Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit
Published May 23, 2021 12:22 am
REFLECTIONS TODAY
JOHN 20:19-23
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”
Towards the restoration of broken relationships
What is peace—shalom—in the biblical sense? It IS not referring to the absence of conflict. It refers, more appropriately, to the fullness of life.
On Pentecost Sunday, we reflect on the fullness of life in the Holy Spirit. The Acts of the Apostles (First Reading) narrates the descent of the Holy Spirit, appearing as tongues as of fire, upon the disciples. After they are filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ disciples begin proclaiming the Gospel. This shows that the disciples who were filled with the Holy Spirit and experienced the fullness of life now respond to the challenges of their mission to proclaim the Gospel. When one experiences something good, the good experience cannot be contained and kept to one’s self alone. It will be proclaimed to others.
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus gives his peace to his disciples twice before breathing on them the Holy Spirit. In John’s Gospel, the disciples appear to have received the Holy Spirit even prior to the Pentecost event. However, both Acts and the Gospel, albeit in different ways, tell of the reception of the Holy Spirit by Jesus’ disciples. Both also narrate that after they were filled with the Holy Spirit, the disciples began going out in mission. In John, Jesus sends them in the same way that the Father has sent him. In Acts, they began proclaiming the Gospel in different tongues.
The Gospel ends with the message about the forgiveness of sins. This implies that the mission of Jesus’ disciples is now oriented towards the restoration of broken relationships. Jesus, in the giving of peace, restores every relation that is broken by sin. Before sending his disciples to forgive sins, he himself forgave them first.
As Christians, we go out in mission. Whenever we do our mission, let us never forget that the basic orientation is towards the restoration of broken relationships. And while working for the restoration of our broken human relationships, we must bear in mind that there is another broken relationship that we must work on: the relationship we have with the rest of creation. The Holy Spirit will renew the face of the earth. But let us ask God for the grace that our perspectives and practices concerning the environment be changed first.
SOURCE: “365 Days with the Lord 2021,” ST. PAULS, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; Fax 632-895-7328; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.
JOHN 20:19-23
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”
Towards the restoration of broken relationships
What is peace—shalom—in the biblical sense? It IS not referring to the absence of conflict. It refers, more appropriately, to the fullness of life.
On Pentecost Sunday, we reflect on the fullness of life in the Holy Spirit. The Acts of the Apostles (First Reading) narrates the descent of the Holy Spirit, appearing as tongues as of fire, upon the disciples. After they are filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ disciples begin proclaiming the Gospel. This shows that the disciples who were filled with the Holy Spirit and experienced the fullness of life now respond to the challenges of their mission to proclaim the Gospel. When one experiences something good, the good experience cannot be contained and kept to one’s self alone. It will be proclaimed to others.
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus gives his peace to his disciples twice before breathing on them the Holy Spirit. In John’s Gospel, the disciples appear to have received the Holy Spirit even prior to the Pentecost event. However, both Acts and the Gospel, albeit in different ways, tell of the reception of the Holy Spirit by Jesus’ disciples. Both also narrate that after they were filled with the Holy Spirit, the disciples began going out in mission. In John, Jesus sends them in the same way that the Father has sent him. In Acts, they began proclaiming the Gospel in different tongues.
The Gospel ends with the message about the forgiveness of sins. This implies that the mission of Jesus’ disciples is now oriented towards the restoration of broken relationships. Jesus, in the giving of peace, restores every relation that is broken by sin. Before sending his disciples to forgive sins, he himself forgave them first.
As Christians, we go out in mission. Whenever we do our mission, let us never forget that the basic orientation is towards the restoration of broken relationships. And while working for the restoration of our broken human relationships, we must bear in mind that there is another broken relationship that we must work on: the relationship we have with the rest of creation. The Holy Spirit will renew the face of the earth. But let us ask God for the grace that our perspectives and practices concerning the environment be changed first.
SOURCE: “365 Days with the Lord 2021,” ST. PAULS, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; Fax 632-895-7328; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.