Pentecost

John 20:19-23
On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the disciples were together,
with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders,
Jesus came and stood among them and said,
“Peace be with you!”
After he said this, he showed them his hands and side.
The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
Again Jesus said,
“Peace be with you!
As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
And with that he breathed on them and said,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven;
if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”



IN NEED OF SALVATION


God’s Holy Spirit isn’t the property of the Church.
The Spirit doesn’t belong exclusively to any religion.
We ought to invoke the Spirit’s coming on the whole world
that is so in need of salvation.

Come, O creator Spirit of God.
In your world there is no peace.
Your sons and daughters kill each other in ways cruel and blind.
We don’t know how to resolve our conflicts without turning to the destructive force of arms.
We’ve gotten used to living in a world made bloody through wars.
Awaken in us a respect for each human being.
Make us into builders of peace. Don’t abandon us to the power of evil.

Come, O liberating Spirit of God.
Many of your sons and daughters live enslaved by money.
We are trapped by a system that keeps us from walking together toward a more humane world.
The powerful are getting richer, the weak are getting poorer.
Release in us the strength to work for a world that is more just.
Make us more responsible and more in solidarity.
Don’t leave us in the hands of our selfishness.

Come, O renovating Spirit of God.
Humanity is broken and fragmented.
A minority of your sons and daughters enjoy a wellbeing that increasingly dehumanizes us.
An overwhelming majority dies of hunger, misery and malnutrition.
Inequality and social exclusion is growing among us.
Awaken in us a compassion that fights for justice.
Teach us always to defend the least. Don’t allow us to live with a sick heart.

Come, O consoling Spirit of God.
Many of your sons and daughters live without knowing love, home, or friendship.
Others journey lost and without hope. They don’t know what a life of dignity is:
they only know uncertainty, fear or depression. Revive in us a concern for those
who suffer. Teach us to be closer to those who are alone. Heal us of indifference.

Come, O good Spirit of God.
Many of your sons and daughters don’t know your love or your mercy.
They walk away from you because they fear you. Our young people don’t know how to
talk to you any more. Your name has been wiped out from their consciences.
Awaken in us faith and trust in you.
Make us into carriers of your Good News. Don’t leave us orphans.


Come, O life-giving Spirit of God.
Your sons and daughters don’t know how to take care of our lives.
We don’t know how to progress without destroying, we don’t know how to grow without hoarding.
We are making your world into a place that is more and more insecure and
dangerous. Fear grows in many and smothers hope. We don’t know where you’re leading us.
Fill us with your creative breath. Make us walk toward a more healthy life.
Don’t leave us alone. Save us!

José Antonio Pagola