“RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT” (JN 20:22B).
So the Lord tells the terrified disciples when He first appears to them after the Resurrection, as “He breathed on them” (Jn 20:22a).
Spirit equals breath, and we need to breathe in order to live. At the dawn of creation, the Spirit —the breath of God— hovered over the waters “like a mighty wind” (Gen 1:2c). At the new creation, the one brought about by Christ’s resurrection, the Spirit blows like “a strong, driving wind” (Acts 2:2b), then He descends as tongues of fire over the astonished disciples.
Wind and fire, the one to drive us forward, the other to give us strength for the proclamation of the Gospel. We have received this two-fold gift at Baptism and Confirmation. We too must go forward to “proclaim the mighty deeds of God” (Acts 2:11).
Let us invoke the Holy Spirit that He may fill our hearts with the fire of His love, so that in Jesus’ name we may renew the face of the earth. Come, Holy Spirit, come!