Pentecost Sunday: Peace, Wounds, and the Spirit That Sends Us

Deacon Pete reflects on Pentecost as the celebration of God’s divine indwelling through the Holy Spirit, recalling an childhood conversation with Father Boyd about connecting with God in ourselves and others. He contrasts this with the disciples’ fear behind locked doors, noting that fear can be physical, emotional, or communal, and that resurrection does not deny suffering but enters and transforms it, echoing Richard Rohr’s idea that untransformed pain is transmitted. In John’s account, Jesus greets the disciples with “Peace be with you,” shows his wounds as proof that scars remain yet do not block resurrected life, breathes the Spirit as in Genesis, and commissions them for mission: being God’s hands and feet and embodying Christ’s peace. He emphasizes forgiveness—especially self-forgiveness—as freedom from guilt and shame, concluding that Eucharist gathers people behind locked doors and sends them out to do holy work and offer peace.00:00 Opening Prayer00:51 Pentecost Explained02:35 Locked Doors and Fear05:11 Peace and Scars07:15 Breath of the Spirit08:14 Sent on Mission09:11 The Challenge of Forgiveness10:30 Four Things Jesus Does11:38 Eucharist Sending Forth