The Feast of Pentecost - Year C
Reading I: Acts 2:1-11
Psalm: 104
Reading II: Romans 8:8-17
Gospel: John 20: 19-23
The Feast of Pentecost, meaning 50 days after Easter, is called
the Birthday of the Church. The disciples hiding behind closed doors, terrified that they would be tortured and killed if they were known to be followers of Jesus, were called to hold leadership roles in the new Church.
How could these frightened men lead in this new Christian Community?
The Lord had promised to send them the
Holy Spirit who would be
their companion and guide in this new challenge. The Lord had promised not to abandon them. Knowing their weaknesses, as well as their good will, Jesus sent the help they needed.
Although it was a deep interior experience,
St. Luke describes it in ways that appeal to our senses.
He describes the coming as like the wind. The wind can lift up and move things. He was the wind behind the back of
Peter who now had the fortitude to stand up and preach to the Jews that they had put to death their Savior. Many were converted and baptized as a result of his preaching.
The Holy Spirit is also described as tongues of fire. Fire can
purify, and warm things. The disciples were cleansed of
their cowardliness and set on fire with zeal to spread the Good
News. They even had the courage to give up their lives as martyrs for the
faith.
Fire provides light. The disciples are given guidance also through the
light of the Holy Spirit. Today many people pray to the Holy Spirit for guidance,
especially when there are important decisions to be made.
The Holy Spirit is visualized as a dove, symbolizing gentleness and love. Jesus had exhibited gentleness and love all through His divine-human life. How gentle He was with sinners who repented! His whole message was
“Love” that we are to love God and our neighbor as
ourselves.
Finally, there was the phenomenon of people hearing things in their
own native languages. The Spirit’s message is that the Good News is for
people of all nations and races.
Reflection on the
sequence for today’s Mass is very helpful for fully appreciating the Gift we
were given at Pentecost.
Veni, Sancte Spiritu (Come Holy Spirit)
Come, Holy Spirit,
send forth the heavenly
radiance of your light.
Come, father of the poor,
come, giver of gifts,
come, light of the heart.
Greatest comforter,
sweet guest of the soul,
sweet consolation.
In labor, rest,
in heat, temperance,
in tears, solace.
O most blessed light,
fill the inmost heart
of your faithful.
Without your spirit,
there is nothing in man,
nothing that is not harmful.
Cleanse that which is unclean,
water that which is dry,
heal that which is wounded.
Bend that which is inflexible,
fire that which is chilled,
correct what goes astray.
Give to your faithful,
those who trust in you,
the seven-fold gifts.
Grant the reward of virtue,
grant the deliverance of salvation,
grant eternal joy.
Reflection Question: Do I take the time to call on the Holy Spirit at times when I need, courage, comfort, or guidance?
Spanish Translation of Reflection Above...
Fiesta de Pentecostés
La Fiesta de Pentecostés, que significa 50 días después de la Pascua, se llama el Cumpleaños de la Iglesia. Los discípulos que se escondían detrás de puertas cerradas, aterrorizados de ser torturados y asesinados si se sabía que eran seguidores de Jesús, fueron llamados a desempeñar roles de liderazgo en la nueva Iglesia. ¿Cómo podrían estos hombres asustados liderar en esta nueva comunidad cristiana?
El Señor había prometido enviarles al Espíritu Santo, quien sería su compañero y guía en este nuevo desafío. El Señor había prometido no abandonarlos. Al conocer sus debilidades y su buena voluntad, Jesús envió la ayuda que necesitaban.
Aunque fue una experiencia interior profunda, San Lucas lo describe de maneras que atraen a nuestros sentidos. Describe la venida como como el viento. El viento puede levantar y mover cosas. Él era el viento detrás de la espalda de Pedro, que ahora tenía la fortaleza de pararse y predicar a los judíos que habían matado a su Salvador. Muchos fueron convertidos y bautizados como resultado de su predicación.
El Espíritu Santo también se describe como lenguas de fuego. El fuego puede purificar, y calentar las cosas.Los discípulos fueron limpiados de su cobardía y prendieron fuego con celo para difundir la Buena Nueva. Incluso tuvieron el coraje de renunciar a sus vidas como mártires por la fe.
El fuego proporciona luz. Los discípulos reciben orientación también a través de la luz del Espíritu Santo. Hoy en día, muchas personas oran al Espíritu Santo para que los guíe, especialmente cuando hay que tomar decisiones importantes.
El Espíritu Santo se visualiza como una paloma, simbolizando la dulzura y el amor. Jesús había exhibido amabilidad y amor a lo largo de su vida divina y humana. ¡Qué amable fue con los pecadores que se arrepintieron! Su mensaje completo fue "Amor": que debemos amar a Dios y al prójimo como a nosotros mismos.
Finalmente, estaba el fenómeno de las personas que escuchaban cosas en sus propios idiomas nativos. El mensaje del Espíritu es que la Buena Nueva es para las personas de todas las naciones y razas.
La reflexión sobre la secuencia de la misa de hoy es muy útil para apreciar plenamente el regalo que recibimos en Pentecostés.
Veni, Sancte Spiritu (Ven, Espíritu Santo)
Ven, espíritu santo,
envía lo celestial
resplandor de tu luz.
Ven, padre de los pobres,
ven, dador de regalos,
Ven, luz del corazón.
El mejor consolador,
dulce huésped del alma,
dulce consuelo.
En trabajo de parto, descanso,
en calor, temperancia,
en lágrimas, consuelos
Oh luz bendita,
llenar el corazón más íntimo
de tus fieles.
Sin tu espiritu
no hay nada en el hombre,
Nada que no sea dañino.
Limpia lo que es inmundo,
el agua que está seca,
Curar lo herido.
Dobla lo que es inflexible,
fuego lo que se enfría,
Corregir lo que se extravía.
Dale a tus fieles,
los que confían en ti,
Los siete regalos.
Concede la recompensa de la virtud,
concede la salvación de la salvación,
Concede eterna alegría.
Pregunta de Reflexión: ¿Me tomo el tiempo de invocar al Espíritu Santo en momentos en que necesito valor, consuelo o guía?
Stephanie Morris, Ph.D. Historian, Certified Archivist, Emerita
St. Katharine wrote that “The Holy Ghost is ever within me – the presence of God.” Like the Apostles, we have received the Holy Spirit; like the Apostles, we each have our “own particular work to do for the Church.” Spending a little quiet time with the Holy Spirit, after Communion or whenever we have some quiet time, we may hear the Voice of the Holy Spirit, inviting us to work with God to do what God has asked us to do.
Pat Chiaffa, ASBS
The song, “The Prize Worth Fighting For,” by Jamie Kimmett, can be heard regularly on Christian radio. Essentially, it affirms that one will persevere through the difficulties of life by remembering the promises of Christ and His unfailing grace.
Before I headed out the door to do some errands, I read your post for the Feast of Pentecost so I could think about it during the day. I turned the radio on in the car and the above-mentioned song was playing. I was struck by the description of the challenges the songwriter was describing:
“Lately been down so low
My faith seems to come and go
Some days father I don’t know
How did my love grow cold
When every day’s just another struggle
And every choice is an act of war
Gotta pray gotta press on
To the prize worth fighting for…”
The lyrics go on to describe the depths of pain that none of us desire to experience.
The first thing that came to my mind is how blessed I am to believe in, and have a relationship with, the Holy Spirit. Next, I felt panic at the thought of not having the Holy Spirit to call on for comfort and support if I were going through a season where life felt like a battle. I realized how important it is to pray for others going through difficult times who may not know of the Presence of the Holy Spirit, that they will come to know His consoling, strengthening grace.
Richard Rohr wrote a series of daily reflections on the Indwelling Spirit and one thought that stirred me was, “When the Spirit is alive in people, they wake up from their mechanical thinking and enter the realm of co-creative power.” That sentence moved me because I recognized that, after so many decades of praying to the Holy Spirit for guidance, this is now a reality for me. As soon as I turn my attention to the Holy Spirit when I am in need, I am reminded that I have access to a higher level of thinking. When I ask Spirit for help, I can be assured of a more favorable outcome than if I had turned to my default mode of operating and tried to “fix” matters on my own.
While preparing for the day today (May 26), I was listening to talk radio and Flash Point Philadelphia was on. The topic was Suicide Awareness among teens. Suicide has tripled over the past several years in the 10 to 19-year-old age group, and Mental Health experts attribute this situation to increased exposure to social media. Depression, linked to loss of contact with others, is cited as contributing to the suicides. The facilitator also mentioned the presence of self-harm videos on Instagram where practices such as cutting, draw young people into a darkness that ending life is an option.
I found the program to be disturbing and I felt profound sadness that these exquisite children fail to recognize their true value and worth. Mental health issues are unique and complex, yet I ask, against what standards do these hurting souls measure their sense of identity. These grim statistics, in my mind, provide evidence that the attractions of the world are shallow and that we have an obligation to reach young people with the message that they are loved and have available to them the intimate companionship of the Spirit of God.
As numbers of churchgoers continue to drop, where will this generation of youth hear the message of God’s love and of His Plan for them; that they matter and are infinitely precious?
We are wired for God. It is who we are, and the absence of this awareness, I believe, will cause us to experience a void when we encounter struggles that cry for a spiritual communion.
As I call upon the Holy Spirit for guidance, comfort, and courage for myself and my loved ones, I will include in my prayers those who are in need of His assistance but unaware of His Presence in their lives.
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