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Pentecost Sunday

The Holy Spirit, Jesus’s Spirit, God’s Spirit, is the Advocate, who stands with us, for us, and through us.

Gospel according to John 20:19-23

It was evening on the day Jesus rose from the dead, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews. Jesu came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’

Stained glass window representing Pentecost - Photo credit: falco on Pixabay

Reflections

“The first day of the week,” the first day after the Sabbath, on a Sunday, after the Resurrection, Jesus appeared again to the disciples in Jerusalem. It was the evening, and they were all gathered together (John 20:19). Jesus came and standing among them, He breathed on them His Spirit, with the words: “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’” (John 20:23).

But wait a minute: The Acts of the Apostles describes the actions of the apostles following Jesus Ascension, and the Holy Spirit’s descent at Pentecost in tongues of fire which followed a strong gust of wind:” …From heaven there came as sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house with where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them” (Acts 2:2-3). The power of the Holy Spirit gave courage to the disciple to stand in front of large crowds and speak different languages (Acts 2:4). This account in the Acts is attributed to Luke, the author of the Gospel of Luke, a physician and a companion of Paul. (1) Luke’s Gospel ends with the Ascension of Jesus, after which we find this account of Pentecost in the Acts of the Apostles.

The Gospels of Mark and Matthew also end with Jesus’ Ascension. Matthew adds the Great Commissioning that Jesus imparts on the disciples at the time of the Ascension:” Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age’” (Matthew 28:19-20).

Clearly, the account in John’s Gospel, according to which Jesus appeared to the disciples and breathed His Spirit upon them, is different from Luke’s report of Pentecost in the Acts, where we read of wind and fire and the Spirit descending on the disciples in tongues of what appears like flames. In John’s account, Jesus words not only give courage to the disciples to proclaim the Gospel, but He gives them a mandate. As Jesus is instituting the pillars and the establishment of the church, he gives his disciples authority to forgive and to retain sins, which will be honored in heaven. The forgiveness of sins is significant promise because according to the faith tradition of both Christian and Jewish beliefs, only God himself can forgive sins. (2) Therefore, by conferring this authority on the disciples, Jesus is sending them as ministers of God, with Divine authority. (3)

Let us recall, after the resurrection and Ascension, Jesus is no longer in two natures as during his life on Earth, fully human and fully God, but he now has the attributes of God. His human spirit is fully united with that of God’s and through Him the Spirit of God can enter the world. He is no longer limited by time and space; he is no longer subject to death, and suffering, and he is fully united to the wisdom and love of God the Father.

From this position, having completed his mission of Earth, and ascended to be with the Father, as the Son, the King of Kings, and the High Priest, He confers the priestly ministry upon His disciples. He breathes on them the Holy Spirit--his Spirit--the Spirit of God. In this Spirit, the Holy Spirit, God abides with the disciples always, to the ends of the Earth.

Breath, or pneuma in the tradition, is the symbol of inspiring new life, “…the continuous gift of life.” (4) We read a similar chapter in Genesis, where God breathed His Spirit into lifeless matter and made it alive (Genesis 2:7). Fire and wind are the symbols of God’s power, “…the transforming energy of the Holy Spirit’s actions.” (5) There are many symbols that the Scriptures use as images of the Holy Spirit, such as fire, air, wind, water, dove, and oil. (5) To understand the reasons why one can use different symbols of various occasions to represent the Holy Spirit, we can consider the following observation:

“The symbols of the Holy Spirit help us to imagine the invisible Holy Spirit. They are aids. The Holy Spirt is not air or water. We are not pantheists. However, God is present in nature by his power, presence and essence. Moreover, the Holy Spirit does truly indwell in our souls by sanctifying grace.” (5)

This reason may explain the use of different imagery, but still leaves the question open as to what happened at Pentecost? Are the accounts contradictory; do they come from eyewitnesses as opposed to secondary sources; should we take them symbolically; or is there another explanation for the two accounts?

According to Church tradition, there were two instances when the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples. (6) The first time, shortly after Jesus’ Resurrection, where He breathed his Divine Spirit upon them, as if to breathe new life into creation; and the second time at Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, descended in audible and visible form, in the form of wind and tongues of fire, to initiate the actions of the Church. This is why the first description, Jesus standing among the disciples and breathing on them, in part of the Gospel texts, whereas the Acts contain the actual events of Pentecost: the start of the activities of the Church as the Body of Christ on earth—the birth of the Church. (7)

We see that this gradual, two-stage reception of the Holy Spirit, followed a pattern: First, the breath of Christ instituted the ministers of the Church who can forgive or retain sins and therefore heal the souls. It gave courage to the disciples by breathing new life into them, re-fashioning them for a purpose. Next, the Holy Spirit in visible signs gave them energy which empowered them to carry out their mission. So, we observe this gradual preparation and formation that the disciples received through education, lived experience, witnessing, followed by divine institution and commissioning. They were enabled for this task, and they were empowered for it.

Years later, decades later, and millennia later, the body of the Church, as established by Jesus, bears the marks of the structure desired by Jesus: The Catholic Church is led by the Pope, the successor of Peter. The Pope appoints Cardinals and Bishops for the service of ecclesial communities around the world. The communities are served by priests and religious who work along with and equip the faithful to serve God in a pleasing way and participate in spreading the message of the Gospel. In the Catholic Church, the sacrament of reconciliation is available for the forgiveness of sins and to restore our relationship with God when it has been broken or damaged. The sacrament of the Eucharist is the presence of Jesus himself. The sacrament of confirmation imparts the power of the Holy Spirit on the Faithful, so they can feel and share the love of God.

Today, the Holy Spirit may not come in gusts of wind and fire, but more like a gentle breeze and a whisper. Why? Maybe because in order for us to participate in the plan of God, we need to be renewed and given courage. The Holy Spirit, Jesus’s Spirit, God’s Spirit, is the Advocate, who stands with us, for us, and through us. (8)

Not all of us enter the priestly ministry or religious orders. Some of us get married, and some of us remain single. The Spirit gives each of us the strength that we need in our conditions and circumstances, guides and corrects us, comforts us, defends us, “…throughout our life…like a faithful and trusted friend.” (9) Jesus, from the heart of God, accompanies our journey and the Holy Spirit as our Paraclete, or advocate, speaks for us, with us, and through us as we prepare for our mission, receive formation, and commissioning to serve in the world (John 14). All this happens not without our will, but slowly, gradually, with our cooperation and making ourselves available to the Word of God.

God works in the depths of our souls—mysteries such as these are not ordered, commanded, graded, prized, cancelled or denied. Hidden from the eyes of publicity, public stunts, politics, influencers, or money-making enterprises, and schemes, the world of God is a super-natural reality which affects the hearts and minds of the faithful.

We have visible signs of Jesus’ work that remains in place two thousand years later. There are cathedrals, churches, basilicas and chapels. These are spectacular buildings, some with beautiful decoration and ornaments. But what matters more than these buildings is the Spirit within them, and the quiet, hidden, but sure work of the Spirit in the lives of each and every one of us; The good that we do in the world.

Relentless, invigorating, or protecting, “God’s Spirit is alive and well- let those who will hear, hear,” said the Lord to Ezekiel (Ezekiel 3:27). “The word of God is alive and active,” we find written in the New Testament (Hebrews 4:12); and “The Holy Spirit is alive and well,” confirm the disciples (Acts 18:27-19:7). Lord of time and history, the everlasting Spirit will continue to create and fashion according to a design pleasing to the Lord. Sometimes, the Spirit may do this in a way that seems quiet, and slow but efficient to us, like rivers carve their path in rock, and sometimes in a way that seems sudden and dramatic, like a sudden insight or revelation.

As Christians, when we pray to God, we pray in the name of Jesus, not because we could not pray to God directly, but because it is pleasing to God to pray to Him through His Son. When God answers, He may answer in the name of Jesus, and through the Holy Spirit. The God News of today is that the love of the Triune God, One God in Three Persons, is all around us and within us. Even if we do not see it or hear it, we can feel it.

Happy Birthday to all those who celebrate this day: “Come, Holy Spirit!”

Sources

  1. Bible Project (2025). The Book of Acts. Retrieved from: www.bibleproject.com/gouides/book-of-acts/ Accessed: June 3, 2025.
  2. USCCB (2025). Catechism of the Catholic Church. Article 1441. Retrieved from: usccb.org/sites/default/files/flipbooks/catechism/364/ Accessed: June 3, 2025
  3. Staples, A. (2022). The Biblical Evidence for Apostolic Succession. Catholic Answers. Retrieved from: www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/the-biblical-evidence-for-apostolic-succession Accessed: June 3, 2025.
  4. Saint-Jean, P. (2021). Day 27: A God Who Breathes New Life into Us. Ignatian Solidarity. Retrieved from: www.ignatiansolidarity.net Accessed: June 3, 2025.
  5. Mulcahy, T. (2025). Images of the Holy Spirit. Catholic Strength. Retrieved from: www.catholicstength.com. Accessed: June 3, 2025.
  6. Catechism of the Catholic Church (2025). Articles 746 and 747. Retrieved from: www.catholiccrossreference.online/cathecism Accessed: June 3, 2025.
  7. Carnazzo, H. (2022). Is Pentecost the Birthday of the Church? Catholic Answers. Retrieved from: www.catholic.com. Accessed: June 3, 2025.
  8. Pope Francis (2021). Homily on Pentecost Sunday. Exaudi. Retrieved from: www.exaudi.org. Accessed: June 3, 2025.
  9. Watkins, D. (2023). Pope at Regina Coeli: Holy Spirit corrects and defends us. Retrieved from: www.vaticannews.va. Accessed; June 3, 2025.