This Sunday, June 8, is Pentecost Sunday. The gospel reading is from the book of John 20:19-23. The solemnity of Pentecost represents the gift of the Holy Spirit and marks the birth of the early Christian Church. Pentecost is celebrated fifty days after Easter and marks the end of the liturgical Easter season.
Gospel Text
The gospel reading is from John 20:19-23 and is from the Pentecost Mass during the day.
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. 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.” 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.”
Pentecost Insights
The central theme of the gospel is Jesus bestowing the gift of the Holy Spirit by breathing on the apostles. The first gift of the Spirit is life and the variety of human beings. Jesus says in John 10:10:
“I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”
Jesus wants us to live extraordinary lives, and we can do so by living His Word. All human beings are created in God’s image and are dependent upon God and others. St. Thomas Aquinas described it this way:
‘Because God could not express himself in any one species, he has created multitudes so that what is lacking of divine goodness in one might be compensated for in another, as God could never be contained in any one creature’
We are all one body in Christ, each with unique roles and gifts. The Spirit reminds us of this and is constantly watching over us, protecting us, guiding us, and strengthening us in faith. This message of unity is a guiding principle for us as disciples.
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Peace
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