Pentecost Sunday - Mass during the Day
Lectionary: 63
Reading 1
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
Psalm 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
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.
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
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,
Today we celebrate Pentecost Sunday, the birthday of the Church. We read from the Gospel, how Jesus breathed on His Apostles and disciples in an intimate way, giving them the gift of the Holy Spirit. From here, their hearts were set on fire, their faith carrying them onward and outward to spread the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ. Interestingly enough, the First Reading from the Acts of the Apostles gives a louder and almost apocalyptic version of the event, including strong winds and tongues of fire descending on them. Each narration emphasizes different aspects of the Holy Spirit and our relationship with God. Jesus breathing on His disciples displays an intimate, personal side that we too can have with Him. The Gift of the Spirit displays a tenderness and softness, reflective of God’s love for all of us. The strength of God is manifest in the smaller things and the way His great power can be displayed by it being understated. The Apostles and disciples were given the power to forgive sins, speak in tongues, and do wonderous deeds in the name of Jesus Christ, but their personhood still remained, grounded in humility and an understanding that they were all mere slaves going about the work of the master, God. In the Acts of the Apostles, the overwhelming power and presence of the Holy Spirit was witnessed, where the fire of the Holy Spirit rested on them and they being to speak in tongues, spreading out through Jerusalem to preach the Good News. This serves as a reminder that the Apostles and disciples, were commissioned by Jesus Christ and driven into action by the presence of the Holy Spirit in their hearts and as a reaction to the presence of God.
Our relationship with God is also defined by the duplicitous nature of the descriptions. No two relationships and experiences of God will be the same. The other day, I was a retreat at a monastery and came upon a particular painting that depicted a scene from one Jesus’s parables: The Lost Son. The imagery was familiar: The father is embracing the younger son who has just returned broken and destitute, having spent all of his demanded inheritance. Off to the side, there was the elder son, looking at the exchange with what can be described as jealousy and hurt. The elder son was intentionally made larger than the other two, possibly so as to draw attention to him. His eyes were proportionally too large, so that the viewer might be drawn to them to feel the kaleidoscope of emotions swimming through them. I found myself drawn to the painting, particularly to the image of the older son, who I felt empathy for. I could feel his hurt, his pain, his longing for love. When I spoke about the painting with my friend, he admitted that he too was drawn to it, but had another point of view pertaining to where his eyes wandered and how his spirit reacted. One painting, two points of view. One Spirit, many gifts.
As many as there are people on this earth, is how many different ways the Holy Spirit will interact with people. It is all about our openness and our relationship with God. How we act will determine how and when the Spirit will react. The things that remain constant are the Spirit dwelling within us and us being affected by the relationship that we have with it. Recognizing the Spirit and reacting to it brings us into a closer relationship with God. There is nothing negative about that. The Apostles and disciples displayed awesome power and did great deeds. Many of us just might have the potential to do the same, but whatever happens as a result should not be expected or demanded. The Spirit does indeed dwell within us, but our awareness and understanding of it does not. To achieve these things demands prayer and familiarity. The more familiar we become with the Spirit, the more we will feel God’s presence, and we can then begin to try and understanding what He wants for us and instead of focusing on what we want. As long as we put God first, only good things will result.
It is through this celebration that we are reminded that the Holy Spirit dwells within all of us and that God wants to have the opportunity to shape and mold our lives, becoming instruments of His peace. This, as described by the Early Church, enables us to become “Soldiers of Christ” with our own commissioning and sending forth. In the Roman Catholic Church, this takes place at our Confirmation, where we officially receive the Gift of the Spirit and are sealed with it through Sacred Chrism. We are alive to serve. It is through serving that we are served, being shaped into something greater and more beautiful than ever before. Each day we can become new creations through Jesus Christ, just as long as we are continuing to do His will. The best way to do this is through the constant act of surrending to Him. The words, “Thy will be done,” are ones that should be uttered and thought of throughout the day. This is what a soldier does as he receives his orders and goes off to battle. To remain in a constant state of readiness to serve will strengthen us physically, mentally, and spiritually. It will also prepare us to listen to what God wants us to do. Hearing, understanding, and actually doing are what comes next. Through this process we will become better people and better Christians. This will then lead us to a better life.
Deacon Tom
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