Pentecost Sunday 8th June 2025

Today is another Pentecost day. If the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles on the very first Pentecost in history, he is ready to descend upon you and me today. You may ask: what happened to the Holy Spirit we received at baptism and Confirmation, if we still need the Holy Spirit today? Well, our answer comes from the responsorial Psalm – “Send forth your Spirit O Lord, and renew the face of the earth.” Today, and at every Pentecost, the Church requests the Holy Spirit of God to renew the face of the earth through the out pouring of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the job of the Holy Spirit is to renew the whole of creation at every coming. Hence our theme: Indeed, our world today still needs the intervention of God, through the Holy Spirit.

You know what, fear did not allow the apostles to go about preaching the gospel. It was in this context of fear, according to our gospel, that Jesus came over to his disciples and said to them – “peace be with you,” and he added, “receive the Holy Spirit. In fact, the greatest fear of our day is “poverty,” economic poverty. You and I have sold our consciences because we want promotion at our job sites, because we want money to travel the world, because we need to win elections, because we need all the goodies of life. Therefore, wrong is on the increase, false prophets arise daily and satanic churches are being built; honesty and moral rectitude have been sacrificed on the altar of sin. Where are the Christians today? Where are the virgin sons and daughters of God, who have kept themselves immaculate like the Virgin Mary? Infidelity and broken promises stare us all in the face. Hardly anyone says “no” to evil deeds and practices –the enthronement of injustice.

Of particular importance, as regards the role of the Holy Spirit, are the statements of Psalm 104:29-30 (our responsorial Psalm today): “If you take away their breath, they perish and return to their dust. When you send forth your spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.” In other words, there is no life without the Holy Spirit, and there is no renewal without the Holy Spirit. To be alive is to possess the Holy Spirit; and, any defects that need renewal and correction are done and achievable through the Holy Spirit. What this means is that at every Pentecost, we are offered a singular opportunity to change our defects, our sinful ways, and ask the Holy Spirit to recreate us anew.                                                                  

 Happy Pentecost, Happy Birthday to the Church and Happy Feast day to the Spiritans.

Fr. Jerome & Ayo AYENI  C.S.Sp.