Pentecost

On this great feast, the word that imposes itself upon me is the word of Jesus, which tells of His eternal presence with us: “I will not leave you orphans” (John 14:18). It is Jesus Who has been revealed to be, through His Spirit, our way to God the Father. Those of you who have participated in the prayers of the feast do know the Trinitarian dimension that dominates them. In this, there is a powerful revelation that the term “orphans”, in the above-mentioned word, expresses a communal dimension to the feast, that is, a family dimension. I do understand those who saw in the word a reference to the appearance of Jesus alive on Pascha or on the Last Day. In reality, the word reveals the eternal Pascha in which Jesus wants us to keep our life, with our awareness that we are members of the household of God. Pentecost is the feast of the Church whose members are aware that the Holy Spirit is with them in order to guide them to Christ Who came to “gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad” (John 11:52).