PENTECOST 2025
« Receive the Holy Spirit »
(John 20: 19-23)
Christ is risen. He is truly risen. For fifty days, we have celebrated the wonder of the Resurrection—the glory of the Father through the Son, and the gift of our sonship. We have been moved by so much beauty and goodness, so much mercy and love, so much joy and happiness. We have received light, peace, and grace. The Resurrection introduces us to the mystery of Christ—His identity and His mission—but also to the mystery of God Himself: His identity, His will, and the mystery of humanity, called to sonship and communion.
Resurrection, Ascension, and Pentecost are three aspects of the same mystery: that of Christ the Redeemer and, therefore, of Trinitarian love. If Easter is the greatest feast, it is because in it everything is said, everything is fulfilled, everything is connected.
From Easter, we return to the life of Christ—from His Incarnation to His Passion and death—and even further back, to the Old Testament, from Creation to the Annunciation, and thus to the will of God and the saving work of Christ. If all things hold together, it is because there is a thread running through them—a continuity, a creative unity. That thread is the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit who, from the beginning, guides, directs, perfects, inspires, reveals, and consecrates. It is the Spirit who acts and moves, who assists and energizes. The Holy Spirit is the Love of the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit is God.
The Gift of the Holy Spirit
Jesus promised the gift of the Spirit—and at Pentecost, the Spirit was poured out in abundance. While the Spirit has always been present in sacred history, in the life of the world, and in the hearts of believers, Pentecost reveals the fullness of His identity and mission. The Spirit has always acted: revealing, connecting, unifying. He holds existence together and seeks the unity of humanity in all its dimensions. He is at the heart of both creation and redemption. But at Pentecost, the veil is lifted, and the deepest mystery of God is disclosed.
The Spirit is a Divine Person: this is the novelty par excellence of Pentecost. Until then, the people of God had known the Spirit of the Lord through signs and symbols: a pillar of fire, a cloud, a mighty wind, rain, a dove, or a flame. These manifestations indicated the presence and power of God, drawing us into His divine sphere. Yet the full identity of the Spirit remained veiled. The mystery of the Trinity had not yet been revealed. The Spirit was spoken of with awe and reverence, in all its beauty and divine strength, but as though one speaks of the “spirit” of a man who represents and defines it.
It is only at Easter that Revelation becomes definitive, and at Pentecost that the veil is fully lifted: God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Spirit is not merely a force or influence, but the Gift of God, the Third Person of the Most Holy Trinity—eternally one in being with the Father and the Son. As St. Augustine so beautifully put it, the Holy Spirit is “the eternal kiss”—the bond of love between the Father and the Son. And as a Person, the Spirit has a mission, an identity, and a personality. He acts in communion with the other Divine Persons, bringing to fulfillment the plan of salvation. He is the Love of God made manifest, who works ceaselessly to draw all creation into the unity of divine love.
Creative Spirit: The Spirit’s mission is to create and recreate. In the beginning, He hovered over the primordial waters (Gen. 1:2), shaping the cosmos into beauty and harmony. He continues to strive against chaos—in the form of sin, disobedience, violence, and division—to restore order, beauty, and peace.
He animates the history of salvation: He inspires the patriarchs, empowers the prophets, and sanctifies the worship of Israel. And at the Resurrection, He begins a new creation, transforming the world and leading it toward the Kingdom.
Sanctifying Spirit: The Spirit’s mission is to sanctify. He draws us ever closer to God by purifying what separates us from Him. He cleanses the heart, sanctifies the body, and fills us with holy fire. He warms what is cold, refreshes what is dry, strengthens what is weak, and lifts what has fallen. He sets ablaze the embers of love within us.
Spirit of Communion: The Spirit’s mission is to unite men and bring them into communion. The Spirit creates communion, sustains it, and bestows it as a divine gift. Communion is not merely a human ideal—it is the deepest expression of our existence. It harmonizes the human person within, aligns us with others according to truth and justice, and unites us with God in a relationship that is real, reciprocal, and respectful.
Communion is the goal of our lives, for it is what gives meaning to our being. The Spirit builds the bridges we cannot build on our own. He unites hearts across the distances of division—social, cultural, spiritual—and makes the impossible possible. If He is indeed the communion of the Father and the Son, the living bond of eternal love within the Trinity, then He alone can ensure authentic communion within humanity—especially among those who open themselves to Him, as did the Apostles at Pentecost.
The Church herself is the visible sign and instrument of communion. In her diversity of persons, cultures, languages, spiritualities, and rites, she manifests the unity that only the Spirit can accomplish. The Church does not erase difference; rather, she transfigures diversity into unity—a unity that reflects the very life of the Trinity.
In the work of creation, redemption, and sanctification, the entire Trinity acts in perfect unity. It is the Spirit who brings to completion what the Father wills and the Son accomplishes, paving the way to true Trinitarian communion. As the Person of love and unity, the Spirit draws us into the heart of the Trinity, making us partakers of divine life.
The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit
We received the Holy Spirit at Baptism. At Confirmation, that same Spirit was poured out anew with strength and fullness. The Spirit acts continuously in the sacraments, strengthens the communion of the Church, enlightens our consciences, and breathes divine grace into our minds, hearts, and bodies—fragile though they are. To live according to the Spirit, we are sustained by His seven gifts, which guide, elevate, and transform our daily lives:
- Gift of Wisdom: Wisdom enables us to see everything in the light of God. It helps us distinguish good from evil, not by personal preference or cultural pressure, but by the objective criteria rooted in divine truth.
- Gift of Understanding (Intelligence): This gift allows us to penetrate the mysteries of faith, to grasp the deeper meaning of God’s word, and to see beyond appearances. It enables us to discern the heart of things and perceive the invisible thread that unites our faith with reality.
- Gift of Counsel: In moments of uncertainty or complexity, the Spirit offers the gift of counsel. It teaches us to understand ourselves more clearly and to offer wise and compassionate guidance to others, always rooted in charity and truth.
- Gift of Fortitude: This gift gives us courage and perseverance. It strengthens our resolve to pursue what is right and just, especially in the face of trials, temptations, or injustice.
- Gift of Knowledge: This gift helps us to unite science and faith, truth and love, and to see the created world as a path toward the Creator. It helps us understand the relationship between natural reason and divine revelation, guiding our intellect to serve the truth in love.
- Gift of Piety (Filial Affection): Piety is not mere sentimentality, but a deep, filial love for God as Father. It instills in us a sense of trust, reverence, and freedom in our religious life, making us eager to serve God and love His people.
- Gift of Fear of the Lord (Worship): This holy fear is not terror, but awe and reverence before God’s greatness and majesty. It reminds us of our humanity and dependence on the Creator. Through this gift, we recognize that we are received from Another, and are called to live in humble gratitude and faithful obedience.
These Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit are essential, guiding our thoughts, decisions, relationships, and actions. They shape our personal, spiritual, and social lives, enabling us to be more fully conformed to Christ and to live as true sons and daughters of the Father.
Conclusion: The Love between the Father and the Son
The Holy Spirit is a Divine Person, the third Person of the Most Holy Trinity. He is the eternal bond of love between the Father and the Son, the living breath of divine communion. From all eternity, the Father pours out His love upon the Son, and the Son returns that love perfectly to the Father.
In the world and in the Church, the Holy Spirit acts ceaselessly to bring unity, to harmonize creation, and to connect hearts in truth and charity. He is the hidden artisan of peace, the gentle breath of divine order amid human fragility.
The Spirit also pours His sacred gifts into our hearts, to help us live according to our filial vocation as sons and daughters of God. These gifts shape our minds, strengthen our will, and purify our hearts, enabling us to live in freedom and in peace, in communion with God and with one another.
Happy feast
I bless all the initiatives on the occasion of Pentecost: Vigils, retreat, assemblies, pilgrimages, Jericho prayer…
+ Aldo BERARDI, OSS.T.
Apostolic Vicar of Northern Arabia