Pentecost Sunday

Solemnity of the Pentecost

24 May 2026

 

First Reading: Acts 2:1-11

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13

Gospel: John 20:19-23

 

Reflection

By: Carlo Alexis Malaluan

 

The Gospel begins in a place we recognize very well today: fear behind closed doors.

The disciples are not gathered in confidence or celebration. They are hiding. The doors are locked. Fear of persecution has narrowed their world until it is reduced to one room. They have seen what happened to Jesus, and now they wonder if the same fate awaits them. And into that sealed space, Christ comes. The first words of the risen Lord are not rebuke, not disappointment, not correction. He does not ask why they ran away. He does not demand explanations. He simply says, Peace be with you!

It is important that Jesus does not wait for the doors to open. He enters while they are still closed. This is the first message of the Resurrection: no locked door is strong enough to keep out the presence of Christ. But the peace He gives is not just calm feelings or the absence of trouble. It is reconciliation with God, courage restored to frightened hearts, and a mission born out of mercy. Then comes a second “Peace be with you.” And immediately after, He sends them, As the Father has sent me, so I send you. Here, we see that Peace is never meant to stay locked inside. It is given to be carried outward. And then Jesus breathes on them and says, Receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is given not in a place of strength, but in a place of fear. Not after they have become brave, but so that they may become brave. The Holy Spirit is not a reward for courage already achieved; He is the power that creates courage where there was none.

This Gospel speaks very directly into our world today. We live in a time when many doors are still closed, some physically, many emotionally. Closed doors of fear between nations and closed doors of distrust between peoples. Closed doors in hearts wounded by violence, terrorism, war, and division. In so many parts of the world, families live behind the locked doors of shelters, displacement camps, or destroyed homes. And even where there is no physical war, there is often an interior one: fear of the future, fear of others, fear that peace is no longer possible. Into all of this, Christ still comes and speaks the same words: “Peace be with you.” But He does not offer peace as an idea or a political slogan. He offers His own presence. And He gives the same gift He gave in that locked room: the Holy Spirit.

The disciples moved from fear to mission in one movement: they received the Spirit of Peace. That is also the invitation for us. Where are the locked doors in our own lives? Fear of conflict? Fear of change? Fear of those who are different from us? Fear that peace is too fragile to hope for?

Christ does not wait for those doors to open. He enters anyway. And He breathes His Spirit into those places. And then He says again, quietly but insistently, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”

In a world wounded by war and division, Christians are not called to be spectators of despair. We are sent as carriers of a different presence: the peace of Christ that the world cannot give, and cannot take away: a peace that begins behind closed doors but never stays there.

Detachment

Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

07 September 2025

 

First Reading: Wisdom 9:13-18b

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14 and 17

Second Reading: Philemon 9-10, 12-17

Gospel: Luke 14:25-33

 

Reflection

By: Benj Santiago

 

“Anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.” - Luke 14:33

In the world we live in, a lot of us value possession over love of neighbor and charity for the poor. Social media is filled with influencers who flaunt their excessive wealth for the purpose of gaining fame and significance. Even to the point of excess and absence of caring and sharing to others.

We all have those tendencies. I am not an exemption. The Lord in today’s Gospel challenges us to be detached or not to be controlled by material things or possessions we have. But, the Lord does not necessarily command us to give away all we possess. We simply must not cling to our material possessions but instead we need to use our wealth to help others. We are called to be good stewards of the blessings we receive and not to hoard or store it for our selfish gain.

This is really in great contrast to what we see in our society, community, and the whole world today. We all have these tendencies to always strive to have more money and investment than others. To be more famous than my peers. To have more properties and SUVs.

Today’s Gospel reminds me to be detached, to put God first above all material possessions, or title or fame. To be good stewards of the blessings I received and to always find true security, happiness and contentment in Him alone!

Prayer

Lord, I pray that I always be reminded that all that I possess is Your gift that I must use to help those in need. Make me more generous and detached to all that we have. Use me and my possessions to support ministries, works and missions to help those in need. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Be Grateful and Share It!

“ Don't give in to discouragement....... If you are discouraged it is a sign of pride because it shows you trust in your own powers. Never bother about people's opinions. Be obedient to truth. For with humble obedience, you will never be disturbed.”

- Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

First Reading: Acts 10:34, 37-43

And Peter opened his mouth and said: "Truly I perceive that God shows no partiality, the word which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And we are witnesses to all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and made him manifest; not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that he is the one ordained by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."

Psalm: Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23

Second Reading: Colossians 3:1-4 

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Gospel: John 20:1-9

Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran, and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him."

Peter then came out with the other disciple, and they went toward the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first; and stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; he saw the linen cloths lying, and the napkin, which had been on his head, not lying with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not know the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.

Reflection
By Fely Santiago

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever.

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad

Today is a joyful day. Jump for joy! Alleluia! It is a time to rejoice and be glad. It is Easter and grand time for celebration! Jesus is with us.  He is not dead, but alive.  And He has given us eternal life. And, that makes all the difference in the world in how much hope and courage we have, before any struggle, any possible fear of death. We thank God for the foundation of our faith is Jesus’ resurrection. Without His resurrection our faith has no meaning. Jesus triumphed over death. He lives in our hearts until today!

But we cannot keep this joy to ourselves. We cannot keep this good news to us alone. We must share it to everyone especially to those who do not know Jesus yet. To those people who have never experienced the unconditional love and mercy of God. Those who have not experienced the compassion of a loving Father and the joy that comes from a relationship with Jesus because all their lives they have been rejected, abandoned, unloved, unsuccessful in whatever they do, losing, “unchurched”, lonely, very sick. Let us not be quick to judge people no matter how sinful they may seem. Let us remember that every person is a temple of God. There is something good in every person waiting to be uncovered. So let us share Jesus to them that they may also experience the joy that we experience today.

This Easter Sunday we also renew our baptismal promises. Because of the gift of Baptism, there is new life germinating within us, pointing us toward the future when we too “will appear with Him in glory.” There is a new life in Christ in His resurrection. And I hope that most of us went to the Sacrament of Reconciliation during the Holy Week to repent for our sins for it was our sins that brought Jesus to the cross. Going to the Sacrament of Reconciliation is a sign of humility, humbling ourselves before God, asking for forgiveness and being renewed to a life with Christ. That His light may shine upon us and we will be Jesus to others everyday!

Each morning  on this Easter week, we can pause for a moment and simply thank God for our being alive everyday. Even more, we can thank God for the life that Jesus won for us. Throughout the day, and at different brief moments, we can remember that this is Easter Week and ask to live more freely, more gratefully, willing to serve the people of God and share His LOVE.

Celebrate our new life with Jesus and shine His light to others!

Happy Easter everyone!

Prayer

Dear God, raise me up! Renew my life! 
I see the light again! 
I was in darkness and had lost hope 
but Jesus Christ, Your Son, 
has won over death - for me. 
I celebrate today Your love, the life You give me. 
I feel Your presence as You breathe on my mind 
and open my heart. 
So many times in my life my eyes are closed 
but today I see Your Risen Son and my Lord 
in the breaking of the bread. 
Thank You for this morning of hope, 
thank You for such incredible love. I am alive again in Jesus’ Name. Amen.