Fear Not

The Pentecost is a celebration every year to mark the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles. It is celebrated 50 days after the Resurrection of Christ.

After the death of Christ on the Cross, the apostles were haunted by fear that they may suffer the same fate that Jesus had as they follow Him. They were afraid to preach the Good News of Salvation because of their oppressors.

The Apostles themselves need the Holy Spirit to make them brave in preaching the Good News. Like the apostles who were called to tell the Gospel, we too are called to tell the Good News by virtue of our baptism.

But we are like the Apostles of Jesus who are afraid to tell about Him. We too need the descent of the Holy Spirit to give us more courage to preach the Gospel in our own little ways. It is a good thing that we also receive the Gifts of the Holy Spirit when we receive the sacrament of initiation in the Church, especially our baptism and confirmation.

Fear not. This is the challenge posed before us, especially in this Year of the Laity. The Laity are called to be like the disciples and they are sent to be like heroes, who fear not to give their lives for a cause.

In this Year of the Laity, let us pray that more lay faithful like San Lorenzo Ruiz and San Pedro Calungsod—who both gave their lives to defend their faith, to face them without fear and give their lives in the service of the Church.