On this final day of the Easter season, we come together to celebrate the great feast of Pentecost, which was a pivotal moment in the life of the Church when the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles as they were locked in the Upper Room fearful and dejected. As they hid away out of fear of what might happen to them, the Spirit descended upon them and poured out His gifts into their hearts. It was a moment of great transformation in their lives. In that moment, the Spirit ignited a fire of divine love and courage within the Apostles that changed them from fearful followers to bold proclaimers of the Gospel.

These were the people who had witnessed the resurrection of the Lord, but they were still grappling with their mission and their place in the world, unsure of what to do next. It was in that moment of waiting, of uncertainty, of prayerful anticipation, that the Holy Spirit came upon them like tongues of fire. They became filled with divine power and were given clarity of purpose. From that moment, they went forth to preach the Gospel, to bring about healing in the lives of others, and to build the Kingdom of God, unafraid and undeterred.

Today, we as the followers of Jesus, might find ourselves not so distant from the experience of the Apostles leading up to that first Pentecost. If we look at the state of the world and the state of the Church, we see that we, too, are facing uncertainty and confusion. Within the world, we face crises on many fronts: economic, moral, social, and political. Within the Church, there is great confusion about the central teachings of our faith, a lack of trust in our spiritual leaders, and a profound sense of uncertainty. Many hearts are troubled; many lives are overshadowed by fear, division, and despair. We see a world, a culture, a society, a people of faith that is often divided, where love has grown cold, civility given way to discord, and respect for the other replaced with intense criticism and suspicion of our brothers and sisters. In such a time, we are in profound need of a new Pentecost. But what does that mean and how do we get there?

It means, first and foremost, that we have to pray with a sense of passion for the Holy Spirit to renew our own hearts and minds. Just as the apostles gathered in prayer, we must become people of deep prayer, fostering that sense of relationship with the Lord, and becoming receptive to the workings of the Spirit. So often, we lock our hearts away behind thick walls and we don’t allow the Lord to penetrate them. So, we have to first ask the Lord to reveal those walls and then give Him the permission to break through. Only then can we be brought to a deeper relationship with Him and become open to the gifts of the Holy Spirit, those gifts that equip us to face the challenges of our time.

A new Pentecost also calls us to a renewed commitment to the Gospel. The apostles were driven by a singular mission, they were focused on particular purpose: to go out to the ends of the earth and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. Each of us are called to that same mission: to be witnesses of Christ’s love, His mercy, His truth in a world that desperately needs it. This means living our faith authentically, in our words and our actions, so that others might see Christ in us and be drawn to Him. It means striving to understand more fully the teachings of the Church, the commandments given to us by the Lord, following the example of Jesus, and being Christ for others. It means allowing the message of Jesus to transform our own hearts first, so that we can then go out and transform others.

A new Pentecost also requires unity. On that first Pentecost, the Holy Spirit brought together people of diverse languages and cultures, uniting them in a common bond of faith…and He continues to do that in the Church today. But that is something we have to seek to keep fostering. In a world that thrives on division and disagreement, we have to be the instruments that bring about unity and reconciliation. We are called to build bridges, to heal wounds, and to work tirelessly for peace and justice. This unity begins in our own hearts, in our families, and in our communities. We can’t bring unity to the world, if our hearts, our families are not experiencing peace.

And finally, remember that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of courage and boldness. The apostles, who we see in our Gospel being timid and fearful, became fearless in their proclamation of the Gospel after the Holy Spirit descended upon them. We, too, are called to be courageous, to stand firm in our faith, and to speak the truth in charity, even when it is difficult or unpopular. In a world that often rejects the message of the Gospel, the message of faith, we don’t have a choice, we have to be bold witnesses of Christ’s transforming love. We have to be willing to go out and share what Jesus has done for us, to share how He died on the Cross for our salvation, how He was raised from the dead, how He sits at the right hand of the Father to intercede for us, how He continues to perform miracles in our world today, how He has changed our lives. That is how we bring others to know the Lord, to allow them to encounter Him, and to bring them to their own place of transformation.

Y’all, the need for a new Pentecost is urgent, it’s critical. As we look at the state of the world and see the signs of the times, it’s easy for us to become discouraged, to fall into despair. But let’s not be disheartened…because if the Holy Spirit was able to transform the world in the centuries after Jesus’ death and resurrection, He can do it again. So let’s be filled with hope. And let’s pray together, fervently and constantly, for the Holy Spirit to renew the face of the earth. May we commit ourselves anew to living and proclaiming the Gospel, to fostering unity, and to being courageous witnesses of Christ’s love.

I want to close with a prayer written by Pope St. John XXIII on the eve of the Second Vatican Council:

“Renew Your wonders in this our day, as by a new Pentecost. Grant to Your Church that, being of one mind and steadfast in prayer with Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and following the lead of blessed Peter, it may advance the reign of our Divine Savior, the reign of truth and justice, the reign of love and peace. Amen.”

Image: Descent of the Holy Spirit, Pentecost icon in St. George Orthodox Cathedral, Toledo. Iconographer: Christine Uveges Loya, Eikona Studios. Photo taken by Fr. Ted. Used under CC BY-SA 2.0 license. No changes made.