Happy Easter to all.

The liturgy makes us listen today to a Gospel text we have already reflected on two Sundays ago. We listen to it again because it contains Jesus's promise during the last supper. He had given his Spirit. Jesus returned to this argument, but it gives the impression that the disciples did not feel involved, as if this argument did not especially concern them.

In fact, Peter, Thomas, Philip, and Judas Thaddeus asked Jesus questions, but none of them asked clearly about the inheritance that Jesus would leave, his Spirit. They had no idea what the coming of the Spirit would produce in them and the world. Today's feast aims to make us aware of the inheritance we have received. We know that if one has received an inheritance, and it remains in the bank because this person does not know that it is at his disposal; it is as if he has not received it.

So, we must understand well what Jesus has left us. He has come into the world precisely to bring us his Spirit, and what happens where his Spirit comes? First of all, let's hear what promise he has made to us:

"At that time Jesus said to his disciples, 'If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always."

What is the reason why Jesus came into the world? To show us the true face of God, the beautiful face of God. People had imagined a fearful face of God. Let's think about the idea of God of the Assyrians, the Babylonians, and the Egyptian Pharaohs. They were gods who loved one people and hated the others. They incited their people to make war. They protected those who offered burnt offerings and sacrifices but sent pestilence and calamities against their enemies. It was a gross image that people had made of God. This is the reason why God has come to be seen in Jesus of Nazareth. And we have seen shining on the face of Jesus the beauty of God.

Why is the God that we see in Jesus of Nazareth so beautiful? A God who loves unconditionally, making no distinction between good and bad; he loves everyone. He only does good. This is the beautiful God we see in Jesus of Nazareth, because his life is Spirit, love. Love is the gold that God is made of. From here comes the beauty that we see in Jesus of Nazareth. In Jesus, we see not only the beautiful image and true image of God, we also see the beautiful man, the true man. Let us imagine a people where everybody is bad, but they don't know it because they have no comparison with a beautiful person.

Let's think about history before Jesus came to this world when people were motivated by the inclinations to dominate one over the other, to prevail, to be served, and to have as many slaves as possible. They had no idea that they were evil. And also, if we think about the most famous ones, the ones that were the apex of this humanity, what everybody would have wanted to be... They were the greatest criminals; they were the most violent ones. And into this place comes, finally, a beautiful man. Only then do they realize that they were evil, that they were beasts that devoured one another.

Where does the beauty of this man who is Jesus of Nazareth? Again, from the Spirit, from the divine life, which is love and only love. We understand then why Jesus is beautiful because he loves unconditionally. He loves even his enemies, even those who take his life. But it is not easy to imitate him. It is not easy because unconditional love does not come spontaneously, love to enemies, love to those who hurt you, turn the other cheek, make renunciations, to get tired of helping someone who has done you wrong. It does not come spontaneously to embrace a leper as St. Francis did. What comes spontaneously is to escape.

What is it that transforms us into beautiful people? Is it possible for us to become beautiful like Jesus? He answers: "If you love me, keep the commandments." Actually, he has spoken of only one commandment. He spoke of divine life; unconditional love. But here, he speaks of 'commandments' in the plural because this love manifests itself in different ways, in many concrete situations which are different from each other, and that's why this one commandment of love ends up being many commandments. But, to love as he has loved is very difficult.

How can we become beautiful people like him? In this way: by receiving his inheritance, his very life, his Spirit. This is the great promise that he has made to us because if we receive his life, then we can transform ourselves into beautiful people like him. Today we celebrate the fulfillment of the promise made during the last supper. Let's listen to the images with which the author of the book of the Acts of the Apostles presents this gift of the Spirit:

"When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then 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 and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim" (Acts 2:1-4).

We all remember what the evangelist John narrates about the manifestation of the Risen Christ to the disciples the night of Easter day. He says that they were assembled in the upper room, with the doors closed for they were afraid of the Jews, and the Lord stood in their midst and said to them, Peace be to you! Then he breathed on them and said: Receive the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the Spirit has been given by the Risen One on the day of Easter. And not only this but the evangelist John says, on Calvary, when Jesus breathes his last breath, Greek: παρέδωκεν τὸ πνεῦμα - parédoken to pneuma = he gave up his Spirit. The other evangelists say that 'Jesus expired.'

John reads in that last breath of Jesus leaving this world after having fulfilled his mission with his last breath, he sees that he has given to the world his Spirit with his last breath. The moment when Jesus left this world, he gave us his inheritance, his Spirit. Why, then, the author of the Acts of the Apostles says that the Spirit was given 50 days later, on the day of Pentecost? It is not giving us chronological information. It is telling us what is happening in the world and the Christian community when the Spirit comes, and he's saying it using biblical imagery, we will try to understand.

First of all, why does he place it on the day of Pentecost? Before it was a Christian feast, this was a Jewish feast. On the day of Pentecost, in Jesus' time, the gift of the Torah was celebrated. Israel was very proud to have received this gift from God. In the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 4, Moses says to these people:

"See, I am teaching you the statutes and ordinances as the LORD, my God, has commanded me, Observe them carefully, for this is your wisdom and discernment in the sight of the peoples, who will hear of all these statutes and say, 'This great nation is truly a wise and discerning people.' For what great nation is there that has gods so close to it as the LORD, our God, is to us whenever we call upon him?" (Dt 4:5-7).

Therefore, the Law, the Torah, is a great gift. But what was the limit of this Law? That it was written on stone, on the scroll. It gave good indications. It indicated which were the wrong ways that should not be followed: no adultery, no stealing, not to bear false witness. These were ways that should not be followed because they were ways of death. What was the limit? The same as the indications that we find on the roads, the signs that show us the way to follow and which are the wrong ways, but it doesn't give you the strength to walk, to reach the goal.

In fact, the Israelites had had the tragic experience of the limit of the Torah, which was a wonderful thing, but they did not have the strength to practice it and ended up slaves in Babylon. The prophet Jeremiah says in chapter 31, 'One day, the Lord will make a new covenant with his people. Not a covenant that then Israel will not have the strength to keep, as only an outward indication. One day the Lord will put the Torah not in a book but the hearts of the Israelites.' And the heart will indicate the way to follow and give the strength to practice this Torah.

Let us give an example to understand what the prophet Jeremiah says. A young woman who is not yet a mother, but she is preparing to be a mother; she reads books on psychology and pedagogy that tell her how to behave when children misbehave, when they don't study, what are the mistakes to avoid. These are wise indications what these books give her. But they are external to her. The day she becomes a mother, her nature changes. Now the directions do not come to her from the books but her new mother nature. At all times, it dictates to her what she must do. Therefore, it also tells her that she must lay down her life for her child if necessary.

The Spirit given by Jesus is the new nature of the son or daughter of God. A nature that suggests to you, at all times, how the son or daughter of God behaves. And, using images, Luke presents what happens in the world and the Christian community when the Spirit comes.

The first image: an earthquake. An upheaval. It says, "Suddenly it came from heaven...." Therefore, it is a gift from God. "A noise, as of a hurricane wind, which filled the whole house where they were staying." It is difficult to imagine a house with a hurricane wind inside. Which house is it when the Spirit arrives? Let us explain this image. The house, in Hebrew בַּיִת = báyit has many meanings. Certainly, it is the place where one dwells, but it can also be the 'dynasty' - the 'house of David'; it can be the temple which is also called 'house.'

But, in this case, as in many other New Testament passages, the house is the Christian community. That's where this hurricane wind enters and opens all the doors, and the disciples that before were timorous leave this house to go and announce to all the message of the new world brought by Jesus of Nazareth. Before, they were filled with fear. This hurricane wind opens all the doors and opens their hearts to go and announce the Master's message.

This Spirit is an irresistible force. This is the earthquake that comes to the world. Where the Spirit comes, it turns everything upside down. The structures of sin that seem impossible to change fall down under this earthquake. They seemed untouchable, but instead, they fall apart. The great powers, finances, the laws of the market, armaments factories, the logic of profit that ends up making the poor become poorer... Let's think about this old world governed by the laws of selfishness that we think will never change. NO. They crumble when the Spirit of Christ comes. Even in the Church, the unevangelical structures, sclerotized by traditions that come from centuries, when the Spirit comes, they collapse. We have the experience during the Council. How many things disappeared! A real earthquake. We have witnessed the Spirit breaking in at the Council.

Second image: the fire. "There appeared tongues as of fire, which descended separately upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit." What fire is this about? We certainly know that it is not a material fire. We know this apocalyptic image well. This fire coming from heaven is the one that burns up the wickedness of the world. The Baptist has spoken of it, and Jesus also. The Baptist: "Fire is about to come that will burn up the chaff and will leave only the good grain." It is not the fire of God's punishment. It is the fire of the Spirit that burns up the evil that exists in the world. Jesus also spoke of this when he said: "I came to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! (Lk 12:49).

Jesus did not bring hellfire into this world. The only fire God knows is the fire of his unconditional and totally free love. This fire is God's DNA. It is his Spirit. It is this fire that creates the new world.

Third image: The new tongues. Language serves to communicate. The world was using an old language. What is the language that the Spirit does not dictate? It is the language of threats, insults, of the intimidations of those who want to impose their own prestige, their pressure on the weakest. This is the old language of the animal kingdom where everything is competition: for territory, for food. This old language is still used.

When the Spirit comes, a new language reigns in the world. It is the language of brotherhood, love, which is the only language that God knows. All of the above is pre-human language. Let us return to the gospel text where Jesus, during the last supper, explains the new life that will be manifested in them when they are animated by this Spirit. He says that they will live as sons and daughters of God. Let us listen:

"Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me. I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name; he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you."

The heavenly Father has shown his face; he has made all his beauty shine forth in Jesus of Nazareth. The heavenly Father dwelt in Jesus; the heavenly Father could be contemplated. Now Jesus has finished his mission. Now that Jesus has left this world, how can the heavenly Father show his face? How can Jesus be present in the world to show the face of the heavenly Father? He has said it during the last supper. The heavenly Father and he will dwell in the disciples.

Through the presence of the disciples in the world, people will be able to behold the face of God and the face of Jesus. On what condition? On condition that they allow themselves to be involved in his love, that is, that they always move in his love according to the nature of sons and daughters of God that has been given to them. And he says that the Spirit, this divine life, will teach them everything. What does it teach? How to drive the vehicle. Yes, also how to drive well. It teaches how a son or daughter of God drives. If before you were driving to compete, to show that you are the strongest, better than others and even, you risked an accident, you responded badly to those who offended you; now you drive according to suggestions of your new nature, which is that of the son or daughter of God. The Spirit will teach you everything. To eat and drink... Yes. He will teach you to eat as a child of God eats. Therefore, thou shall not waste, thou shall not be a glutton, thou shall not hoard food for tomorrow when others are hungry today. Thou shall share the goods with the brethren. He will teach you how to work... Yes. How to work in politics; it'll teach you how to do sports because you'll do all these things as a son or daughter of God; therefore, you will always be motivated by love. He will teach you how to be a good student... Yes. He will teach you how to study; if before, you were studying to compete, to outdo others, to humiliate others less gifted than you, now you shall study as a son or daughter of God, therefore, you shall help those who have more difficulty to learn.

It will teach you how to look for friends, how to treat even the rude ones that you will inevitably meet on your way. He will teach you everything. But his teaching will not only be to tell you what you must do, but it will also give you the strength; it will be an inner dynamism that will lead you to live as a son or daughter of God and, therefore, to reveal the face of Christ and the heavenly Father. Then this Spirit "will remind you of all that I told you." The suggestion of the divine life within you will always be in tune with what Jesus of Nazareth has said.

When you have a choice to make, you will listen to the voice of Jesus that you have heard in the Gospel, for you know how Jesus thinks. The Spirit, the divine life within you, will tell you that Jesus is right, to follow what he has said; that is the testimony of the voice of the Spirit.

For the last time this year, I wish you all a happy Easter, and I wish you all a good week.