Monsignor Enrique Díaz Díaz shares with Exaudi readers his reflection on the  Gospel for this Sunday, May 24, 2026,   entitled:  “Send forth, Lord, your Spirit to renew the earth. Alleluia .”

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Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11:  “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak.”

Psalm 103:  “Send forth your Spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth. Alleluia.”

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

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

Who is the Holy Spirit? The ingenuity of young people knows no bounds. At a meeting, they were asked to express what the Holy Spirit means to them, and their imagination and inventiveness were left to guide them as they worked in teams to find ways to represent it. An impressive variety of images emerged: water fertilizing a desert; fire that consumes and is strength; wind that penetrates and gives life; the breeze, the dew, energy; the word and the tongue that communicate and unite; the breath that infuses life; the dove, symbol of peace and harmony; and many other signs. One child, amazed by so many symbols and images, asked, “And is all that the Holy Spirit?” One of the young people, quite proudly, replied, “All that and much more.” I am left pondering the greatness and power of the Spirit, which, nevertheless, many of us have reduced to a minimal expression, almost like an ornament of the Church.

Perhaps for many Christians, a meager image of the Holy Spirit remains, reduced to the laconic answers of the catechism where we affirm: “Yes, the Holy Spirit is God,” a poetic and beautiful image where He appears as a dove between the Father and the Son. But all the images we use to represent the Holy Spirit, however magnificent, fall far short of expressing the dynamism and power of His presence. We need only recall the scene recounted today in the Book of Acts to understand that the Spirit is so much more. The small community was silent, fearful, with the doors locked, their spirits crushed, and their hopes greatly diminished, and then the Spirit burst forth  “like a sound from heaven, like the blowing of a violent wind, and it filled the whole house .” The feast of Pentecost unfolds like an explosion of events, and we feel as if shaken by a powerful gale. The Spirit bursts forth with the force of a hurricane, penetrating and invading everything. No corner escapes its power. It is also presented as a fire that devours, burns, transforms, and annihilates, yet also gives exuberant life. Thus, it transforms those fearful, hesitant, and cowardly disciples into courageous and enthusiastic missionaries. Defying authorities, overcoming difficulties and divisions, they become ardent apostles, proclaimers of the Resurrection of Jesus, to the admiration of all.

Our cry today should be a resounding:  “Come, Holy Spirit, strength and energy!”  because Christians are weary and breathless, unwilling to walk the path of Jesus. They need your vigor and dynamism to open themselves to new horizons where death and violence have established their rule. The disciples have lost hope and need new inspiration to overcome all their fears. Cries are heard in our homes; there are young people lost and disillusioned. Come, awaken our hope, encourage our feeble attempts. We want to be a living Church, attentive to the ineffable groans with which you express yourself in all men and women. Come, for we want to discover your creative and renewing power in the faltering attempts at new life by the weak and vulnerable.

“Come, Holy Spirit, balm and comfort!” for men and women live in sadness and pain, having lost their joy. May your fire ignite our enthusiasm, and far from extinguishing the desire to live, may it be renewed and spring forth with energy. May it burn away the immense mountains of ambition that crush and stifle our dreams. May it transform pessimism and anguish into a search for solutions and a sincere contribution of our participation. Come, Holy Spirit, illuminate the dark paths and show us the necessary lights to discover the new ways that lead to fullness of light. “Come, Holy Spirit, language and word!” for borders, discrimination, and differences have divided peoples. People no longer call each other brothers and sisters, but see each other as rivals and enemies. Gather us into one people where divisions are overcome and where the Word and Love of God the Father unite us. May it be possible for us to understand one another despite our disagreements. May it be possible to love one another despite our differences, whims, and selfishness. May it be possible to respect one another by discovering, beyond faces and clothing, people with rights, opportunities, and dignity. May it be possible to find reconciliation, peace, and harmony.

“Come, Holy Spirit, Father of the poor!” because the disinherited feel orphaned and lost, because they want to buy their consciences for a crust of bread, because they have to sell body and soul to survive, because they feel deceived and forgotten. Renew their hopes and encourage their desires; show them that it is possible to build the Kingdom you inspired in Jesus and that we must make a reality today. Come, awaken their longing for fraternity and communion, so that they may be able to transform the poor, selfish gifts, into a source of fullness, participation, and integration for all humanity.

It is true, this Pentecost our prayer becomes a powerful cry imploring the coming of the Holy Spirit, for we cannot continue living comfortably and stagnantly. We need this Spirit who propels and energizes us and at the same time grants us inner harmony and serenity. The hymn of the sequence affirms that the Spirit is “ the source of all consolation… rest in our labors, a breeze in the heat of the day; comfort in the midst of tears .” May we truly open our hearts to the presence and action of the Spirit in our hearts, in our families, and in our Church. Jesus’ words are also for us:  “Receive the Holy Spirit . ”

 Holy Spirit, wash away our impurities, make fruitful our barrenness, and heal our wounds. Humble our pride, warm our coldness, and straighten our paths. Come, Holy Spirit. Amen