“Come,
Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of
your love.”
The Gospel for today takes us back to the Resurrection of
the Lord. Jesus appears to His disciples, who are hidden away behind locked
doors, in fear for their lives after witnessing the crucifixion of the Lord.
Jesus shows them His wounds, still visible in His resurrected and glorified
body, so they will know this is no mere vision but the Lord himself; Jesus has
conquered death itself.
Jesus gives them a simple, powerful message. He gives them
the gift of peace; they will no longer have to live in fear, but peace will
reign in the hearts of all who believe, even in the face of persecution and
death. Death has no more power over those who believe and follow Jesus.
Jesus sends them to bring this good news to the world,
empowering them to accomplish this mission with the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Just as God created the heavens and the earth with the breath of His mouth,
Jesus creates the world anew by breathing the Holy Spirit upon His Church. This
gift remains with the Church throughout all time, guiding and leading her, for
the benefit of all the faithful.
There is yet another gift bestowed on the Church in this
short scene from John’s Gospel. In the excitement of hearing about flames,
wind, and speaking in tongues, we sometimes forget about the gravity of this
simple yet miraculous gift. The Church is empowered to forgive sin. And this is,
after all, the very reason that Jesus died – to take away the sin of the world.
The Church is also given the ability to discern which sins should be forgiven,
and which should be retained. When we confess our sins in the sacrament of
reconciliation and receive absolution from the priest, the very breath of life
reaches us and we are recreated, renewed, and brought back from death to life.
Heal
our wounds, our strength renew… Wash the stains of guilt away
Give
them your salvation, Lord; Give them joys that never end.
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