of Christ. He is the one who gives us the courage, the strength and the wisdom to be true witnesses of Jesus Christ.

In his first letter (1 Peter 3:15-18), Peter advises us to “always have your answer ready for people who ask you the reason for the hope that you all have.” That is only possible under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, who teaches us what to say.

Let us prepare ourselves to celebrate the great feast of the Pentecost, preparing our hearts to welcome the Holy Spirit.

SET YOURSELVES CLOSE TO CHRIST

V EASTER SUNDAY - Acts 6:1-7

Since the very beginning, the Christian community was faced with crisis after crisis. In a normal situation, that would have caused the end of the Church. However, guided by the Spirit of the Risen Lord, the Church found in every crisis a new opportunity. The first big crisis was the result of division and discrimination in the community, between the Hebrews and the Hellenists. There were many Hebrews who had adopted Greek culture even in Jerusalem. And there were many living in the big cities outside Palestine (for instance, Alexandria, Antioch, Ephesus and Corinth), who spoke only Greek. There was a big tension between these two groups, and that manifested itself in discrimination, which led to present a complaint before the Apostles: “in the daily distribution their own widows were being overlooked” (Act 6:1). The Apostles listened to the grievances presented to them and called “a full meeting of the disciples” in order to find a solution. This crisis created the opportunity to organise the community, sharing and distributing the different tasks (ministries) within the community.

In his first letter, Peter speaks of a “spiritual house”, which has Jesus Christ as its foundation and then is built with the “living stones”, leaving it clear that we are those living stones, forming with Christ one body. We must remain “close to him” so that we become as “the holy priesthood that offers the spiritual sacrifices” to God, in union with the only sacrifice that is “acceptable to God” (1 Pet 2:5), the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. 

The Church, although made of people, is very different from any other groups made of people. The Church is built upon Christ, who is the only point of reference, and so it belongs to Christ. Without Christ, the Church is meaningless. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. It is in him that we find peace and meaning. It is in him that we find the Way to the Father, to hour home in heaven, built by God himself. So, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God still, and trust in me.” (Jn 14:1).

THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD

IV EASTER SUNDAY - John 10:1-10

We are going through difficult times, surrounded by very dark clouds and with an uncertain future ahead. The coronavirus pandemic took the world by surprise and, so far, the most affected countries are the rich ones. We took good life for granted and we behaved as if we were at the top of the world. The pandemic has shown that life is the most precious gift; however, it is a very fragile gift, which must be taken good care of. Life has to be nurtured, protected and defended. This pandemic has shown to us in uncertain terms that our life depends on the life of the others. I cannot have a meaningful life alone, excluding the others or putting their lives in danger.

In this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus makes clear the purpose of his coming: “I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full.” We came so that we find meaning and purpose for our lives. In communion with him, our lives are worthy of living. and we can be at peace with ourselves since we are at peace with the others and with God. In order to explain his role in our lives, Jesus resorts to the old prophetic language of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, where they refer to the people of Israel as God’s flock and to their political and religious leaders as the shepherds. Jesus speaks as well of the sheep, the sheepfold and the shepherd. The sheep (the true people of God - his disciples) recognise his voice and listen to him. Jesus presents himself both as the gate and as the shepherd. He is the gate since only through him we can find life to the full. He is the only way to God. He is the only Saviour. Only through this gate can we enter the Kingdom of Heaven. If we try other gates, we are out of the way, we got lost and will not find true life and salvation. Jesus presents himself as well as the Good Shepherd, the one cares for the sheep and gives his life for them, so that they may find a place of rest. And all shepherds - that is all kinds of leaders - must look to Jesus as their role model, putting themselves totally at the service of the others. The attitude of service is the only attitude that makes peace possible. When we walk along that path, we can find life to the full, because we will share in the resurrection fo Christ.