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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
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost, which took place
fifty days after Jesus rose from the dead. Today’s Gospel recounts
Jesus’ first appearance to the Apostles as a group—Thomas being
absent—on the evening of the Resurrection. During this appearance,
Jesus conferred on them the authority to forgive sins, a power
foundational to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This gift
anticipates the fuller outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost,
when the Apostles were empowered to carry out their mission with
boldness and divine strength.
By breathing on the Apostles, Jesus recalls the creation account in
Genesis, when God breathed life into Adam (Genesis 2:7). Now
Christ, the New Adam, breathes new life—the divine life of
grace—into His Apostles. While this breathing conveys the Holy
Spirit in an anticipatory manner, Pentecost represents the full
bestowal of the Spirit upon the Church, sanctifying and empowering
the Apostles and all disciples.
Our knowledge of Pentecost comes to us from the Acts of the
Apostles, Luke’s continuation of his Gospel in which he details the
beginning of the Church: “And suddenly there came from the sky a
noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in
which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire,
which parted and came to rest on each one of them” (Acts
2:2–3).
When the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles at Pentecost, there
were physical manifestations. God often accompanies significant
biblical actions with visible signs to reveal the invisible reality
of His presence and activity. Though the transforming reality of
Pentecost was the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the accompanying
signs teach us about the Spirit’s nature and work.
The “strong driving wind” that “filled the entire house” symbolizes
the ongoing, life-giving presence of the Holy Spirit. Like the
wind, the Spirit is unseen yet powerful, moving where He wills and
producing visible effects in the lives of believers. Though we
understand the natural causes of wind today, its mystery and
uncontrollable nature remain, reflecting the Holy Spirit’s divine
origin and unstoppable work in the world. He comes from God’s
hidden presence, unseen but active, bringing about a new creation
in the Church and in every soul He touches.
The “tongues as of fire” signify the Spirit’s purifying and
transforming action, burning away sin and igniting hearts with zeal
for God’s mission. Together, these signs reveal the Spirit as the
powerful, life-giving, and sanctifying presence of God, animating
the Church and guiding her to proclaim the Gospel to the ends of
the earth.
Before Pentecost, the disciples hid in the Upper Room, fearful and
uncertain. Though Jesus had taught them, performed miracles, and
revealed His perfect love, their hearts were not yet fully
transformed. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came as a divine fire,
emboldening them to become fearless witnesses.
When we receive the Sacrament of Confirmation, we receive the same
gift bestowed upon the disciples at Pentecost. We might not feel a
strong driving wind or see tongues of fire descend from Heaven, but
the reality is the same. The signs at Pentecost were not only for
the disciples, they were also for us, revealing the Holy Spirit’s
workings and power in our lives.
Reflect today on the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. Have
you experienced the Spirit’s presence in your life? Like the first
disciples, have you allowed the Holy Spirit to fill you with power
from on high, emboldening you, purifying you, and setting you on
fire with zeal to fulfill the mission God has entrusted to you? The
Holy Spirit will transform us—if we let Him—setting our feet on the
path to eternal glory.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful and kindle
in them the fire of Your love. Send forth Your Spirit and they
shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth. O,
God, Who by the light of the Holy Spirit did instruct the hearts of
the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly
wise and ever enjoy His consolations, through Christ our Lord.
Amen. Jesus, I trust in You.
Image: The fresco of Pentecost in the church Dreifaltigkeitskirche
by August Müller (1923).
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