Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection May 24, 2026

24th May 2026 (Sunday)

Psalter: Proper

Readings of the Day

First Reading: Acts 2:1-11

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.”

Psalms 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34 R. (cf. 30)

R/. Lord, send froth your spirit, and renew the face of the earth. Or: Alleluia.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13

Brethren: No one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

Gospel Acclamation

V/. Alleluia

R/. Alleluia

V/. Come, O Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful; and kindle in them the fire of your love

R/. Alleluia

Gospel: John 20:19-23

On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

Daily Gospel Reflection

Sunday – Pentecost Sunday

Main Point: We celebrate the great feast of Pentecost, which is the one day when the Holy Spirit comes down just once and gives people power.

1. In fact, this is what Jesus promised. As he was leaving earth to finish his task as a human, he told his friends over and over that he would not leave them alone and that he would send them the Holy Spirit. This way, he told them that he would always be with them through the Spirit.

2. This is why the coming of the Holy Spirit is the best proof of God’s presence, power, and guidance. Pentecost marks the start of this great outpouring of the Spirit. It’s the start of a new era, a new time of the Spirit, and a new way of living—walking by the Spirit, living in the realm of the Spirit.

3. There has been a lot of rebirth, energy, and excitement lately, all of which are real signs of the power of the Spirit. But be careful! It’s easy to limit the Holy Spirit to these outward signs and emotions.

4. The Holy Spirit is more than just powerful teaching, moving prayers, powerful healing, an impressive gift of the tongue, prophesying, a great mass appeal, and bringing together huge groups.

5. Of course, because the Spirit is strong and alive, it can have big effects on other people. But the sad thing is that the Spirit is so tethered to these things that only a few groups call themselves charismatic and filled with the Spirit, while others are called normal people, or only a few prayer styles are Spirit-powered while others are just normal.

6. All of this points to two bad habits: reducing the Holy Spirit to strong teaching and miracles and taking pride in having the Spirit and being able to use it however one wants.

7. The saddest thing about these kinds of trends is that they don’t restart life. To put it another way, there are a lot of spiritual events that show the power of the Spirit, but not many real changes in people’s lives.

8. The power of the Spirit is mostly limited to the spiritual realm and doesn’t move into everyday life. This makes a huge chasm between spiritual power and success and real weakness and failure.

9. The main point is that spiritual activities and powers don’t guarantee a good and holy life. Pay attention to how clearly Jesus makes this point: “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we speak in your name? Didn’t we cast out demons and do many miracles in your name? Then I will tell them openly, ‘I have never known you; leave me, you evil people!'” (Mt. 7:22–23).

10. Because of this, we need to honestly ask ourselves: How much does the power of the Spirit challenge and change my weaknesses? How much does the spiritual enlightenment, to use a lot of quotes, show us the right way to think, feel, act, and make decisions?

11. How much does teaching the Word with skill and speech lead to living the Word? How much does the Spirit help us grow in being honest, patient, united, generous, pure, holy, calm, and in control of ourselves? That’s the whole point.

12. People who say they are filled with and empowered by the Spirit but live in complete opposition to the fruits of the Spirit—in grudges and resentments, in needless tensions and disturbances, in anger and impatience, in lying and cheating, in impurity and malice, in criticism and slander, in indifference and selfishness, in greed and grabbing, in division and discrimination, in pride and false dignity, in self-glory and cheap popularity—is this the Holy Spirit? What kind of Spirit is this? What kind of Spirit is this? What kind of Spirit is this? What kind of Spirit is this? What a display of the gifts of the Spirit (1 Cor 12:4–11)! But where is the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22–23)?

My Practice: Should we limit the Holy Spirit? Should we weaken him? Should we change his role? Should we tame him for our own benefit? Should we make him our own to show off and support our own glory?