Deacon Tom Anthony

Pentecost Sunday - Mass during the Day
Lectionary: 63

Reading 1 Acts 2:1-11

When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled,
they were all in one place together.
And suddenly there came from the sky
a noise like a strong driving wind,
and it filled the entire house in which they were.
Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire,
which parted and came to rest on each one of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak in different tongues,
as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem.
At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd,
but they were confused
because each one heard them speaking in his own language.
They were astounded, and in amazement they asked,
"Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans?
Then how does each of us hear them in his native language?
We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites,
inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia,
Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,
Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene,
as well as travelers from Rome,
both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs,
yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues
of the mighty acts of God."

Responsorial Psalm Ps 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34

R. (cf. 30) Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
How manifold are your works, O LORD!
the earth is full of your creatures;
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
may the LORD be glad in his works!
Pleasing to him be my theme;
I will be glad in the LORD.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
If you take away their breath, they perish
and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading 2 1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13

Brothers and sisters:
No one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit;
there are different forms of service but the same Lord;
there are different workings but the same God
who produces all of them in everyone.
To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit
is given for some benefit.

As a body is one though it has many parts,
and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body,
so also Christ.
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body,
whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons,
and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.

or

 Gal 5:16-25

Brothers and sisters, live by the Spirit
and you will certainly not gratify the desire of the flesh.
For the flesh has desires against the Spirit,
and the Spirit against the flesh;
these are opposed to each other,
so that you may not do what you want.
But if you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Now the works of the flesh are obvious:
immorality, impurity, lust, idolatry,
sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy,
outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness,
dissensions, factions, occasions of envy,
drinking bouts, orgies, and the like.
I warn you, as I warned you before,
that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, generosity,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Against such there is no law.
Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their flesh
with its passions and desires.
If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit.

Sequence

Veni, Sancte Spiritus

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
And from your celestial home
Shed a ray of light divine!
Come, Father of the poor!
Come, source of all our store!
Come, within our bosoms shine.
You, of comforters the best;
You, the soul's most welcome guest;
Sweet refreshment here below;
In our labor, rest most sweet;
Grateful coolness in the heat;
Solace in the midst of woe.
O most blessed Light divine,
Shine within these hearts of yours,
And our inmost being fill!
Where you are not, we have naught,
Nothing good in deed or thought,
Nothing free from taint of ill.
Heal our wounds, our strength renew;
On our dryness pour your dew;
Wash the stains of guilt away:
Bend the stubborn heart and will;
Melt the frozen, warm the chill;
Guide the steps that go astray.
On the faithful, who adore
And confess you, evermore
In your sevenfold gift descend;
Give them virtue's sure reward;
Give them your salvation, Lord;
Give them joys that never end. Amen.
Alleluia.

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful
and kindle in them the fire of your love.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Jn 20:19-23

On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, "Peace be with you."
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you."
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
"Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained."

My Brothers and Sisters,

 Just as the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus’ Apostles and disciples, we are given the same opportunity to experience what they experienced daily in our lives. The Holy Spirit, God’s Love, is present throughout His creation and so it is also present within us. It is an unwrapped gift waiting for us to open it and partake in the many treasures within. It is a powerful force that, once recognized, has the capability to bring us to a new awareness and understanding of everything. There is no limit to what we can accomplish when we permit it to do its work and transform us into a new creation in accordance to the Will of God.

With all of the distractions that we encounter in the world and all of the responsibilities of daily life, there is always the risk of being numb to the presence of God. It can be difficult to progress in a relationship with Him, especially when to our eyes He is not seen and to our ears He cannot be heard. The physical world and its demands are what take precedent because that is what is directly in front of us. From early on we are trained to respond to the challenges of life while ignoring the nourishment of our spirituality which includes a relationship with God. Spiritual nourishment and a healthy exercise of our faith is what can help us overcome this feeling of emptiness when we think of God. For so long we have built a wall between ourselves and God. We are the only ones who can tear it down. We built it carefully and meticulously. The time and hard work that it took to erect it means that it will take some work and time to tear it down. The good news is that God will help us do this if we only allow Him to do so.

Through the presence of the Holy Spirit, we are given tools to use that will build up our spiritual fortress. It is a fortress of love with God at its center. These tools include wisdom, knowledge, understanding, piety, strength, fortitude, and fear of God. It is through these that we are able to come closer to God, experience His love, and live a fulfilling life. We are also able to combat the evils of this world and concentrate on the good, all the while building up the Kingdom of God on this earth. Jesus said, “Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit.” To remain in Him is our choice. We can either reject the gift that is being offered whereupon He will leave freely or we can react to His love and receive everything including that which we have been searching for yet is already inside of us: His love. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be open to you.”

In the Gospel reading today, Jesus gave His disciples the Gift of the Holy Spirit by breathing on them. This an intimate exchange perpetuated by complete love. Jesus appeared before them, they recognized Him, rejoiced, and He gave them the Gift of His Love. They all were immediately transformed and went forth to evangelize The Faith. They were forever changed and continued to change for the rest of their lives. The presence of the Holy Spirit within us will do the same thing. We just need to open the gift. It is truly easier than we think. We are the ones that make it more difficult with our reluctance to surrender to Him. It is when we stop fighting against Him that we can then receive Him.

Accept the gift. Open the gift. Enjoy the gift.

Deacon Tom