Gospel: 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.”

OR:

Jn 15:26-27; 16:12-15
Jesus said to his disciples:
“When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father,
the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father,
he will testify to me.
And you also testify,
because you have been with me from the beginning.
“I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth.
He will not speak on his own,
but he will speak what he hears,
and will declare to you the things that are coming.
He will glorify me,
because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.
Everything that the Father has is mine;
for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine
and declare it to you.”

Reflection:

Version I

The highlight of our reflection from John 15:26-27; 16:12-15 is the descend of the Holy Spirit to the apostles. As Jesus said in John 16:12-15, 16:12-15 “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. For He will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” This is the great mystery of the Holy Trinity. We are the people of God and if we listen to the Holy Spirit who speaks to us with the whole truth, our faith will never shake.

Is the Holy Spirit always with us? The answer is yes. The Spirit of Truth will always keep us company until such time we surrender ourselves to Him. It is very important to bear the truth of the message of this gospel. In John 15:26-27; 16:12-15, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” This is only a glimpse of what we are about to experience as we are with the Holy Spirit. Our whole existence here on earth is nothing. We need to internalize the power of the Holy Trinity within our lives. “Come Holy Spirit, and fall afresh on your people. Only you can make us whole and grow. ”

Like the song entitled “Holy Spirit Rain Down“, let the power of the Holy Spirit fall upon us all. Come; change our hearts as we stand in the word of God through the Holy Spirit. Let us hear the voice of God as He pours us down the blessings. We only need to accept this blessing upon us. The Holy Spirit descends to us to the complete truth. This is a reminder that Jesus Christ is always with us, to the end of the world.

Version II

Today’s gospel is from John 20:19-23 which remind us of the transforming power of Jesus.
Jesus breathes His spirit to His disciples to give them new life. Now, as they receive the
Holy Spirit, they will have the power over sins.

The gospel from John 20:19-23 is all about the solemnity of the Pentecost Day. This is the
day where Jesus gave His disciples the spirit as a symbol of wisdom. This is the time
where the timid apostles are being changed into bold preachers. This is the work of the
Holy Spirit. This is what our missionaries and preachers are doing to spread the word of
God.

In John 20:19-23, we experienced the same Holy Spirit that is powerful and is leading us in
our lives. The gospel invites us to reflect on the transformative power of the Holy Spirit as
Jesus gave us. How does this affect our daily lives?

John 20:19-23 is a great reminder for us the people of God. We need to understand how
the Holy Spirit works in our lives every day. In times that everything is a mess and we are
so down, the Spirit of God will breathe into us. The Holy Spirit will keep us doing what is
supposed to feel a burden for us.

How did the gospel from John 20:19-23 change your life as you breathe air in this world?
Many times, in our lives, we felt the urge to do the things we want yet the odds may not be
in our favor. Now, consider yourself lucky as Jesus is still doing you a favor in your
existence. Most of the time we experience the most difficult things but with the help of the

Holy Spirit, we gain wisdom. This helped us escape the difficult things and once again we
know that God is working in our lives. – Clea | Helpline PH