Peace be with you all on this Pentecost Sunday. The message of today is of Hope and Forgiveness, which we receive through the Holy Spirit. But today we also remember the importance of forgiving others. For “if you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven,” (John 20:23). When we are open to receive the Holy Spirit, we are also open to give and receive the divine forgiveness necessary for us to become one, unified under the common good of God. “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ,” (1 Cor 12:12). When we were baptized in the name of the Holy Spirit, we entered the one body of Christ, and here we remain to give and receive God’s blessings.So what is the Pentecost and what does it mean for us? In the Bible, the story of the Pentecost represents some of the most miraculous of events: when all the believers were filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit and were open to direct communion with God. This is when the people were not just speaking in tongues, but also able to hear the word of God in their own language, using symbols and stories that are meaningful to them. Each one of us is unique, but in God’s eye we are one people.
Therefore, the message of Pentecost is clear: to remember that we are one as humanity in the body of Christ. Imagine if we could all speak the same language: this is...
It is our hope, every one of us, that we realize a true peace on earth. The only way we can fulfill the vision of peace on earth is by not allowing our differences to render us asunder. Remember that in God’s eyes, there are no differences between us because we are of one body in Christ. When we recognize our unity, it becomes easier for us to forgive, to let the grace of God flow freely through us in all our interactions with others.
Do you have someone you need to forgive? Of course you do—we have all been wronged by someone at some point. We all have parents who let us down, children who let us down, bosses who annoy us or who do not pay us enough, or even those who have committed evil and egregious acts towards us or our loved ones. The Pentecost is a perfect time to open your heart and allow the Holy Spirit to flow freely, letting your anger and resentment dissipate because they serve no one: not you and certainly, not God.
Maybe you have heard the phrase, “to err is human, to forgive is divine.” That saying is rooted in the Bible, because true forgiveness does come from the Holy Spirit. Yes, you need to be willing to forgive, but in our limited vision, we are too often clouded by emotions and faulty thinking. We need God’s help to forgive. Any one…
