It’s Pentecost Sunday

Last Sunday was Ascension Sunday and with our Lord Jesus Christ now seated at the right hand of the Father, it is time to send the Advocate, a.k.a. the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit, and thus introduce the heavenly reality of the existence of the Holy Trinity. While today’s gospel reading is about Jesus breathing the Holy Spirit to his disciples which you can find in John 20: 19-23, the account on Pentecost Sunday can be read in the first reading in Acts 2:1-11. We shall first reprint today’s Sunday Gospel narrative.

“19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

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This narrative happened on the evening of Easter Sunday right after the famous “Road to Emmaus” incident when Jesus was walking away from Jerusalem when he met his disciple Cleofas who was with a friend. This was one of the more important post-resurrection events because Jesus was surprised why even until then, his disciples still didn’t get the real story of why Jesus had to suffer on the cross.

After the Lord broke the bread during dinner, the eyes of Cleofas were opened and Jesus disappeared from their sight and so they rushed back to Jerusalem to the upper room where the other disciples were hiding from the Jews. Then today’s gospel narrative happens with the risen Lord telling his disciples, “And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

So technically, his disciples already received the Holy Spirit, but the Lord also said that unless he returns to his Father in heaven, he couldn’t bring down the Holy Spirit. So while the disciples already received the Holy Spirit, in today’s first reading we read in Acts 2:1-11 the Pentecost narrative.

“2 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them.

5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,[b] 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”

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If you have not taken a Life of the Spirit Seminar (LSS), which is being conducted by lay religious groups all over Metro Cebu, it would be difficult for me to explain what happened during Pentecost Sunday. It was when I took my LSS 20 years ago I realized that the Holy Spirit was real and is always with us, that he is not just a Biblical figure, but continues to live within us. I exhort our readers to take the opportunity to experience the Holy Spirit by joining the next LSS so that you will realize that truly, God is with us and within us throughout our lifetime! God bless you!

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