The feast of Pentecost is a reminder of the mission that Jesus has given His Church, and it is also an invitation to receive, through the Holy Spirit, a deeper relationship with Jesus. At His Ascension, Jesus entrusts His disciples with the task of preaching the Gospel to the whole world, baptizing and making disciples. Since this mission cannot be carried out by mere human strength, Jesus sends His Holy Spirit upon the Church at Pentecost. We hear in Acts chapter 2 about people speaking in different languages and of the Holy Spirit being powerfully and visibly present. From this moment, the Church is changed; Jesus’ followers are no longer locked away in a room out of fear of being arrested. They begin to preach in Jerusalem and throughout and beyond the Roman Empire despite being arrested often. The same men who were too scared to follow Jesus to the cross on Good Friday were transformed to the point of shedding their own blood in testimony to Christ. Receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost made all the difference in the world. This same outpouring of the Holy Spirit is what we ask to receive in our time. The Church is calling for Catholics to pray for a new Pentecost; a new powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Church. Because Jesus promised that He would dwell in us through the Holy Spirit, we have confidence that this is what He will give us; “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them… the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:23). In our time, the Lord would remind us of these words, because we ourselves are to be “clothed with power” (Luke 24:49) in order to follow Jesus and preach the Gospel to everyone in our lives. Jesus invites us to participate in the mission that He gives to His friends and promises that He will dwell within us always.
Fr. Dan