Pentecost

Pentecost – May 20, 2018

Frackville, From the Pastor /

Pentecost was and is a major feast for Jewish people. It marked the end of Passover, just as for Christians it marks the end of Easter. The feast of Pentecost came about because of the belief that God gave the Law to Moses 50 days after the Israelites left Egypt. Since the events of the death and resurrection of Jesus were related to the Jewish Passover, it was perfectly logical for Luke in the Acts to connect the sending of the Holy Spirit to the final act of Passover – Pentecost. Luke fully recognizes that the Holy Spirit came on different groups of people in different places and at different times, and gives examples of these in Acts. John’s Gospel speaks of Jesus giving the Holy Spirit to the disciples in the upper room on the day of resurrection, so it would be wrong to think of Pentecost as in any way of a one-off occasion. Rather Luke presents Pentecost in the upper room as the fulfillment of the giving of the Law: hence what seemed life fire descended on the disciples – as there was when God descended on Sinai. The result of this is dramatic scene is a powerful witness to the risen Christ by those who had just received the Holy Spirit. Now neither limited by their own fear, nor impended by the barrier of different languages, the arrival of the Holy Spirit creates confident disciples, and they achieve what Jesus promised they would through the Holy Spirit.

The gift of the Spirit is not limited to the 1st generation of disciples, or even subsequent disciples in the Acts of the Apostles. It is often pointed out that the book of the Acts doesn’t come to an end; it merely stops at particular point. The reason is that the story is still being constructed, and by us who are the present-day disciples in the tale of Jesus’ witnesses, because we too are empowered by the Spirit. We use the word “Paraclete” to describe the Holy Spirit. This is a word that was known to Jews and Gentile alike. For the Gentiles – Roman and Greek – a Paraclete was a legal representative; for the Jews, a Paraclete meant a comforter, a counsellor. The presence of the Spirit keeps us in the knowledge of God and enables us to experience the presence of God. The Spirit is never found in anger, jealousy, self-indulgence, immorality. Rather the Spirit is found where there is peace, joy, love, kindness, truthfulness, self-control. Where we see this, says Paul, we see the Spirit of God. When we do these, we are witnesses.

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Pentecost (“A”) – June 4, 2017

Frackville, From the Pastor /

On the day of Pentecost the disciples, likewise, were afraid of what might happen to them. The huddled together in an upper room with locked doors, waiting for something to happen. The Lord had promised them that the Spirit would come and so they waited. Now the room shook and the sound of the wind could be heard, and the vision of tongues of fire came upon each one of them. Each individual and the whole group together were gifted with the coming of the Spirit. It didn’t take long for the effects of that Spirit to be seen and heard.

This day is known as the „birthday” of the Church. We were born on this day. The Spirit came and enlivened a group that had almost died. The risen Lord sent His living Spirit to be our life. Each oen of us, as well as the whole Church together, receives the gift, and the gift is to be used. We begin with a gift of peace. Not the world’s peace, initially, but our own. We seek to grow in the gift of a peaceful mind and heart, and peaceful relationships in our life. The second gift is the mission. You are sent out from this church into the world around you. You are able, with the Spirit’s help, to be outgoing and to help bring a gift of peace into the lives of those you live with and work with. You have a responsibility now. It is a grace given to you. Do not let it go for nothing. Finally, the third gift is the grace to reconcile people who are at war with one another. There is the power to forgive others and the power to call people to justice. Do you believe this? Do you accept this? Come, Holy Spirit.

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Pentecost (“C”) – May 15, 2016

From the Pastor /

The apostles are no longer terrified and in hiding after Jesus’ crucifixion, but, driven by what seems like a powerful wind from heaven and tongues of fire, they go out into the market square proclaiming the marvels of God. The people are from many foreign places but everyone hears and understands in his or her own language what is being said. It signifies a reversal of the confusion of language in the story of Babel and the beginning of humanity’s restoration to unity.

Not only is the Spirit of God our helper but also, as St. Paul says in the second reading, He has “made His home” in us. The source of this divine life of the Spirit within us is the Father “who raised Jesus from the dead”. Having received the gift of the Spirit we are called to live “spiritual lives”. We may lack the power to describe the beauty of God’s creation, but with the help of the Holy Spirit we can speak in words that bring love, healing and reconciliation. When the words are accompanied by actions of self-giving they will be understood and accepted, whatever the language of the recipient.

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Solemnity of Pentecost – May 24, 2015

From the Pastor /

The readings for today’s Solemnity of Pentecost, each in their own way, describe the effect of God’s Holy Spirit in terms of speaking a language of understanding a culture. The apostles are transformed from being huddled in the upper room in fear of their lives into people who are filled with joy and courage as they rush out to share the good news of the resurrection of Jesus. They speak foreign languages, they are given the gift of speech. All people understood the Gospel message, each in their own language. In the Gospel, Jesus describes the Spirit as the one who speaks the truth – acting as a witness to the truth about Jesus. Throughout John’s Gospel, the truth about Jesus is quite simply that Jesus is the Son of God. With the Spirit speaking through them, the apostles can translate God’s love so that all people can hear and accept it.

Champollion worked for years to be able to decipher the hieroglyphs of the Rosetta Stone. No one can learn a language in an instant. In the same way, the Spirit leads the followers of Christ into the complete truth – a gradual process in our personal lives and as community of faith. How do we know if we are speaking the language of God’s love? St. Paul gives a vivid description of those who speak the language of the Spirit and those who don’t. Indecency, sexual irresponsibility, envy, drunkenness, bad temper – these are sure signs that a person has not learn the language of God. But when God’s Spirit lives in us, then what we are able to express comes from that core of our being – a language that is as beautiful as it is clear, because it comes from God: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness. Since the Spirit has taught us how to speak, let our lives speak the language of God, the language of love.

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Solemnity of Pentecost – “A” – June 8, 2014

From the Pastor /

After the crucufixion, the disciples of Jesus were afraid and many ran away. They struggled to believe in the resurrection and the promises that had been opened up, the promise that the risen Christ was present to them now and they would share in the hope of eternal life, for ever and ever. They would know unending joy in the presence of God if they followed their Master to the end, even to the cross. When Jesus appeared to them, having been raised from the dead, He always offered them two gifts – the gift of peace and the gift of forgiveness and mercy. He strengthened them with the words, “Do not be afraid.” The offer of God’s mercy which leads to new life is celebrated at Pentecost as we celebrate the birthday of the Church. With sins forgiven, we are restored into new relationship with the Father and with one another. God gives the members of the Church the gifts of the Spirit and grants many gifts so that each person is called to use his or her gifts to build up the Church and serve others in need. Each of us has a particular call and, in the words of John Henry Newman, a “definitive service” for the Lord.

We are sent out on this feast as missionaries of Christ. We are sent to share our hope with others. We are sent out from Holy Mass into our families, our workplaces, our schools to share the hope of our faith with others. There are times when it is right to speak loudly about our faith, even if we are opposed or ridiculed for the sake of truth. At other times we do this through love when actions speak louder than words. Can I share my hope with another person? If not, then pray to the Holy Spirit for the gift of courage. Do I have to make a difficult decision? Ask the Holy Spirit for the gift of wisdom. Am I caring for a sick member of the family and feeling that life is impossible? Ask from the Holy Spirit the gift of understanding and patience. The Holy Spirit is our “delightful guest,” in the words of today’s Sequence, and touches our hearts to give us comfort.

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