Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read John 20:19–23

Tomorrow, my husband and I will stand at the baptismal font as we watch our goddaughter, Chiara Rose, be baptized in the Holy Trinity—Father, Son, and Spirit. Her immersion into these waters symbolizes "not only death and purification, but also regeneration and renewal."[1] No longer a beloved creature, she will be born anew: an adopted daughter of God, a partaker of the divine nature, a member of the Body of Christ, a temple of the Holy Spirit.[2]

It seems most fitting, most perfect, that this Baptism will take place on Pentecost Sunday, on the day when the Holy Spirit—the gift of God's love—is poured out upon the Church, and the mystery of the Holy Trinity is revealed to the world. For it was on this day, nearly 2,000 years ago, that the Spirit descended upon the apostles, poured out by Christ Himself, anointing and transforming them. Through this outpouring, they were strengthened and ordered for mission: nourished and healed by grace, united in their distinct giftings and callings, filled with divine life, and sent forth into the world to bear witness to the gospel. Drawn into Jesus' own self-offering to the Father and to His intercession for the whole world, they become partakers in the Body of Christ. 

By virtue of our own Baptisms and Confirmations, we too share in this same outpouring and mission. For the very same Spirit that descended upon the apostles at Pentecost continues to descend upon the faithful. 

In his letter to the Galatians, Saint Paul reminds us that the Holy Spirit is an integral part of the Christian life. To live with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—the fruits of the Holy Spirit and key markers of a virtuous and holy life—requires us to live in communion with the Spirit, with the Trinity, and to crucify the desires of our flesh. 

Interestingly, Sunday's gospel is not an account of Pentecost Sunday (as described in our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles), but rather, is the giving of the Spirit to the apostles in the upper room on Easter Sunday. Unlike the loud driving winds at Pentecost, the Spirit comes gently, quietly, peacefully. 

More often than not, this is how we receive the Spirit, too. Yet, this quietness is no less powerful or transformative. This gentle Spirit, the fruit of the love of the Father and the Son, is our Advocate, guiding us to truth, helping us in our weakness, praying on our behalf when we do not have the words, making Christ known to us. 

Beautifully, the Church holds Mary as the exemplar of a life lived in perfect communion with the Trinity. She is the beloved daughter of God the Father, Mother of God the Son, and the faithful Spouse of the Holy Spirit. As we celebrate Pentecost on May 24, and conclude these final days of May—a month in which we particularly honor Mary—may we turn our hearts to our Blessed Mother and ask for her intercession. 

As Saint Louis de Montfort wrote: “When the Holy Spirit, her spouse, finds Mary in a soul, he hastens there and enters fully into it. He gives Himself generously to that soul according to the place it has given to his spouse.”[3]

May the Holy Spirit and Mary, Spouse of the Holy Spirit, guide us closer to the heart of Jesus, and fill us with the courage and boldness, so as to carry forth the mission of the Church in every age. 

Food for thought or journaling ...

Of the fruits of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, which do you need a particular outpouring today?

Come, Holy Spirit. Breathe on me. Make me aware of Your presence. Dwell in me. Guide my vision, my thoughts, and my words. May I proclaim the goodness of God all the days of my life. Amen.

[1] Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd edition (Vatican: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2012), 1262.
[2] Ibid, 1265.
[3] Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort, God Alone: The Collected Writings of St. Louis Marie de Montfort (Montfort Publications, 1988), 299.