SOLEMNITY OF PENTECOST C
THE HOLY SPIRIT AND HOPE
JN 20: 19-23
MESSAGE
While the Church’s confidence in God is symbolized by an anchor that signifies the stability of the Lord’s promise of his abiding presence and help, another helpful image of hope is the sail of a ship, representing movement, advancement, and driving force.
Hope is like a sail, and the wind that propels it to uncharted waters or to safe harbor is the power of the Holy Spirit. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Rom. 15: 13).
The Holy Spirit enables Christian hope to abound, especially in situations when it is easier to give up, when the temptation to be sedentary and immobile is great. The Holy Spirit makes hope possible by reminding people that they are God’s children and heirs of a “hope that does not disappoint” (Rom. 5:5).
The Holy Spirit encourages Christians to break from self-enclosure and timidity and to be like him – other paracletes – willing to comfort and protect the weak, the poor, the castaway. In other words, the Holy Spirit transforms men and women from recipients “abounding” in hope to “sowers of hope” in others, in the world, and in the whole of creation.
REFLECT
Jesus needed the presence of the Holy Spirit in his life, and so do we, in even greater measure. Let us pray that we may be filled with the Holy Spirit, recipients of his power, and then become instruments of his hope for others around us. Come, Holy Spirit, and renew us!
