On May 24, we will celebrate the culmination of the Easter season, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the birthday of the Church: Pentecost. Many of us know the Pentecost story from the Acts of the Apostles. After Jesus' ascension, his disciples are praying when the Spirit descends like a rushing wind, with tongues of fire. Filled with new power, the disciples preach the Gospel in many languages. Thousands of people convert at once!

But this is not the only story in the Bible about the gift of the Spirit. For another perspective, we can go to John's Gospel. A soldier pierced Jesus' side with a spear, and "immediately blood and water flowed out" (John 19:34). At this moment, we can see Jesus giving his Spirit to his Church. In Catholic tradition, the blood and water from Jesus' side represent the sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist. The Church is born from Jesus' wounded side.

Again in John's Gospel, after the Resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples and said, "Peace be with you." He showed them his wounded hands and side. Then "he breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the holy Spirit'" (John 20:22). Even after Jesus has conquered death, the gift of the Spirit is connected to his wounds. Perhaps we too need to look for the Holy Spirit in our own wounds, in those painful places where God's work is hardest to see. 

At this moment of your life, where can you enter the story of the gift of the Spirit? Perhaps you are standing by the Cross, where all seems lost and you don't know whether any new life will come from your pain. Yet the Spirit of Christ is poured upon you in the midst of your suffering. Perhaps you are with the praying disciples, waiting for inspiration and direction. Or maybe you can finally see God bringing new life and peace out of your pain and struggles. Picture the scene that touches you most right now, and speak to Jesus about it. Trust that his Spirit dwells within you, and ask for the grace to follow that Spirit.