1st Reading: Acts 2:1-11
When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. 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. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim. Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem. At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd, but they were confused because each one heard them speaking in his own language. They were astounded, and in amazement they asked, “Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans? Then how does each of us hear them in his native language? We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene, as well as travelers from Rome, both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs, yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty acts of God.”
2nd Reading: 1Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13
Brothers and sisters: No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone.
To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit. As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.
Gospel: Jn 20:19-23
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.”
The Holy Spirit – The Gift of the Risen Lord: Jesus was glorified through his death, resurrection and ascension. This means that he was elevated to the heavenly glory. Only after his glorification did he send the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit then is a gift of the glorification of Jesus. The Holy Spirit is a gift for those who have shared in Jesus glorification through baptism. But for the baptized, to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, they must believe in the resurrection and the ascension of Jesus, and must also be faithful to Jesus’ teachings. Those who accept these, the glorified Jesus sends to them the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a gift who comes to aid the believers of Jesus in their weakness. He intercedes for them in the way that is inexpressible (Romans 8:26).
The Holy Spirit helps believers to realize that they cannot achieve anything on their own apart from God. In life, when a person begins to be successful, sometimes there is a tendency to think that it is all due to his or her own efforts. One begins to forget that behind every genuine success God is there. One begins to think that he or she can manage without God. This is sinful pride. This is what made people of old to think that they could build themselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky and so make a name for themselves (Gen 11:4).
Forgetting that ignoring God in one’s plans means that one cannot achieve anything that is good. The Holy Spirit intercedes for believers so that they may leave behind sinful pride and give glory to God for all that they have achieved.
Prayer: May your Spirit continue to guide our lives, Lord. Amen.
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THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH: Faith is the work of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12: 3b). We cannot pray to the Father without the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:15). It is the Holy Spirit who unites faithful (Acts 2:5ff; 1Cor. 12:13). The Holy Spirit is the source of every virtue (Gal. 5:22). The Holy Spirit directs and drives the evangelical activities. The new Pentecost is not a celebration is the harvest of new believers in Christ through the working of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:41). When Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit on his disciples he knows well that his disciples’ ministry would be fruitful with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of truth, the Spirit that consoles, and the Spirit that dispels fear will equip the disciples for every good work.
DAILY GOSPEL 