(Acts 2:1-11; Ps 104(103); Romans 8:8-17; John 14:15-16, 23b-26)

Theme: Renewed and Missioned by the Parakletos

Let us give thanks to the Lord for pouring out His unending love and mercy into our hearts from the beginning of Lent, and for guiding and leading us by grace obtained from gospel messages of Easter to this day of Pentecost,also known as Pentecoste in Greek and Shavuot in Hebrew.

We gather not to mark the Jewish harvest festival of Shavuot, which is celebrated seven weeks after the barley harvest or the Feast of Unleavened Bread (also known as Passover), but to commemorate as stated in today’s first reading the day the Apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke in different languages as the Spirit gave them the ability to express themselves.

            The filling of the Apostles and disciples of our Lord Jesus with the wind or breath of God’s Spirit evokes the ruach Elohim’s hovering over the surface of the earth as described in Genesis 1:2. It was witnessed by thousands of Jews and pilgrims from various parts of the world who had gathered in Jerusalem for two major feasts mandated by the Lord in the Torah: the Passover (which had evolved into the feast of God’s deliverance of His people from Egypt) and, fifty days later, the feast of Shavuot (which had also become a feast for the reception of the Torah on Mount Sinai).

            Yes, it was the Lord’s doing that many should be present to witness the Apostle’s reception of the Life-giving Spirit and the commencement of the spiritual establishment of the body of Christ, empowered to renew the face ofthe earth tainted by original sin. Thus, those reborn in Spirit will no longer suffer from the pains of original sin because our mortal bodies now can have life here on earth and in eternal glory through the Lord’sSpirit in us, as noted by St Paul in today’s second reading. 

            St Paul also says that the Spirit enables us to cry ‘Abba! Father!’ That is, to have a personal relationship with the Lord and, like the Psalmist, to bless and rejoice in the Name of the Lord, especially for the wonder of being recreated in His Spirit and what He hopes to achieve with us.

            Therefore, guided, comforted, and counselled by the Parakletos, our Lord Jesus says in today’s gospel that we canuphold His commands, love God, and assist in increasing the household of lovers of God and His people. Thus, as Easter concludes with Pentecost, we are urged to call on and collaborate with the Holy Spirit in reviving God’s love, imparting His trustworthiness, establishing His peace, demonstrating kindness, and nurturing hope for a glorious tomorrow.