Jesus said to them, “As the Father has sent me so I send you; he then breathed on them and said, ‘receive the Holy Spirit’ (Jn 20).

Today the Church celebrates the Feast of Pentecost. It marks the beginning of the Church. The gift of the Holy Spirit which Jesus and the Father give to the Church is the reality that gives life to the Church. The Holy Spirit strengthens the Church so that it can faithfully proclaim the Gospel. The working of the Holy Spirit is sometimes compared to the wind. We can’t see the wind, but we can see the affects of the wind. So also, we can’t see the Holy Spirit but we can see what the Spirit does. When we love selflessly as Jesus does, then we see the work of the Holy Spirit. When we make visible the compassion and mercy of Jesus, then we see the Holy Spirit at work.