Receive the Holy Spirit

Receive the Holy Spirit

Today is a day of fire, breath, and mission. Pentecost is not just the end of the Easter season — it is the beginning of the Church’s life in the Spirit. It is the birthday of the Church. And where does it begin? In fear. The disciples are locked in a room, afraid, ashamed, uncertain of what comes next.

But Jesus comes. He always comes. Not with condemnation. Not with punishment. But with peace. “Peace be with you.” These are not polite words. They are healing words. They are the words of a Risen Lord who still carries the wounds of love — who has not forgotten His friends who abandoned him, but has already forgiven them.

Then he does something surprising — he breathes. “He breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” This is the breath of new creation. Just as God breathed life into Adam, Jesus breathes divine life into his Church. The Holy Spirit is the breath of the Church. Without the Spirit, we are just an institution. With the Spirit, we are the living Body of Christ.

What does this mean for us today? It means we cannot live locked in fear. The Holy Spirit is not a spirit of fear, but of courage, joy, and mission. The Spirit pushes us out — out of our comfort zones, out of our locked rooms, out of our routines — to share the love we have received.

Jesus also says something very important: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” Brothers and sisters, we are a sent people. The Holy Spirit is not a private comfort — it is a fire that wants to spread. It is love that wants to be shared. We are not meant to keep Jesus for ourselves. We are meant to bring him — with gentleness and power — to a world that is still behind locked doors of fear, division, and despair.

And how do we do that? Jesus tells us: “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven.” The first fruit of the Spirit is mercy. The Church’s mission begins with forgiveness. Without forgiveness, there is no Church. Without mercy, there is no Gospel. The Holy Spirit comes so that we can be instruments of reconciliation — in our families, our parishes, our communities, our world.

Let us not forget Mary. She was there in the Upper Room, as she was at the Cross, and at the Annunciation. Always present, always praying, always open. Mary is the “Woman of the Spirit,” the “Mother of the Church.” Let us ask her to help us, to guide us, to teach us how to listen to the Spirit and act with courage and tenderness.

Today, let us open our hearts anew and say:

“Come, Holy Spirit. Come into our fear. Come into our fatigue. Come into our silence. Set our hearts on fire again.”

And may we, like the apostles, go forth — not afraid, but on fire — to bring Jesus to everyone.

Father Josekutty Mathew CMF

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