Pentecost Sunday

As the Father sent me so I am sending you.

To send is apostellein in Greek and emphasizes the elements of commission, authority of and responsibility to the sender. So an apostle is properly one sent on a definite mission, in which he acts with full authority on behalf of the sender and is accountable to him.

Hence, Jesus is truly the apostle of the Father.

The Twelve are truly the Apostles of Jesus. What were they supposed to do? Before ascending to the Father, Jesus said: “Go to the whole world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them everything that I have commanded you.”

Receive the Holy Spirit

How could they possibly carry out such an enormous task? The Holy Spirit who Jesus called Power from on High will give them the capability of carrying out the task. It is interesting to note that power in physics means the capacity to do work.

The Apostles were invested with this power on the evening of Easter Sunday. Yet the first reading says that the Holy Spirit came down 50 days after the Passover. In fact, Pentecost takes it name from those 50 days. So how do we explain this seeming contradiction?

The coming down of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost day marked the birth of the Church. When the Apostles left the upper room in order to preach to the people outside, it was as if the church left the womb for the world outside.

Whose sins you forgive...

The Sacrament of Reconciliation and the Holy Spirit were the two gifts of the Risen Lord to his Church on Easter Sunday.

On Maundy Thursday at the last supper the gift of Jesus to his Church were the Holy Eucharist and the priesthood.

It seems that Penance is a fitting gift because with the death of Jesus the debt of sin was repaid and man was reconciled to God.

Jesus is the first born from the dead. His resurrection brings to the fore the renewal and transformation that should take place in the lives of believers. The Holy Spirit who renews the face of the earth is the power that makes that renewal a reality.