The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, the Feast of Pentecost, assert the power of the Holy Spirit to activate our gifts for community and care of others.
The reading from the Acts of the Apostles, proclaims the coming of the Holy Spirit.
* [2:1–41] Luke’s pentecostal narrative consists of an introduction (Acts 2:1–13), a speech ascribed to Peter declaring the resurrection of Jesus and its messianic significance (Acts 2:14–36), and a favorable response from the audience (Acts 2:37–41). It is likely that the narrative telescopes events that took place over a period of time and on a less dramatic scale. The Twelve were not originally in a position to proclaim publicly the messianic office of Jesus without incurring immediate reprisal from those religious authorities in Jerusalem who had brought about Jesus’ death precisely to stem the rising tide in his favor.
* [2:2] There came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind: wind and spirit are associated in Jn 3:8. The sound of a great rush of wind would herald a new action of God in the history of salvation.
* [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).
* [2:4] To speak in different tongues: ecstatic prayer in praise of God, interpreted in Acts 2:6, 11 as speaking in foreign languages, symbolizing the worldwide mission of the church. (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 2, n.d.)
Psalm 104 praises God the Creator and Provider.
* [104:29–30] On one level, the spirit (or wind) of God is the fall and winter rains that provide food for all creatures. On another, it is the breath (or spirit) of God that makes beings live. (Psalms, PSALM 104, n.d.)
The reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians describes the Spirit for One Body with many members.
* [12:12–26] The image of a body is introduced to explain Christ’s relationship with believers (1 Cor 12:12). 1 Cor 12:13 applies this model to the church: by baptism all, despite diversity of ethnic or social origins, are integrated into one organism. 1 Cor 12:14–26 then develop the need for diversity of function among the parts of a body without threat to its unity. (1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 12, n.d.)
In the Gospel of John, Jesus Appears to the Disciples.
* [20:19–29] The appearances to the disciples, without or with Thomas (cf. Jn 11:16; 14:5), have rough parallels in the other gospels only for Jn 20:19–23; cf. Lk 24:36–39; Mk 16:14–18.
* [20:19] The disciples: by implication from Jn 20:24 this means ten of the Twelve, presumably in Jerusalem. Peace be with you: although this could be an ordinary greeting, John intends here to echo Jn 14:27. The theme of rejoicing in Jn 20:20 echoes Jn 16:22. (John, CHAPTER 20, n.d.)
Cindy Costanzo comments that Pentecost was a new beginning for the church and each year it is representative of a new beginning for each of us. It is a wonderful time to remember and reflect on the gifts of the Holy Spirit: fortitude, piety, fear of God, counsel, understanding, wisdom, and knowledge.
I try to imagine that day…what a wonderous and glorious sight to visualize the descent of the Holy Spirit. I think of the Holy Spirit as a beautiful gift. A gift that was given to the Apostles but to each of us. If I believe in the Trinity - the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and I declare myself a child of God, a Christian, a believer, someone who is ‘all in’ my heart, mind, soul, and spirit…is not the Holy Spirit within me and all around me? Can I sit quietly, in silence, breathing in and out, listening, praying, feeling the earth supporting my body, the breeze gently blowing my hair, the birds singing, cottonwood trees rustling and feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. Yes, I believe so. Amen. (Costanzo, 2023)
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 comments that the Holy Spirit still wants to dismantle walls between people from all walks of life and bring them together. And by virtue of our baptism, we are called to participate in that mission.
How? You can start right where you live. You’re sure to encounter someone who might not “speak your language.” Maybe someone in your family or among your neighbors has a different worldview than you do. Maybe there are people who come from a different country or from a different generation. Bring Jesus to them. Just say a prayer, open your mouth, and trust the Spirit to work through you to bring them together.
The Holy Spirit is still eager to bring us all together in Christ. Let him fill you on this special day!
“Holy Spirit, give me the words to proclaim the good news wherever I go.” (Meditation on Acts 2:1-11, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments ( after reflecting on the Vigil texts) that in reversing the separation of the Tower of Babel we understand that language should unite us. The Greek understanding that Paul confronts is that Spirit is good and physical, Human Jesus, is not good, as builds on Stoic understanding of community. Friar Jude suggests that Yes is the answer to the differences in Luke, a historian, and John, a mystic, about the Holy Spirit being received by the apostles.
James Hanvey SJ, Secretary for the Service of the Faith for the Society of Jesus, draws our attention to the work of the Spirit to bring us into communion with one another, a communion in which we see Christ in every hopeful or sorrowful face.
I believe that the gospel opens up paths of encounter with our world, especially those who are lost, abandoned, and forgotten. Those, too, who may not acknowledge any faith but long for a better world, a more compassionate and just community, a new way of sharing life with the whole of God’s good creation, still becoming and evolving.
Whenever we hear the words of Christ and attend with an open heart, we see ourselves and those around us in a new light. We see that the beatitudes are not just something for the future, but even now they are among us. The corporate and spiritual works of mercy are already our solidarity and communion in action. They are the paths on which the Spirit is leading us to encounter the face of Christ in each other. (Hanvey, 2020)
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, reminds us that the Holy Spirit is as near to us as our own breath.
In teaching on the Holy Spirit, what we need to do is “mind the gap”—because the Holy Spirit fills the gaps of everything. First, we need to be aware that there usually is a gap. There’s a space because we don’t recognize that God is as available to us as our breath. We always allow God, by our own silliness and stupidity, to be distant, to be elsewhere. We always find a gap between ourselves and our neighbor, between ourselves and almost everything. We therefore feel quite lonely and isolated in this world. Without some awareness of the Holy Spirit’s presence, frankly, we’re not connected to anything or anybody. We just live an isolated life.
The Holy Spirit within us is the desire inside all of us that wants to keep connecting, relating, and communing. It isn’t above us. It isn’t beyond us—it is within us. It’s as available as our breath, and that’s why the Risen Christ gives the Holy Spirit by breathing upon the disciples. He’s saying, in effect, “Here it is! Here it is! Can you breathe in what I have breathed out?” (Rohr, 2023)
We invoke the Holy Spirit to be created and renew the face of the earth as we connect to Jesus and our brothers and sisters.
References
Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 2. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved May 28, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/2?1
Costanzo, C. (2023, May 28). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved May 28, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/052823.html
Hanvey, J. (2020, May 28). In times of darkness. Thinking Faith. Retrieved May 28, 2023, from https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/times-darkness
John, CHAPTER 20. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved May 28, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/20?19
Meditation on Acts 2:1-11. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved May 28, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/05/28/691462/
1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 12. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved May 28, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/12?3
Psalms, PSALM 104. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved May 28, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/104?1
Rohr, R. (2023, May 28). As Close as Our Breath — Center for Action and Contemplation. Cac.org. Retrieved May 28, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/as-close-as-our-breath-2023-05-28/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). They Were All Filled with the Holy Spirit! Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved May 28, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=may28
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