The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate the direction we have received from the Holy Spirit as we invite the “kindling of the fire of love” in our lives.
The reading from the Acts of the Apostles describes the Coming of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles.
* [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). (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, 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 | USCCB, n.d.)
The reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians declares 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.”
* [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.)
The Letter of Paul to the Galatians contrasts the Works of the Flesh with The Fruit of the Spirit
* [5:13–26] In light of another reminder of the freedom of the gospel (Gal 5:13; cf. Gal 5:1), Paul elaborates on what believers are called to do and be: they fulfill the law by love of neighbor (Gal 5:14–15), walking in the Spirit (Gal 5:16–26), as is illustrated by concrete fruit of the Spirit in their lives. (Galatians, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of John, Jesus Appears to the Disciples
* [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.
* [20:20] Hands and…side: Lk 24:39–40 mentions “hands and feet,” based on Ps 22:17.
* [20:21] By means of this sending, the Eleven were made apostles, that is, “those sent” (cf. Jn 17:18), though John does not use the noun in reference to them (see note on Jn 13:16). A solemn mission or “sending” is also the subject of the post-resurrection appearances to the Eleven in Mt 28:19; Lk 24:47; Mk 16:15.
* [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.
* [20:23] The Council of Trent defined that this power to forgive sins is exercised in the sacrament of penance. See Mt 16:19; Mt 18:18. (John, CHAPTER 20, n.d.)
In the alternate Gospel reading, from the Gospel of John, Jesus promises the Spirit of Truth.
* [15:26] Whom I will send: in Jn 14:16, 26, the Paraclete is to be sent by the Father, at the request of Jesus. Here the Spirit comes from both Jesus and the Father in mission; there is no reference here to the eternal procession of the Spirit. (John, CHAPTER 15 | USCCB, n.d.)
* [16:13] Declare to you the things that are coming: not a reference to new predictions about the future, but interpretation of what has already occurred or been said. (John, CHAPTER 16 | USCCB, n.d.)
Cynthia Schmersal calls upon the Spirit in prayer.
Lord, send out Your Spirit,
Renew the face of the earth.To Ukraine, to Haiti, to Gaza, to all places of war and violence,
Lord, send out Your Spirit,
Transform turmoil into lasting peace.To the millions of our sisters and brothers who are forcibly displaced from their homes
And who now live as refugees and migrants,
Lord, send out Your Spirit,
Shelter them in Your abiding embrace.To all who suffer in body, mind and spirit, who struggle to hope,
Lord, send out Your Spirit,
Anoint them in Your love.To an earth that blisters and bleeds, groaning from the strain we inflict upon it,
Lord, send out Your Spirit,
Renew its face.To Your beloved who are without what they need to survive, let alone thrive,
Lord, send out Your Spirit,
Pry us open;
Remind us of our belonging and responsibility to one another.To the places of brokenness and fractured relationship in our communities and our families,
Lord, send out Your Spirit,
Be our reconciler; bind us in love.To the corners in each of our lives and hearts in need of healing and renewal,
Lord, send out Your Spirit,
Renew us. (Schmersal, 2024)
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 John 20:19-23 comments that today we celebrate the great feast of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus’ disciples with a mighty wind and tongues of fire (Acts 2:1-4). We remember how the Spirit poured faith, courage, and generous love into the hearts of timid men and women and made them bold witnesses who built the Church. And we rejoice that the same Spirit who transformed those first disciples lives in us!
Imagine Jesus telling you right now, Receive my Spirit! Receive more of my gifts and power and understanding. I want to give you expectant faith and assure you of my love. I want to fill you with power so that you can hear my voice, walk in my ways, and love one another. Receive my Spirit, and bring the good news of my mercy to everyone!
“Holy Spirit, on this great feast, I open my heart to receive all that you have for me!” (Meditation on John 20:19-23, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler notes that Pentecost originates in a Jewish pilgrimage and agricultural feast. He connects “ruhah” as the word for spirit and breath to Pentecost. The charisms mentioned by Paul are gifts of the Spirit for the service of the Body of Christ. Luke, the Stoic historian, and John, the mystic, have different concerns for the date of Jesus anointing the disciples with the Holy Spirit. Friar Jude reminds us that the Spirit, as Augustine observed, instructs us from our own hearts.
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, encourages Christians to recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit, a gift God has already given us!
We can recognize people who have had a second baptism in the Holy Spirit. They tend to be loving. They tend to be exciting. They want to serve others, and not just be served themselves. They forgive life itself for not being everything they once hoped for. They forgive their neighbors. They forgive themselves for not being as perfect as they would like to be.
Even though we so often pray, “Come, Holy Spirit,” the gift of the Spirit is already given. The Holy Spirit has already come. We 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 or fire, and rushing wind. If there’s never any movement, energy, excitement, deep love, service, forgiveness, or surrender, we can be pretty sure we aren’t living out of the Spirit. If our whole lives are just going through the motions, if there’s never any deep conviction, we aren’t connected to the Spirit. We would do well to fan into flame the gift that we already have.
God doesn’t 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 it has already been given. (Rohr, n.d.)
We celebrate the journey of our life and the guidance from the Holy Spirit, offered and accepted, that brings fullness to our life.
References
Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved May 19, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/2?1
Galatians, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved May 19, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/galatians/5
Hanvey, J. (2020, May 28). In times of darkness. Thinking Faith. Retrieved May 19, 2024, from https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/times-darkness
John, CHAPTER 20. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved May 19, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/20?19
John, CHAPTER 15 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved May 19, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/15
Meditation on John 20:19-23. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved May 19, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/05/19/968917/
1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 12. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved May 19, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/12?3
Psalms, PSALM 104 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved May 19, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/104?1
Rohr, R. (n.d.). A Further Baptism. CAC Daily Meditations. Retrieved May 19, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-further-baptism/
Schmersal, C. (2024, May 19). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved May 19, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/051924.html
Schwager, D. (n.d.). They Were All Filled with the Holy Spirit! Daily Scripture net. Retrieved May 19, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=may19
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