HOMILIES

Dear Audience,
For better understanding of the spiritual message behind this homily I kindly remind you to first read and contemplate the biblical texts before reading or listening to my preaching - a human reflection on the Word of God!

The Feast of Pentecost (Year A)

May 24, 2026

214

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First Reading

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles (2:1-11)

When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, the apostles 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 of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were 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 the apostles 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."

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalms of David (104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34)

(R) Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the Earth.

Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord, my God, you are great indeed! How manifold are your works, O Lord! The Earth is full of your creatures. (R)

If you take away their breath, they perish and return to their dust. When you send forth your spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the Earth. (R)

May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord be glad in His works! Pleasing to Him be my theme; I will be glad in the Lord. (R)

Second Reading

A reading from the First Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians (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.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Gospel

A reading from the Gospel according to John (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."

(P) The Gospel of the Lord.
(R) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily

During the Last Supper, Jesus comforted His anxious disciples by telling them that although He was going away, He would return and turn their sorrow into joy, John (14:18; 16:20). Three days after death, just as He had promised, Jesus rose from the dead and made numerous unexpected, sudden appearances to His disciples. Especially on the first day of His resurrection, He appeared five times from early morning to late evening in and around Jerusalem. Early Easter morning, He appeared first to Mary Magadelene outside the empty tomb, John (20:11-18) and Mark (16:9).

He met with a group of women like Joanna, Salome, Susanna and others as they were hurrying to tell His disciples about the empty tomb, Matthew (28:8-10). Sometime later that morning, He appeared privately to Simon Peter, Luke (24:34) and 1 Corinthians (15:5). Then, late in the afternoon or early evening, He walked alongside and conversed with two followers travelling from Jerusalem to a village called Emmaus, discussing the tragic events surrounding His crucifixion, Luke (24:13-31). And finally, as today's Gospel of John (20:19-23) records, He appeared to His terrified disciples who were meeting in a locked room and transformed their grief into joy and gave them three gifts.

Jesus' first gift was Peace. When Jesus appeared, His first words to them were: Shalom aleichem which translates from Hebrew as "Peace be with you." This greeting was so important that Jesus said it again, and eight days later, with Thomas being present, He repeated it. Normally, this greeting, Shalom aleichem, wouldn't mean much. It's just a typical Hebrew greeting, much like "hello" in English, and that's still in use today. However, in the context of Jesus greeting His disciples, it meant much more than a casual pleasantry. Biblically, the word Shalom denotes a state of total well-being of a person that encompasses physical, psychological, and spiritual health.

Remember! The disciples were huddled behind locked doors in fear of the Jewish and Roman authorities. They were confused and disappointed because they believed Jesus was going to be a triumphant political Messiah who would liberate them from the Roman rule. They felt deep shame and guilt for abandoning Jesus during His arrest. Peter, for example "wept" bitterly after denying Jesus three times. So, when Jesus greeted them, Shalom aleichem He was meaning far more than a customary greeting or a simple wish for calmness. He was essentially saying, "May you lack nothing in body, mind, and soul," or "May God restore you completely, perfectly, and fully."

Before He died, Jesus had promised His followers a peace entirely different from what the world pursues or offers, John (14:27). He had assured them a deep, lasting, and unshakable peace even in the midst of chaos, uncertainty, suffering, trials, fear and anxiety which St. Paul describes as a "peace that surpasses all human understanding", Philippians (4:7). Ultimately, the peace Jesus promised went far beyond the absence of conflict or trouble. It was deeply connected to the perfect wholeness, harmony, and unbroken relationship with God, within themselves, and with all of creation that was disrupted during the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. So, by appearing in a locked room and offering peace first, Jesus began a completely new kind of relationship with His followers. He reassured them that He did not return with vengeance or condemnation or judgment for their earlier denial and abandonment, but rather with unconditional love, mercy, forgiveness, and reconciliation.

Jesus' second gift was a purpose and mission. He said to His disciples, "As the Father sent me, so I send you." Jesus' commission was remarkable because He equated the disciples' mission directly to His own and elevated their purpose far beyond any personal, earthly goals. Jesus came into the world with a mission from God the Father to reconcile humanity to Himself. Through His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus bridged the divide caused by sin and restored the relationship between humanity and God. In fact, this rescue mission - referred to as the plan of salvation or redemption - was set in motion by God immediately after the fall of Adam and Eve. God said that the "seed of the woman" would eventually crush the head of the serpent, Genesis (3:15). This plan was continually and gradually disclosed to humanity through different patriarchs, judges, kings, and prophets of Israel, ultimately culminating in Jesus Christ.

Jesus proclaimed His mission as calling humanity to faith, so that "everyone who believes in Him might not perish but have eternal life", John (3:16), receive "the right to become children of God", John (1:12), and will be "set free from slavery to sin", John (8:34-36), and more. Jesus' declaration "It is finished" on the cross, John (19:30), was the sign of successful completion of His atoning work and earthly mission. Following His resurrection, after calming the anxieties and fears of His disciples with His gift of peace, Jesus commanded them to carry forward His mission of unconditional love, grace, and redemption to the entire world.

Jesus' third gift was the Holy Spirit. While Jesus passed on the baton of His Mission to His disciples, He also knew the realities of the road ahead. The entirety of Jesus' life and public ministry took place within the ancient borders of Israel and its immediate surrounding territories such as modern-day Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria. Whereas His disciples would eventually have to leave their homeland, cross cultural and geographic boundaries, and take the gospel to all nations. So, knowing the disciples' human limitations, fears, scarcity, grief, opposition, and persecution ahead, Jesus gave them the Holy Spirit by "breathing on them and commanding, "Receive the Holy Spirit".

Jesus' breathing on the disciples mirrored the creation narrative in Genesis. Just as God formed Adam from the dust and "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life," making him a living being, Genesis (2:7) and John (20:22), the resurrected Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit onto to His disciples to initiate a spiritual "new creation." Through this single, powerful action, Jesus demonstrated that He possessed the same creative power and authority as God the Father, so they could be reborn and empowered for their calling. Moreover, throughout His farewell discourses, Jesus had explicitly promised to send the Holy Spirit as an Advocate and Helper to guide them, John (14, 15, and 16). The giving of the Holy Spirit means that Jesus shared the exact same spiritual attributes - called the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit - that belong to Him, such as, wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. The Book of Acts and the Epistles detail how the apostles, empowered by the Holy Spirit moved out from Jerusalem to spread the teachings of Jesus Christ across the ancient world.

What is the message for us?

The risen Jesus offers us the exact same deep, unshakable peace He gave to His early followers. So, let us pray today and every day like Paul that "the Lord of peace Himself may give us peace at all times in every way", 2 Thessalonians (3:16). Let us ask God for steadfast, unwavering peace, regardless of our external circumstances, while focusing on God as the ultimate source of peace. Especially, we should entreat Jesus for such peace during Mass flowing from His sacrifice made present on the altar before reaching out to shake hands or make a bow to share the peace with others. And when making the gesture, let us keep the focus on Christ. Because we share Christ's peace, not human pleasantries. We are instruments of Christ's peace rather than just offering our own goodwill.
Just as He gave His disciples a higher purpose, Jesus gives us the exact same calling today. He reminds us that the gift of peace - which is freely given to us through His unending love, grace, healing, and forgiveness - is not just for our personal comfort and security but rather comes with a mission. We are to share or distribute the exact same forgiveness, healing, love, and grace to the rest of the world and make a difference for eternity in many people's lives. In doing so, we become active peacemakers in everyday life, extending far beyond our personal life.
The same Holy Spirit who was active at the dawn of creation, Genesis (1:2), who filled Jesus during His earthly ministry, Luke (4:18), and was breathed onto the disciples, John (20:22), continues to be present in all believers, comforting, guiding, and empowering them with spiritual gifts to live out Jesus' teachings and boldly share the Gospel message, Acts (1:8). Without the Holy Spirit, it's impossible for us to live a life of faith, understand the scripture, communicate the message of Christ, overcome human limitations, face hardships and opposition. Jesus Himself emphasized the absolute necessity of the Holy Spirit for our endurance, strength, and spiritual life, John (6:63; 7:37-39; 14:26). He encourages us to ask God for the Spirit, assuring us that a loving Father is eager to give this ultimate, precious gift to all who ask, Luke (11:13). Therefore, if you ever feel incompetent or ill-equipped or lack spiritual gifts - such as, wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord - required to carry out the mission of our Lord Jesus Christ, we only need to ask, and God will generously provide what we need through His Spirit.

(P) Amen.

God Bless You!

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