Coming back from a successful mission, Jesus asked the Apostles this question: Who do people say that the Son of Man is? Then, Jesus followed it with another question: But who do you say that I am? Peter answered with his famous confession of faith: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Everybody was stunned. Where did Peter get this answer? Before they could process everything that was happening, Jesus enlightened them and said, Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly FATHER.

For more than three years, a missionary found himself imprisoned in China. So that, for one thousand and nineteen days, he was unable to receive the Eucharist. But through God’s blessings forty-one times, he was able to celebrate Mass and receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. How did this happen? One day during his captivity, he received a package from his mother, a bottle of Alka-Seltzer and a medicine bottle marked “pabulum vitae” (food of life). It took a little while before the missionary realized that his mother sent him a real treasure: between the Alka-Seltzer tablets were forty-one hosts, while the medicine was wine.

Christians are baptized using the formula: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. And before receiving the sacrament, they respond to a three-part question when asked to confess the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit with the firm: I do. The faith of all Christians rests on the Trinity (CCC. 232). Today, we celebrate the most central mystery of our faith: God’s mystery, the Holy Trinity.

Pentecost is the coming of the Holy Spirit that sets our spirits free. It is the Holy Spirit that removes the costumes and the masks we wear, and brings out the real goodness and freedom in each one.

In His Farewell Address, right after the last supper, Jesus promised to send the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in His name. At this time, the Apostles did not understand everything that Jesus revealed to them. However, the events of the Last Supper, His Resurrection, and the various Easter moments or appearances of Jesus slowly reveal the many facets of His divine nature as the awaited Messiah. After appearing to them the last time at His Ascension, they now await the Paraklétos, the Holy Spirit.

Today is Ascension Sunday. At the first Ascension Moment, Jesus ascended into heaven and lifted the spirit of the disciples, their hopes, and dreams. He drew them to Himself and led them to a new level of life and discipleship with purpose and mission. He empowers them to become His witnesses and blesses and fills them with joy, praise, and courage. Along with the mission from the Lord are the power and protection of the Holy Spirit. Because, to be on a mission is learning to rely more on God’s power and less on our own.

At the second post-resurrection appearance of Jesus, He blesses the Apostles with the blessing of PEACE. The PEACE he gives is vastly different from the peace the world gives. At the Eucharist, we offer each other a sign of peace, using the same formula of Jesus' blessing just before receiving the Holy Communion. Knowing the frightened state of the Apostle, Jesus confers on them the gift of peace: Peace be with you. In giving them the gift of His peace, He assures them that He knows their fears and the troubled condition of their hearts, so He tells them: Do not be distressed or fearful.

Last week, I was with tens of thousands of people at the Vatican Square to witness firsthand when the white smoke came out of the Sistine Chapel. I would have wanted to live stream this momentous event, but suddenly, all networks stopped working just before the white smoke came out. At first, I said, Oh man! Was I the only one who got disconnected? But it worked well for me, because now I can focus on the events on the balcony where the new pope would appear.

My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. One of the good qualities of sheep or lambs is their obedience and docility. Qualities that are slowly becoming rare in the present society, and instead advocate disobedience, defiance, and stubbornness. We ask ourselves: Are we sheep or lambs, obedient and meek, or are we wolves - uncaring, disobedient, and selfish?

Jesus appeared to His disciples, who had gone back to fishing. Still preoccupied with his guilt, Peter instigated everything. He probably thought that after three times denying Jesus, he had nothing to offer to Him. Together with the others, they felt that everything was gone, and they had to work and make a living. They are unsure if they need to return to being fishermen until the Lord makes them remember who they were and their mission.

“With deep sorrow, yet with enduring hope in the Resurrection, we mourn the passing of our Holy Father, Pope Francis. A shepherd to the world, he was a man who listened—truly listened—not only to the faithful within the Church but to people of all faiths and goodwill. He reminded us that even those without faith in God could offer their kind thoughts, and he humbly welcomed them.

"Pope Francis was a man of accompaniment, walking alongside the poor, the marginalized, migrants, refugees, and the displaced. His heart was always with those on the peripheries, and he tirelessly advocated for their dignity and rights. His most recent Synod on Synodality provided a roadmap for the Church’s future, one rooted in encounter and listening. ‘Todos, todos, todos,’ he would say—everyone belongs in the conversation, for the Church is the home of all.

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Rejoice! The Lord has risen. Today, the whole of Christendom marks its highest feast, EASTER, the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Behind the great salvation of humanity is the story of the Lord’s suffering and dying for us. His death was the Redemptive Death. The entire redemptive act, known as the Paschal Mystery, began with His birth, encompassing His life, death, and resurrection. But without His resurrection, His life, suffering, and death would be meaningless for our salvation.

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of the Holy Week. Wherever you are this Holy Week, whatever you do to observe it, just do it all with love and gratitude to God, who loved us so much He sent His only Begotten Son, who suffered greatly, died, and rose again for you and me.

All our prayers, fasting, and acts of charity throughout Lent lead to this week. It is a week filled with high emotion and drama—the PASSION of the Son of Man, who suffers and dies a cruel death, only to rise three days later to give us new life. The Passion narrative reveals God's immense love for us and offers hope for our situation. Now, God invites us to embark on a journey of faith, a way of life, or a new level of existence. As Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Emeritus, explains: “Being Christian is a path or, better, a pilgrimage; it is to travel with Jesus, to journey in the direction He has pointed out and is pointing out to us.” May this Holy Week be an opportunity for all of us to follow Him, know Him better, and love Him more.

Like the Gospel last Sunday, Jesus brings us closer to the heart of the mystery of His Divine Mercy. He shows mercy to the woman caught in adultery. When the elders were ready to condemn the woman, Jesus showed mercy and did not condemn her. “Neither do I condemn you.” Rather than condemnation, the Lord showed her unconditional love and forgiveness. We can all be confident of God’s mercy no matter how unworthy we are! With the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus tried to win their hearts and minds to extend mercy to the woman, but pride kept them from doing so.