The Gifts of Peace and the Holy Spirit

05-24-2026Weekly ReflectionFr. Bing Colasito

At Pentecost, Jesus gifted His troubled and spiritually weak disciples with His PEACE and the HOLY SPIRIT. "Peace be with you… receive the Holy Spirit." Today, but for the rest of our lives, let us pray to the Lord to grant us His PEACE, and the company of the Holy Spirit in our journey of life.

Lord Jesus, we do not understand how things will work out, but we trust in You. At times, we don’t see a way, but we know you will make a way. We have great faith that even now, you are touching hearts, opening doors, and lining up the right opportunities for us. Sometimes, the horizon might be dark and gloomy, but we have faith that dawn is coming, in the Peace of Jesus, and the presence of the Holy Spirit.

I remember the days when charismatic communities, prayer, and worship were The Thing. Invoking the Spirit with the "Come, Holy Spirit…" was a very powerful prayer. Summoning the power of the Holy Spirit brings so much PEACE, freedom, and liberation within, especially during times of trouble, confusion, temptation, and pain. The key is acknowledging that we need help, as Blaise Pascal says, "Man is at his greatest when he/she is able to kneel down and say: My God, My God.” We need the humility to accept that God is an indispensable part of our life, He is the creator, and we are a creation. The Holy Spirit has the power to unlock doors, break chains, and set us on the right track.

Jesus promised that the power of God would be within us, but we must also open it from within. Only a heart that is open, humble, and docile can experience real Pentecost.

Henry Nouwen's book The Wounded Healer is a call to recognize the suffering of our own hearts and translate our woundedness into service. He proposes to Pastors/Ministers that they go beyond their professional roles and open themselves to others who share the same wounds and sufferings, in the image of Christ. It is called healing from our own wounds. Because a broken heart is an open heart, we need to go through our own woundedness before we realize our need for God. Pentecost is overcoming the proud master in us and becoming truly a humble and obedient disciple. Remember, “we are called not so much because of us as in spite of us, that we are unworthy instruments, that we are not indispensable, and that we need to rely on Someone greater than ourselves or we cannot become His true disciples.”

Filled with the Holy Spirit, we can rise in our tears and our fears, and from our sins and weaknesses. Meaningful and mission-filled life is a Spirit-filled life.

Sharing with you a message about the “symptoms” of a Spirit-filled life. “Frequent attacks of smiling, frequent episodes of appreciation, loss of interest in judging others, loss of ability to worry, tendency to act based on hope rather than on fear, ability to enjoy each moment, susceptibility to give and receive love, constant prayerfulness and praise.”