John 20, 19-23: 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.”

This breathing of Jesus recalls God's action who, in the creation, "formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being" (cf. Genesis 2:7). Only God can pick up a bit of mud, look at it, breathe, and bring it to life.

How conscious am I of God's Holy Spirit breathing in my soul?

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai on the solemnity of Pentecost, at Lyncroft Centre, June 5, 2022.

Music: Gregorian chant: Veni Creator Spiritus, from Youtube channel Adoration of the Cross.

Thumbnail: Hours of the Holy Spirit: Pentecost | Hours of Henry VIII, in Latin | Illuminated by Jean Poyer | France, Tours | ca. 1500 | The Morgan Library & Museum, New York City.

For more meditations, check my channel:

https://www.youtube.com/c/EricNicolai/videos

www.opusdei.ca