May 24, 2026 ~ Pentecost Sunday ~ Year A

Spiritual Reflection 

May 24, 2026~ Pentecost Sunday ~ Year A (pdf)

“Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” Jn 20:22

Love of Christ that deepens through faith begets the desire to be a witness of Christ. Your call to sanctity and your love for the Church are also closely connected with the call to apostleship. Reminding Christians of their obligation to witness for Christ, [Saint] John Paul II said, “Only profound love for the Church can support the fervor in giving witness. Faithfulness to Christ cannot be separated from faithfulness to the Church.” The Second Vatican Council stresses that:

Incorporated into Christ’s Mystical Body through Baptism and strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit through Confirmation, [Christians] are assigned to the apostolate by the Lord Himself…One engages in the apostolate through the faith, hope, and charity which the Holy Spirit diffuses in the hearts of all members of the Church. Indeed, by the precept of charity, which is the Lord’s greatest commandment, all the faithful are impelled to promote the glory of God through the coming of His kingdom and to obtain eternal life for all men. (Second Vatican Council, Apostolicam Actuositatema Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity), no.3 [Proclaimed By Pope (Saint) Paul VI on November 18, 1965])

Therefore, everything that you do should serve to build and expand the kingdom of God.

You have received a treasure and an extraordinary gift that you cannot keep just for yourself. This would be burying the treasure. You are to pass on this priceless treasure and share it with others. You should witness about what has been bestowed on you, what you have found, about what you love, and what the Holy Spirit has brought about in you. The more you surrender to the Holy Spirit, the more He will be able to form the image of Christ in you. The Holy Spirit, having deepened the love for the Church in your heart, will cause you to be faithful to your call to the apostolate. [Saint] John Paul II once asked France, “Are you faithful to the grace of your Baptism?” This question is also directed to you: Are you faithful to the grace of Holy Baptism? Are you faithful to the grace of Confirmation? Are you growing in your sense of responsibility for the image and life of your Church, diocese, and parish?

 The rite of Confirmation refers to concrete forms of witnessing about Christ, which should always flow from faith and love. You are to give witness to the One who died for you and was resurrected. He also died and was resurrected for those to whom you give witness about Him. Your apostleship should be an attitude of service to others strengthened by the Holy Spirit. You should also pray to the Holy Spirit for the grace of fortitude, which is so necessary to defend faith and to undertake the difficulties of apostleship.

Tadeusz Dajczer, The Gift of Faith, pp. 198-199

References from the Catechism of the Catholic Church

1831 The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. They belong in their fullness to Christ, Son of David.109 They complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them. They make the faithful docile in readily obeying divine inspirations.

1832 The fruits of the Spirit are perfections that the Holy Spirit forms in us as the first fruits of eternal glory. The tradition of the Church lists twelve of them: "charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity."112

1285 For "by the sacrament of Confirmation, [the baptized] are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence, they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed."90

Questions for Reflection

1.             How can I align my call to sanctity with my call to apostleship in my life today?
2.             Does my attitude toward others reflect my giving witness to Christ? How can I experience the Holy Spirit in my discoveries and surrender myself to Him?
3.             Being aware that, when I entrust myself to the Blessed Mother, I am entrusting myself to Her who is full of grace and full of the Holy Spirit, how do I experience this gift in my life and especially in these times? 

Prayer after Sharing:

Thank you, God, for allowing me to see the truth about my weaknesses and how it calls upon the abyss of your merciful Love.