Feast of Pentecost
May 15, 2005
John 20:19-23

Since the 1950’s this scene of John’s gospel is often called “The Johannine Pentecost.” The name is intended to indicate that this passage from John conveys a message quite similar to the one we find in the Acts of the Apostles describing the descent of the Holy Spirit ten days after the resurrection. And in fact, the differences are less important than the common features: the Spirit is given as a gift of the risen Christ, this gift provides Jesus’ ongoing presence with his disciples, and it is a gift of peace in the sense of reconciliation and spiritual rebirth.

We need to realize also that in John’s Farewell Discourse (John 14-17) the Spirit is mentioned as a “promised gift” for which the Apostles must wait after the resurrection, a promise to be fulfilled not only once or twice but with habitual frequency in the post-Easter church. And, indeed, the descent of the Holy Spirit is not an isolated incident for the Church but a common, standard feature of the experience of those who believe and frequent the sacraments.

Of course, the initial descent of the Spirit happened at first with privileged signs, but the activities of the Holy Spirit are in no way less real for us who share the same faith and receive the same sacraments. The appearance of the risen Christ is sacramentally repeated for us who meet him in the Eucharist. We touch his wounds and experience his presence in faith. He “breathes on us” in a similar way as he shares his immortal life with us already in this life. At every Holy Communion he tells us: “Receive the Holy Spirit.” The Spirit’s presence provides reconciliation in terms of forgiveness of our sins. Reconciliation not only means abolition of punishment and guilt, but the restoration of the damage done by sinful acts, thoughts and words. It means gradual healing from our sins. Thus by means of the Eucharist, Jesus’ miracles of healing are repeated in a spiritual way: the blind see, the deaf hear, the tied tongues begin to speak, the lame walk – and to the poor the good news is preached: “Blessed are the poor, the meek, the humble those of pure heart…” for they are heirs of God’s kingdom. One may say that the kingdom is not merely preached but becomes instated in the hearts of those who approach the risen Christ with faith and become men of peace, as they are called and truly are children of God.