Pentecost: The Church Receives the Holy Spirit

This week, the Church celebrates Pentecost, the great feast of the Holy Spirit.

A stain-glass image of the Holy Spirit in Canadian Martyrs Church, Hamilton.

After the Ascension of the Lord, the disciples gathered together in prayer in the Upper Room. Then, on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out upon them: “a sound like the rush of a violent wind” filled the house, “tongues, as of fire” appeared among them, and “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:1-4).

The Holy Spirit strengthened the Apostles to overcome their fears and guided them in carrying out the mission that Christ had entrusted to them: to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19–20). Those who received the Holy Spirit were filled with courage and began proclaiming “the great works of God” to people of every nation and language (Acts 2:11).

The Holy Spirit continues to renew the Church today. In his Pentecost Sunday homily last year, Pope Leo XIV explained that the gift of the Holy Spirit works within our hearts “to cultivate good and healthy relationships,” and to heal the discord that comes from our individualism, indifference, and prejudices. Pope Leo also affirmed that the Spirit is a “source of harmony” for all believers, and continues to work through the Church to gather us “into the one flock of Christ.”

As we celebrate Pentecost, the Church continues to pray the same prayer spoken by Christians throughout the centuries: Come, Holy Spirit. May the Spirit continue to renew our hearts, strengthen our parish community, and help us live with courage, faith, and joy as witnesses to Christ in the world.