There appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Acts 2: 3-4

When we were in high school, there was an old cheer at ballgames, “We’ve got spirit, yes we do. We’ve got spirit, how ‘bout you?” We would scream it back and forth with the opposing team’s fans. And while, “Got Spirit?” could certainly be the catchphrase today, we see people receiving the spirit in many different ways. In Acts, there is a bombastic appearance of a loud noise and a driving wind, followed by people being able to understand speech in many languages. It is reminiscent of a booming, “This is my Son, my Beloved.” Psalm 104 “Lord, Send out Your Spirit” was also the first psalm used at the Easter Vigil, in response to the creation story. First Corinthians acknowledges that there are many different spiritual gifts, but we must use them together as the body of Christ. The Sequence is a beautiful prayer that calls down the Spirit. In John’s Gospel, the Spirit comes through the breath of Jesus. What can we take away from this? That the Spirit of God is not “one size fits all.” Rather, the Holy Spirit will come to us, speak to us, be given to us, as each of us needs.

Unlock the Doors

When we put the Gospel in its context, John 20 starts with the empty tomb and the appearance to Mary Magdalene. Still, the disciples were scared and confused. They gathered together to regroup. They locked the door for fear of the Jews, whom they had just experienced as an angry mob, whom they had just seen crucify their friend Jesus. These disciples were afraid of the Jews, but they may also have been feeling guilty and confused for running away from Jesus at the cross, for hiding, for trying to protect themselves.

Now the risen Jesus comes to them saying, “Peace be with you,” showing them his wounds, and greeting them again. Jesus is modeling something very powerful here. Most of us hate to be vulnerable. We try to hide our wounds and scars. We try to protect ourselves and show everybody that we have it together. In order to be healed, to receive the Spirit, to move on in our lives, we need to unlock our internal doors. We need to let Jesus into our house, into our hearts, and into those darkened corners of ourselves. It might be frightening. It might mean going to the sacrament of reconciliation or speaking with a spiritual director or even with a therapist.

Receive the Holy Spirit

We often worry about how others will respond if we are less than perfect. Jesus knew the disciples were flawed humans. He did not get angry or give them a guilt trip. He said, “Peace be with you.” He was gentle. Jesus gave them the gift of new life through a simple gesture. He breathed the Spirit into them. This is reminiscent of Genesis, when God breathed life into Adam, and Ezekiel, when God breathed life back into the dry bones. Jesus concluded with, “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” So not only did Jesus entrust them with this role, this power, he first showed them how it is done. How do we in turn breathe life into our families and friends? Our coworkers? The stranger we meet?