The very breathe of the Holy Spirit ignites the hearts of the Apostles helping us to remember the breath of God being blown into the nostrils of Adam in the creation of the first man. This breath was so powerful that it changed the essence of who they were and now, today, offers to transform us into the new man Jesus calls us to be. Having received this tongue of fire at confirmation, we possess the potential of living His life fully in our own.

That is why we must never be afraid to breathe in this holy wind, to accept this new way of life. We must not be afraid to change, to leave the old self behind and live in new and challenging ways that will help complete the mission of Christ.

Pentecost enlivens our sense of who we are as disciples, gathering in as many souls and converting their hearts to be disciples in Christ. Pentecost enlivens our sense of reconciliation, which begs for forgiveness and mercy.

This is why Confession is the sacrament of Pentecost. It is in our confession of sin to the priest that our hearts are laid bare before God so He may infiltrate it with Love and with Fire.  This morning we are asked to finish our Easter celebration in joy by embracing the Confession as the holy gift of Jesus.

Today is the birthday of every disciple of Jesus, for we are reborn and illumined by the Fire of His Love to go out and make more disciples. Saint John Paul II once said “the duty of every Christian disciple to evangelize, is an obligation of love.”

Let us carry the Light of this Easter before us unafraid to face the worldly. May the Fire of Love given us today burn brightly in our hearts to attract the lost, offering them a way home.