First reading
Acts 2:1–11
They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak.
Responsorial psalm
Psalm 103(104):1, 24, 29–31, 34
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
Second reading
1 Corinthians 12:3–7, 12–13
In the one Spirit we were all baptised.
Gospel acclamation
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.
Gospel
John 20:19–23
As the Father sent me, so am I sending you: receive the Holy Spirit.
Images from the Word
- Peace
- Receive the Holy Spirit
- They are forgiven
- Head of each
- Jesus is Lord
Liturgical notes
The Christian community is never closed in upon itself … This intimate life only acquires its full meaning when it becomes a witness … Thus it is the whole Church that receives the mission to evangelize, and the work of each individual member is important for the whole.
—Paul VI, Evangelii Nuntiandi, §15
For many, the word evangelisation implies standing on a street corner pushing opinions to convert others. In contrast, Pope Paul speaks of a subtle and respectful approach of entering into dialogue with contemporary culture to discover its values and offer it the depth of Christian life. This is our daily task: to be witnesses to the world in which we move.
‘O God, who bestow heavenly gifts upon your Church, safeguard, we pray, the grace you have given, that the gift of the Holy Spirit poured out upon her may retain all its force and that this spiritual food may gain her abundance of eternal redemption.’
—prayer after Communion