The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today exhort us to claim our relationship to the Holy Spirit in our work of understanding and peace making.
The reading from the Acts of the Apostles describes the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.
* [2:3] Tongues as of fire: see Ex 19:18 where fire symbolizes the presence of God to initiate the covenant on Sinai. Here the holy Spirit acts upon the apostles, preparing them to proclaim the new covenant with its unique gift of the Spirit (Acts 2:38). (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 2, n.d.)
Psalm 104 praises God the Creator and Provider.
* [Psalm 104] A hymn praising God who easily and skillfully made rampaging waters and primordial night into a world vibrant with life. The psalmist describes God’s splendor in the heavens (Ps 104:1–4), how the chaotic waters were tamed to fertilize and feed the world (Ps 104:5–18), and how primordial night was made into a gentle time of refreshment (Ps 104:19–23). The picture is like Gn 1:1–2: a dark and watery chaos is made dry and lighted so that creatures might live. The psalmist reacts to the beauty of creation with awe (Ps 104:24–34). May sin not deface God’s work (Ps 104:35)! (Psalms, PSALM 104, n.d.)
The reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians declares we are one Body with many members.
* [12:4–6] There are some features common to all charisms, despite their diversity: all are gifts (charismata), grace from outside ourselves; all are forms of service (diakoniai), an expression of their purpose and effect; and all are workings (energēmata), in which God is at work. Paul associates each of these aspects with what later theology will call one of the persons of the Trinity, an early example of “appropriation.” (1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 12, n.d.)
The alternate reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans declares that we are children of God through adoption.
* [8:1–13] After his warning in Rom 7 against the wrong route to fulfillment of the objective of holiness expressed in Rom 6:22, Paul points his addressees to the correct way. Through the redemptive work of Christ, Christians have been liberated from the terrible forces of sin and death. Holiness was impossible so long as the flesh (or our “old self”), that is, self-interested hostility toward God (Rom 8:7), frustrated the divine objectives expressed in the law. What is worse, sin used the law to break forth into all manner of lawlessness (Rom 8:8). All this is now changed. At the cross God broke the power of sin and pronounced sentence on it (Rom 8:3). Christians still retain the flesh, but it is alien to their new being, which is life in the spirit, namely the new self, governed by the holy Spirit. Under the direction of the holy Spirit Christians are able to fulfill the divine will that formerly found expression in the law (Rom 8:4). The same Spirit who enlivens Christians for holiness will also resurrect their bodies at the last day (Rom 8:11). Christian life is therefore the experience of a constant challenge to put to death the evil deeds of the body through life of the spirit (Rom 8:13). (Romans, CHAPTER 8, n.d.)
In the Gospel of John, Jesus appears to the Disciples
* [20:22] This action recalls Gn 2:7, where God breathed on the first man and gave him life; just as Adam’s life came from God, so now the disciples’ new spiritual life comes from Jesus. Cf. also the revivification of the dry bones in Ez 37. This is the author’s version of Pentecost. Cf. also the note on Jn 19:30. (John, CHAPTER 20, n.d.)
The alternate reading from the Gospel of John, shares Jesus' Promise of the Holy Spirit.
* [14:27] Peace: the traditional Hebrew salutation šālôm; but Jesus’ “Shalom” is a gift of salvation, connoting the bounty of messianic blessing. (John, CHAPTER 14, n.d.)
Vivian Amu comments that It is rare to feel peace for more than a few minutes these days. All we need to do is turn on the television, get on social media, or encounter someone who tends to push our buttons, and there goes our peace of mind. However, our experience of the day is much different when we are accompanied by the Holy Spirit.
My friends, let us invite the Holy Spirit who breaks down the walls of a stubborn heart, heals the broken, melts the frozen, and guides our steps. We are in much need of the reconciling presence of the Spirit, which draws us into communion with each other, yes, other members of the body of Christ. Come, Holy Spirit, rest on us, dwell in us, stay with us. (Amu, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “The Holy Spirit at Pentecost,” by Leo the Great, 400-461 A.D.
"To the Hebrew people, now freed from Egypt, the law was given on Mount Sinai fifty days after the immolation of the paschal lamb. Similarly, after the passion of Christ in which the true Lamb of God was killed, just fifty days after his resurrection, the Holy Spirit fell upon the apostles and the whole group of believers. Thus the earnest Christian may easily perceive that the beginnings of the Old Covenant were at the service of the beginnings of the gospel and that the same Spirit who instituted the first established the Second Covenant." (excerpt from Sermon 75.1) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Acts 2:1-11 implores let’s take the opportunity on this great feast to pray for a greater outpouring of the Spirit in our lives.
“Holy Spirit, you gave gifts to the disciples to build your Church. In order to do your work, I need gifts that can only come from you—gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, and strength; gifts of prophecy, healing, and discernment of spirits (Isaiah 11:2; 1 Corinthians 12:7-10). You know that I am asking for these gifts not just for myself but so that I can also bring you glory and lead other people to you. In this season of my life, I especially ask for the gift of ______. But whatever you want to give me, I am open to receiving it. (Meditation on Acts 2:1-11, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the outpouring of the Spirit on the apostles and Mary as a restoration of language that had been destroyed by Babbel. The locations mentioned in Acts may have been where the 1st Century Church had spread the Word. Paul teaches the Corinthians about the role of the Spirit and the gifts that are for the growth of the community. Friar Jude reminds us that Luke the historian and John the mystic have different understanding of the time of the gift of the Spirit.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, encourages us to recognize and call upon the Holy Spirit, a gift God has already given us!
Even though we so often pray, “Come, Holy Spirit,” the gift of the Spirit is already given. The Holy Spirit has already come. You all are temples of the Holy Spirit, equally, objectively, and forever! The only difference is the degree that we know it, draw upon it, and consciously believe it. All the scriptural images of the Spirit are dynamic—flowing water, descending dove, fire, and wind. If there’s never any movement, energy, excitement, deep love, service, forgiveness, or surrender, you can be pretty sure you don’t have the Spirit. If our whole lives are just going through the motions, if there’s never any deep conviction, we don’t have the Spirit. We would do well to fan into flame the gift that we already have. God does not give God’s Spirit to those of us who are worthy, because none of us are worthy. God gives God’s Spirit in this awakened way to those who want it. On this Feast of Pentecost, quite simply, want it! Rely upon it. Know that you already have it. (Rohr, n.d.)
We pray “Come Holy Spirit” and await the peace that Jesus offers to all.
References
Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 2. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 5, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/2?1
Amu, V. (n.d.). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved June 5, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/060522.html
John, CHAPTER 14. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 5, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/14?15
John, CHAPTER 20. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 5, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/20?19
Meditation on Acts 2:1-11. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved June 5, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/06/05/400883/
1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 12. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 5, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/12?3
Psalms, PSALM 104. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 5, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/104?1
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Baptism of Fire and Spirit. Daily Meditations Archive: 2022. Retrieved June 5, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/baptism-of-fire-and-spirit-2022-06-05/
Romans, CHAPTER 8. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 5, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/8?8
Schwager, D. (n.d.). They Were All Filled with the Holy Spirit! Daily Scripture net. Retrieved June 5, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=jun5
No comments:
Post a Comment