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

Today, we celebrate the feast of Pentecost. The English word "Pentecost" is a transliteration of the Greek word pentekostos which means "fifty". It comes from the ancient Christian expression pentekoste hemera, which means "fiftieth day". It was on the fiftieth day after the resurrection, as the disciples gathered in the upper room, the Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled His promise of sending the Spirit upon them. In the gospel of John we read that, prior to his death and resurrection, Jesus spoke to his disciples, "It is for your own good that I am going, because unless I go, the Paraclete will not come to you, but if I go, I will send him to you." (16:7) What does "paraclete" mean? Paraclete comes from the Greek word parakletos which means the one who is called to one's aid, or the one who pleads another's cause before a judge or an advocate. Hence, the Paraclete is not a force or a thing but a real person called the Holy Spirit - the one whom Jesus sent to take his place and dwell with his disciples, and guide and encourage them in their ministry on Earth. He is offered as a gift to all believers in Jesus without exception. There are no conditions placed upon this gift except for faith in Christ, John (7:37-39). Jesus had also said to his disciples, "I shall ask the Father, and he will give you another Paraclete to be with you forever", John (14:6). In other words, the Spirit is a species of the same kind. He is in essence, no different from Jesus Christ. Like Jesus, the Holy Spirit speaks, intercedes, commands, guards, leads, and testifies, and comes from God. Moreover, the Holy Spirit has all the attributes of God the Father and the Son.

Friends, it is a great blessing to have the Holy Spirit in our lives as our comforter, counselor, and our advocate. To have him is to have God or the Lord Jesus himself dwelling in us. We read in today's first reading that after the descent of the Holy Spirit, the disciples were transformed by his presence and they were filled with joy. There were not any more language and cultural barriers among them. They went forth from their hiding-places and fearlessly proclaimed the gospel of Jesus.

Today as we commemorate the coming of the Holy Spirit on the apostles and the early followers of our Lord Jesus Christ, we shall pray to the Holy Spirit to teach us the Word and guide us to the truth. We shall pray to him to remind us of what Jesus has taught us so that we can depend on his Word in the difficult times of life. We shall pray to him to give us his peace. We shall pray that he may help us in our distress. We shall pray that he may give us the ability to live by the Spirit and not by the desires of the flesh.

Prayers to the Holy Spirit »

(P) Amen.

God Bless You!

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