After the Lord Jesus Christ ascended into Heaven, He told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem and promised them that He would send to them power from on high, the gift of the Holy Spirit. The ironic thing was that as the disciples were awaiting the promise of the Lord, they still lived in fear of the authorities. As it states in the Acts of the Apostles 2:1-4, “When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
This power of the Holy Spirit cast all fear out of their hearts and they began to proclaim the Gospel to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who were comprised of many people from many different tongues and nations. St. Peter stood up among the people proclaiming to them how salvation history was fulfilled through Jesus Christ’s Passion, Death and Resurrection along with the promise of the gift of Holy Spirit to those who believe. Many of the people present were convicted of St. Peter’s words and cried out, “What must we do?” Peter, without missing a beat, proclaimed “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Pentecost Sunday is a reminder to us that the Lord Jesus Christ, who reigns in Heaven, continually wishes to send down his Spirit on all of humanity in order to renew and glorify it. It is God’s grace that moves us to respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit so that we may restore our friendship with Christ through repentance of our sins. Through the Sacraments we receive sanctifying grace and are made holy. The Holy Spirit empowers us to be bold and convicted about our Catholic faith as well as helps us to live a harmonious spiritual and moral life. Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful and renew all the Earth.
