Pentecost Sunday
Fr. Joonbin Lim
Preached: May 24, 2026
When I was in elementary school, teachers used to give us homework during vacation. One of the assignments was to write a diary every day. But I often did not write it daily. Instead, when vacation was almost over, I would try to finish all the missing entries at once.
During that vacation, with only two days before school started, I sat at my desk trying to finish my diary, but I fell asleep. In the middle of the night, I woke up for a moment and saw my mother sitting at my desk. I was too sleepy, so I went back to sleep. The next morning, I found that she had copied my handwriting and finished the diary for me.
Today, I am not saying whether what my mother did was right or wrong. What I remember most is the feeling I had: someone was protecting me; I was not alone; I felt relief and warmth. That was my mother’s love.
Love is invisible. We cannot touch it with our hands. But we know when we are loved. Our hearts know it. Fear becomes quieter, and we feel peace.
Today, on Pentecost Sunday, we celebrate the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is also invisible. We cannot see Him or touch Him. But when the Holy Spirit is with us, we know it. Peace begins to grow in our hearts. We receive strength to stand again. We realize that God has not abandoned us.
In today’s Gospel, the disciples were behind locked doors because they were afraid. But it was not only the doors that were locked. Their hearts were also locked by fear, sadness, and anxiety.
Then the Risen Jesus came and stood among them. He did not scold them. He did not blame them for being afraid. Instead, He said:
“Peace be with you.”
This peace is not simply the absence of problems. It is the peace that comes from God. The situation outside may not change right away. But something changes inside the heart. Fear may not disappear completely. But that fear no longer controls our hearts.
Then Jesus breathed on them and said:
“Receive the Holy Spirit.”
This scene reminds us of creation, when God breathed life into the first human being. In today’s Gospel, Jesus breathes new life into the disciples. Pentecost is a new creation. The disciples, who were closed by fear, become people opened by peace and mission. And the Church is born.
The Holy Spirit is not just power or energy. The Holy Spirit is the life of the Risen Christ and the Spirit of love. He pours God’s love into our hearts and teaches us how to love.
Just as my mother’s love quietly gave me peace, the Holy Spirit quietly gives us God’s peace. He does not magically solve every problem, but He holds us when we are weak, gives us peace when we are afraid, and gives us strength when we are tired.
The first mission Jesus gives to the disciples is forgiveness. The first fruit of the Holy Spirit is not power, but mercy. A Church filled with the Holy Spirit must be a place of forgiveness, healing, and reconciliation.
Today, we too may have locked doors in our hearts: worry, wounds, failure, or guilt. But the Risen Lord comes through those locked doors and says again:
“Peace be with you.”
“Receive the Holy Spirit.”
Let us open our hearts to Him. May the Holy Spirit breathe new life into us, change our fear into peace, and make us people of mercy and forgiveness.
Come, Holy Spirit.
Fill our hearts with your peace.
Amen.
