Solemnity of Pentecost at
the Vigil
Catechism Links [1]
CCC 696, 726, 731-732,
737-741, 830, 1076, 1287, 2623: Pentecost
CCC 599, 597,674, 715: apostolic witness on
Pentecost
CCC 1152, 1226, 1302, 1556: the mystery of
Pentecost continues in the Church
CCC 767, 775, 798, 796,
813, 1097, 1108-1109:
the Church, communion in the Spirit
 |
| “Pentecost” by Sir Anthony van Dyck,1618-20 |
Readings for Pentecost Sunday [2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
Readings and Commentary: [4]
Reading 1: Acts 2:1-11
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.
Now there were devout Jews from
every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem.
At this sound, they gathered in a
large crowd,
but they were confused
because each one heard them
speaking in his own language.
They were astounded, and in
amazement they asked,
"Are not all these people who
are speaking Galileans?
Then how does each of us hear them
in his native language?
We are Parthians, Medes, and
Elamites,
inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea
and Cappadocia,
Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and
Pamphylia,
Egypt and the districts of Libya
near Cyrene,
as well as travelers from Rome,
both Jews and converts to Judaism,
Cretans and Arabs,
yet we hear them speaking in our
own tongues
of the mighty acts of God."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Acts 2:1-11
“When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled” – the word in
its Greek form means “fifty” so we understand this phrase to mean fifty days
after Christ’s resurrection (Easter). An interesting coincidence is the Jewish
Festival of Weeks (Harvest Festival “Shavuoth”) was also called Pentecost.
Whether it was taken first by the Christians and later adopted by the
Hellenistic Jews we do not know.
Those present (not just the disciples) heard a loud noise like the
rushing of the wind. This signified a new action by God. Indeed, we see the
symbol of the Holy Spirit, a flame, descend upon the Apostles launching them
into prayers of ecstasy that were heard by all present in their own language.
This event can be interpreted as a representation of the universal mission of
the Church to all peoples of all nations.
CCC: Acts 2:1-4 1287; Acts
2:1 2623; Acts
2:3-4 696; Acts
2:11 1287
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34
R. (cf. 30) Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew
the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD, my God, you are great
indeed!
How manifold are your works, O
Lord!
the earth is full of your
creatures;
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the
earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
May the glory of the LORD endure
forever;
may the LORD be glad in his works!
Pleasing to him be my theme;
I will be glad in the LORD.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the
earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
If you take away their breath,
they perish
and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit,
they are created,
and you renew the face of the
earth.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the
earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31,
34
In Psalm 104 we find a refrain that is the most popular hymn sung
at Pentecost. The final strophe recognizes the third person of God and asks for
the blessing of the Holy Spirit. The psalmist recognizes the Holy Spirit is God
since the creative effort of God is manifested by the Holy Spirit: "If
you take away their breath, they perish and return to their dust. When you send
forth your spirit, they are created."
CCC: Ps 104 288; Ps
104:24 295; Ps
104:30 292, 703
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reading II: 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13
Brothers and sisters:
No one can say, "Jesus is
Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.
There are different kinds of
spiritual gifts but the same Spirit;
there are different forms of
service but the same Lord;
there are different workings but
the same God
who produces all of them in
everyone.
To each individual the
manifestation of the Spirit
is given for some benefit.
As a body is one though it has
many parts,
and all the parts of the body,
though many, are one body,
so also Christ.
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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on 1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13
In this letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul acknowledges the role
of the Holy Spirit and the different gifts supplied to the members of the
Mystical Body of Christ. At the same time he also proclaims the oneness of the
triune God. The unity theme is carried finally to the people of God who are one
in the Spirit and therefore one with God.
In v. 13: "by one spirit: That is, by the divine
action of the Spirit working in Baptism. ...one body: This is
not simply a metaphor for the Church, with the focus on her organizational
unity, but it expresses the metaphysical reality that every believer is truly
united with Christ by the Sacraments (1 Corinthians 10:17; CCC
790). The Spirit is the soul of this mystical body, giving life,
growth and direction to each of its members (CCC
797). ...Jews or Greeks: Union with Christ makes ethnic
and social distinctions irrelevant in the eyes of God (Galatians 3:28; CCC
1267). ...to drink of one spirit: Baptism renews (Titus 3:5) and
refreshes us through the Spirit (John 7:37-39), as does
the spiritual drink of the Eucharist (1 Corinthians 10:4)." [5]
CCC: 1 Cor 12 1988, 2003; 1 Cor
12:3 152, 449, 455, 683,
2670, 2681; 1 Cor 12:4-6 249; 1 Cor
12:6 308; 1 Cor
12:7 801, 951; 1 Cor
12:13 694, 790, 798, 1227,
1267, 1396
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Or: Romans 8:8-17
Brothers and sisters:
Those who are in the flesh cannot
please God.
But you are not in the flesh;
on the contrary, you are in the
spirit,
if only the Spirit of God dwells
in you.
Whoever does not have the Spirit
of Christ does not belong to him.
But if Christ is in you,
although the body is dead because
of sin,
the spirit is alive because of
righteousness.
If the Spirit of the one who
raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
the one who raised Christ from
the dead
will give life to your mortal
bodies also,
through his Spirit that dwells in
you.
Consequently, brothers and
sisters,
we are not debtors to the flesh,
to live according to the flesh.
For if you live according to the
flesh, you will die,
but if by the Spirit you put to
death the deeds of the body,
you will live.
For those who are led by the
Spirit of God are sons of God.
For you did not receive a spirit
of slavery to fall back into fear,
but you received a Spirit of
adoption,
through whom we cry, “Abba,
Father!”
The Spirit himself bears witness
with our spirit
that we are children of God,
and if children, then heirs,
heirs of God and joint heirs with
Christ,
if only we suffer with him
so that we may also be glorified
with him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Rom 8:8-17
St. Paul focuses on the Holy Spirit indwelling as a consequence of
baptism. The Holy Spirit once received overrules the flesh and the faithful
become one in Christ. Christians, by reason of the Spirit's presence within
them, enjoy not only new life but also a new relationship to God, that of
adopted children and heirs through Christ, whose sufferings and glory they
share.
CCC: Rom 8:9 693; Rom
8:11 632, 658, 693, 695,
989, 990
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: John 20:19-23
On the evening of that first day
of the week,
when the doors were locked, where
the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their
midst
and said to them, "Peace be
with you."
When he had said this, he showed
them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they
saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again,
"Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I
send you."
And when he had said this, he
breathed on them and said to them,
"Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are
forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are
retained."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jn 20:19-23
St. John gives us the picture of the disciples (now Apostles) in
hiding immediately following the Lord’s crucifixion. Twice Jesus comes to them,
once with Thomas absent, and then again when he is present.
There are a number of very important elements of this version of
the story. First, the Lord’s greeting: “Peace be with you.” While this
may have been a simple shalom, it is more likely intended to emphasize the
rejoicing sense of the meeting. Immediately the Lord sends them on their
mission: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you." As part of
this action, we are told the Lord gives the gift of the Holy Spirit to
strengthen them, and gives them authority to act in his name.
CCC: Jn 20:19 575, 643, 645, 659; Jn
20:20 645; Jn
20:21-23 1087, 1120, 1441; Jn
20:21 730, 858; Jn
20:22-23 976, 1485; Jn
20:22 730, 788, 1287; Jn
20:23 1461, 2839
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Or: John 14:15-16, 23b-26
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.
“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.
Those who do not love me do 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 whom
the Father will send in my name,
will teach you everything
and remind you of all that I told
you.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jn 14:15-16, 23b-26
The farewell speech of the Lord continues with the promise of the
Holy Spirit, the Paraclete. We note he says, “another Advocate.” Jesus
himself is the first advocate (in St. John’s Gospel the term used synonymously
with spokesman, mediator, intercessor, comforter, and consoler). Jesus says
this gift is: “The Spirit of truth.” (From the Qumran or Dead Sea
Scrolls- a moral force put into a person by God.) This promise is made because
the disciples are becoming worried, and are afraid of being left without Jesus’
guidance. In addition to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, he leaves his peace,
not just the greeting “Shalom,” but an inner peace that conquers fear.
After Jesus has promised to send the Holy Spirit (the new Advocate
– the Paraclete), he reinforces that promise with a summation of his great
commandment. The Lord then completes our understanding of the Holy Trinity
with: “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 Father and the Son are one and, in the name of the Son, the Holy Spirit now
remains with us.
"The word translated here is 'bring to your remembrance' also
includes the idea of 'suggesting': the Holy Spirit will recall to the Apostles'
memory what they have already heard Jesus say and he will give them light to
enable them to discover the depth and richness of everything they have
seen and heard. Thus, 'the Apostles handed on to their hearers what he
had said and done, but, with that fuller understanding which they instructed by
the glorious events of Christ (cf. John 2:33) and
enlightened by the Spirit of truth, now enjoyed' (Vatican II, Dei
Verbum, 19)." [6]
CCC: Jn
14:16-17 729, 2615;
Jn 14:16 692; Jn
14:17 243, 687, 2466, 2671; Jn 14:18 788; Jn
14:22 647; Jn
14:23-26 2615;
Jn 14:23 260; Jn
14:26 243, 244, 263, 692, 729, 1099, 2466, 2623
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
For the past seven weeks we have
celebrated our joy in the knowledge that Jesus, who was crucified, died, and
was buried, has risen as he promised. In rising he opened the gates
of heaven and paved the way for our salvation. It has been a
fifty-day celebration and today, Pentecost, we conclude our Easter with a
coming-out party.
Pentecost is, for the Church, like
Christmas is to Jesus. It is, in essence, the birth of the Church’s
mission. I’d like you to read a quote from Pope Paul VI from an address
he made back in 1969:
"Today, as you know, the
Church was fully born, through the breath of Christ, the Holy Spirit; and in
the Church was born the Word, the witness to and promulgation of salvation in
the risen Jesus. “
He goes on to say:
“[A]nd in [those] who listen to
this promulgation is born faith, and with faith a new life, an awareness of the
Christian vocation and the ability to hear that calling and to follow it by
living a genuinely human life, indeed a life which is not only human but holy.
And to make this divine intervention effective, today was born the apostolate,
the priesthood, the ministry of the Spirit, the calling to unity, fraternity
and peace."
This Pentecost we celebrate is
more than simply the fulfillment of a prophecy recorded in the sacred books of
the Old Testament. It is more than the fulfillment of a promise, although
it is Jesus’ promise fulfilled. It is more than simply the revelation of
the third person of the Trinity, although in establishing that Divine Advocate
within us the Holy Spirit is both revealed and active.
We look at the appearance of the
Holy Spirit in the life of Jesus. We can go back to the very moment of
his conception in Blessed Mary’s womb. We are told that the Lord himself
was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Recall the words in St. Luke’s Gospel
as the archangel Gabriel tells an astonished Mary: "The Holy Spirit
will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore, the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35) From the very instant of
his conception the essence of God the Father and the Holy Spirit were
established in the truly human Jesus who walked among us.
We find that dove-like presence
again in the life of Jesus as he walks out of the Jordan River after St. John
the Baptist reluctantly provides symbolic repentance (for how could it have
been other than symbolic for one who is sinless from birth?). “After Jesus
was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened
(for him), and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove (and) coming
upon him.”(Matthew 3:16)
That moment marked the beginning of the Lord’s active mission to proclaim God’s
Kingdom and the salvation flowing from it.
The same gift of the Holy Spirit
was given to each of us in our own baptism where we were sanctified, made holy,
and claimed for God’s service and care. Like the Lord, at baptism we were
given a piece of God’s mission. We or our proxies (our parents) made
promises, a pledge to God and his Church: our belief in God: Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit, and our rejection of all that is evil in the world. At
confirmation, the gift of the Holy Spirit was sealed as we once more promised
to obey his direction and follow the path Christ has laid out for us.
What a precious gift he has left
us in the Holy Spirit. Indeed, without that strength and grace, we would
fail utterly in the task he has left us: to carry out the work he began and to
bring the love and peace of God to all people. We see what a remarkable
transformation that spiritual gift can accomplish when it is tapped. Look
at the story in St. John’s Gospel. The disciples were utterly
grief-stricken at the Lord’s death on the cross. They are incredulous at
seeing his glorified body enter the locked room where they cower. The
Lord breathes upon them, and the Holy Spirit fills them, and they are
suddenly transformed into towers of courage, able to proclaim the risen Christ
to all peoples of all cultures.
This is the strength we have been
given. This is the grace that fills us and like all gifts from God, many
and varied though they be, we are called upon to use those gifts to further the
mission of Christ and His Church. We are called to bring the good news to
all we meet; in actuality we are called upon to be the good news. Through
our actions guided by the Holy Spirit we are called to be a flame that brings
light to the world.
Pentecost brings an end to our
Easter season, the season of rejoicing. It now launches us into the world
at large, invigorated, refreshed, and renewed in the Risen Lord to bring the
love of God into the world. We call on you now as Church to bring that
light to the world.
Pax
[1]
Catechism links are taken from the
Homiletic Directory, Published by the Congregation for
Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014.
[2]
The picture used is “Pentecost” by Sir Anthony van Dyck,1618-20.
[3]
S.S. Commemoratio[4]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the
psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is
for private use only.
[5]
Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, © 2010, Ignatius
Press, San Francisco, CA. p. 303.[6]
The Navarre Bible, “Gospels and Acts”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, ©
2002, p.660.
No comments:
Post a Comment