Solemnity of Pentecost / 75th Anniversary Mass for Annunciation Church

Most Reverend José H. Gomez
Archbishop of Los Angeles

Annunciation Church
Arcadia, California
May 19, 2024

My brothers and sisters in Christ,¹

As I was saying I’m very happy to be with all of you for this special celebration, especially on this great solemnity of Pentecost that takes us back to the moment when the Church was born.

So we want to give thanks to God today for all his graces in these last seventy-five years. We also want to remember all the faithful men and women who built this Church through their hard work and sacrifice.

We thank God for your pastors and priests, for your ministers and volunteers. For all the many families down through the years who have made this parish a source of light and peace, life and love.

But anniversaries are not only about the past. They are about the future. So, today we ask God’s grace and strength to keep moving forward in our Christian mission, to continue our work of sharing God’s love and spreading the good news of his salvation in the world today.

Today, as I said, is a celebration, in a sense, of the “birthday” of the Catholic Church. Pentecost is where it all begins.

As we heard in the first reading, the Spirit came down “like a strong driving wind.” And “tongues of fire” filled the room, poured out on the Blessed Virgin Mary and the apostles.

And immediately they all began proclaiming the mighty works of God.

And as we heard in Jerusalem there were people gathered from “every nation under heaven.” And every one of them could understand what the apostles were saying, “each in his own native language.”

So my dear brothers and sisters: in this scene we find God the Creator’s beautiful dream for the human race and for each and every one of us.

And Jesus gave his Church this mission: to gather all the peoples of the world into one family of God.

As we know, that what “Catholic” means. It means universal, global, worldwide. It means all of us living as brothers and sisters, as sons and daughters of our Father in heaven.

That’s exactly what God wants for all of us.

He sends his Spirit to make us one people, as St. Paul tells us today: “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.”

And my dear brothers and sisters, his Spirit to each one of us, to you and to me, so that we can play our part in this beautiful plan.

Jesus says to us today, just as he said to the apostles: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”

As we heard, when Jesus spoke those words: He breathed on the apostles and said: “‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” 

My dear brothers and sisters, we, too, have received the Holy Spirit. When we were baptized, we were filled with the Spirit, just as the apostles were on that first Pentecost.

And like those disciples, Jesus is sending us out in the Spirit. He is sending us out into our homes, into the places where we work, into our neighborhoods, everywhere.

So like those first disciples, Jesus wants us to proclaim his love! That’s our beautiful vocation.

And today as we celebrate this anniversary, I think it’s so important for all of us to renew our desire to be faithful disciples of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

And God wants us to speak of the mighty works that he has done in our lives. Just think about all the blessings that you have received — the blessings you have received in your lives. And then  that will help us to understand that we have to share those blessings with the people of our time.

This is our work now, our mission. That fire that started at Pentecost is meant to keep burning in us, in his Church.

Jesus is calling us to spread the fire of that first Pentecost, to set this world on fire with the love of God.

So today let us especially ask today for the Holy Spirit to come — into our lives and into the world.

May the Spirit inflame our hearts and drive away all our fears! And may the Spirit inspire us with new zeal, and a new desire — to follow Jesus and carry on his mission.

It is really a moment of grace for all of us as we celebrate this anniversary on the solemnity of Pentecost.

Let’s go to your patroness, Our Lady of the Annunciation.

As she prayed with the apostles at the first Pentecost, let’s ask her to intercede for us — to bring about a new Pentecost in our days.

May she help us to be better apostles, better witnesses, and better Catholics. That we might set  the whole world on fire with the love of her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ!