Homily: Solemnity of Pentecost (C)
John 20:19-23
8 June 2025
Fr. Ricky Cañet Montañez, AA
Have you heard the phrase: “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” Recently I watched a similarly titled Korean Drama called: “When Life Gives You Tangerines”. In the Philippines, we know them more as Ponkan oranges. They generally look sweet, right? However, sometimes, when we peel them open, they are sour, filled with seeds, or they are not what we expect them to be.
I think that tangerines are a better image for life. We do not live expecting life to be as sour as lemons. Our life is not all sour — some moments are surprisingly sweet and grace-filled. Although we usually approach life with hopeful expectations, the reality of life can sometimes catch us off guard. We often embark on endeavours expecting things to go smoothly — but instead, we get challenges, confusion, delays, or disappointments. Maybe we were hoping for peace — but encounter anxiety. We expect joy — but found stress or pain.
Today, we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit — the breath of God that gave life to the Church and continues to empower us every day. It is the same Spirit that helps us adapt and overcome the daunting things in life. In John 20, the disciples were so traumatised by Jesus’ crucifixion that they were hiding behind locked doors, afraid and unsure. Jesus comes and says, “Peace be with you.” (John 20:19) Then He breathes on them: “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (John 20:22) This act did not change their situation — Rome was still in power; the world was still uncertain. Nevertheless, this act of Jesus changed them. It gave them the courage to eventually go out, to speak boldly, to live fully — even with fear, even with setbacks. That is the miracle of the Pentecost account in Acts 2 as well. The Spirit came like wind and fire — and the disciples began to speak in new ways. They did not become great leaders and speakers overnight — but they were empowered to serve, to witness, to love. It took all their lives for them to hone their gifts but in the end, they achieved the task Jesus left for them.
That is also what the Holy Spirit does for us. He may not remove the “tangerines” — the surprises, the sour parts of life — but He helps us taste them differently. He gives us strength in weakness, peace in chaos, and joy — even in sorrow. As St. Paul says, “There are different gifts, but the same Spirit… given for the common good.” (1 Corinthians 12:4-7) Each of us has been given something — a gift for our family, our Church, our world. Each of us has something to offer to make life better together. Thus, when the tangerines of life are less than sweet, let us avoid praying, “Lord, take this away,” but ask instead, “Lord, how can I grow through this?”
This Pentecost, let us remind ourselves that we do not need everything in life to be perfect. The truth is, life never is. When we are under the impression that our life is, trust that it will not last. This is the nature of life. What matters is, we receive Christ’s gift of the Holy Spirit and allow ourselves to be led and guided by Him. Hence, the next time life gives us “tangerines” — when things do not turn out how we planned, let us remember this: We do not need perfect circumstances to live a Spirit-filled life. We just need to open our heart and let the Spirit work — right where we are. The Holy Spirit knows exactly how to turn every piece of our life into something fruitful, so that it feeds, heals, and blesses others.
This is the meaning of Pentecost for us. Let us live our lives in the knowledge that although Jesus has ascended to the Father, He did not leave us alone to deal with the challenges of life. The Holy Spirit is ever present guiding us, sustaining us, empowering us, and working to consistently gather us all under the grace and protection of our loving Father.
By: Fernando Oramas (Saatchi Art)
Sunday Gospel Reflections 