Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has
sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on
them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you
forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”
John 20:21–23
Happy Pentecost! Today, throughout the world, our Church celebrates
the full outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus’ first followers
and upon all of us. Why do we need the Holy Spirit in our lives?
This is an important question to ponder. Today, as always, the
Father, Son and Holy Spirit work as One God. It is the Father Who
wills that we be reconciled to Him; it was the Son Who made this
reconciliation possible; and it is the Holy Spirit Who now
accomplishes the completion of this act in our lives. At the heart
of that gift of salvation is the remission of our sins. The passage
above clearly reveals to us that Jesus bestowed a unique gift of
the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, His first bishops, entrusting
them with the ability to forgive sins in His name and by His
power.
As we celebrate Pentecost, it is a good opportunity to prayerfully
consider the action of the Holy Spirit in your life. One of the
greatest ways that the Holy Spirit is potentially active in your
life is through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Through that
Sacrament, the Holy Spirit draws you to the Father and enables you
to see and understand His perfect will, living more fully in union
with the Son as a member of His Body. The Seven Gifts of the Holy
Spirit are some of the other ways that the Holy Spirit helps us in
our Christian walk. However, these gifts would be ineffective in
our lives if we did not first receive the gift of forgiveness given
through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. That is the first and most
foundational action of the Holy Spirit and opens the door to every
other gift. Perhaps that is why Jesus’ first bestowal of the Holy
Spirit focused upon the power given to His Apostles to forgive sins
in His name.
Once we are reconciled to the Father and begin to live in a state
of grace, the Holy Spirit will continue to deepen His relationship
with us and bestow His help upon us for our Christian journey. This
especially happens through the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit. The
gifts most affecting our intellect are the Gifts of Wisdom,
Understanding and Knowledge. Wisdom helps us to understand the
inner life of the Trinity more clearly. Understanding helps us to
make sense of our lives and mission in the light of the Gospel.
Knowledge helps us make practical decisions in accord with God’s
will.
The gifts of Fear of the Lord and Piety assist us in our love of
God. Fear of the Lord helps us to see how our actions help or
hinder our relationship with God, helping to motivate us to avoid
all that harms this relationship and choose all that strengthens
it. Piety helps us to see the great dignity and beauty of God and
enables us to have a deep reverence for Him and for all of His
people.
Counsel and Fortitude are also given by the Holy Spirit and help us
to firmly move forward in faith and love. Counsel especially helps
us with love of neighbor, and Fortitude adds the strength we need
to do all that we are called to do in love with unwavering
commitment.
As we celebrate the great Solemnity of Pentecost, reflect, today,
upon the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. If you want to be
open to the full outpouring of the Holy Spirit in your life and
receive the many gifts you need for your journey of faith, then
begin with the most fundamental gift. Begin with the Sacrament of
Reconciliation. Ponder the words Jesus spoke in our Gospel today
and know that by entrusting the grace to forgive sins in His name
to His first priests, Jesus was also calling you to embrace that
gift. The Holy Spirit wants you to be cleansed of all sin. Allow
Him to do so and you will be amazed at all the grace that
follows.
My glorious Lord, You promised to send the Holy Spirit upon us
to lead us into all Truth and to reconcile us to the Father. You
were faithful to that promise at Pentecost and now continuously
bestow the Holy Spirit upon all who believe. Holy Spirit, please
come upon me, especially by forgiving my sins in the Sacrament of
Reconciliation and by filling me with Your sevenfold Gifts. Jesus,
I trust in You.
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Featured images above: Pentecost By Juan Bautista Maíno, via
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