Bishop Enrique Díaz Díaz shares with Exaudi readers his reflection on the Gospel of this Sunday, June 8, 2025, entitled: “Send, Lord, your Spirit to renew the earth. Alleluia.”

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Acts 2:1-11: “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit”

Psalm 103: “Send, Lord, your Spirit to renew the earth. Alleluia”

1 Corinthians 12:3-7 12-13: “We have been baptized in one Spirit to form one body.”

John 20:19-23: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you: Receive the Holy Spirit.”

The feast of Pentecost, as presented in the biblical texts, should launch us into a new and vigorous life and following of Jesus. If, at first, the apostles were presented with closed doors, at dusk, and full of fear, later everything seemed open, dynamic, and enthusiastic about preaching and living the Good News, the Word of God. In the presence of the Spirit, one cannot live with closed doors; one must fully open the doors and windows, and above all, the heart, to receive his strength and renewal, both interior and exterior. The early Christians were astonishingly fresh and spontaneous with which they lived and proclaimed the Gospel. Now, Christians are viewed as rigid, cold, and calculating, as if afraid that the Spirit will invade our lives and unsettle us. But the Spirit is, above all, life and dynamism, and with his power he will invade our lives. To those disciples who were locked away and stunned by fear of the Jews, Jesus appears and grants them the “breath” of the Spirit. That is, he infuses them with a new creation that lifts them from that original state of confusion and darkness to flood them with his light.

There is no doubt about the relationship between the text of Pentecost and the dramatic narrative that Genesis offers us about the Tower of Babel. It is useless to take the texts literally and search for where and how that blessed tower came to be. The beautiful buildings of the Middle East that surrounded the people of Israel would provide the opportunity, but the true inspiration would come from a close look at the hearts of men: whenever there is ambition and the desire to become the greatest, what is created is confusion and division. The most serious problems arise from human selfishness and ambition. When the heart allows itself to be invaded by the desire for power and becomes inflated with pride, it always forgets its brothers and sisters, causing destruction, misery, and pain. Both in ancient times and today, it is very clear that neither power nor pride can ever build dreams that encompass all people. It will always seek to use its brothers and sisters for its own purposes and will leave God aside because He hinders and challenges it. Pentecost is the opposite: the little ones who seem to speak different languages ​​can find each other in the common language of love and the gospel. The weak, who found no strength to oppose injustice and fearfully hid in the darkness, now raise their joyful cry, proclaiming the Good News of the Gospel. Everyone understands it, everyone lives it, everyone shares it, because love unites the most diverse hearts.

“Send forth, Lord, your Spirit, to renew the earth.” The psalmist’s plea is more true today than ever: we find a land destroyed and plundered, a land invaded by injustice and pain, a land on the verge of collapse due to the insatiable voracity of humankind. How long will the water we need to survive last? Will we continue destroying our planet? Only a few have what is necessary to live, and that is not God’s plan. God’s plan is a creation that is nourishment and heritage for all humanity, so that everyone can live with dignity, so that everyone has options for food and work, so that everyone can access education and the necessary goods. Saint Paul expresses this need to the Corinthians based on the very constitution of humanity, which has one Spirit. It is true that the races and ways of thinking will be very different, undoubtedly there will be different cultures and different languages, but the Spirit is the same. The beautiful comparison of a body composed of many members, where there is no distinction between Jews and pagans, should also lead us to a true revolution in our thinking and attitudes: the other cannot be seen in any other way than as part of that body. We cannot consider the other as a stranger or enemy. They are brothers and sisters in the Spirit. How different it would be if we all saw each other as part of that body, even though we were different as members.

In the sequence we sing today, I am struck by this cry that springs from the depths of the heart: “Come now, Father of the poor.” It expresses the deep longing of those who are suffering and seeking comfort. In fact, later on, that beautiful image of the Spirit is highlighted as “a pause in work and a comfort in the midst of weeping.” And this is what the Spirit does. On this day of Pentecost, let us open our hearts and with great courage ask Him to come and heal our wounds, to wash away our filth, to fertilize our deserts, and to subdue our pride. Let us not be afraid: the Spirit straightens, encourages, strengthens, and animates. But it requires the open participation of each one of us. May we know how to open closed doors, may we not hide our wounds, but rather allow the breath of the Spirit to be a haven of peace in the midst of so many storms.

Our God, Creator Spirit, Light of all light, Love that is in all love, Strength and Life that breathes throughout all Creation: Pour yourself out anew today upon all creation and upon all peoples, so that, seeking you beyond the various names by which we invoke you, we may find you, and we may find ourselves, in you, united in love. Amen.