Pentecost

Pentecost is not the birth of the church so much as the graduation of the church, when the community is equipped and empowered to be the coordinated body of Christ for the establishment of his kingdom in the world

Notes

Transcript

Title

Thrust into the World

Outline

Births are times of celebration, but in some ways the more important celebration is graduation

Births are usually individual, although occasionally several come to birth at once

The children born have to fed and guided and educated so that they can go and fulfill their purpose in the world, their divine calling

They have to be socialized and integrated into a family, for most callings we cannot do alone but as a smaller or larger community

Graduations are, ideally, at the end of the developmental process

Yes, learning and development are lifelong

But with graduation the person is ideally ready to take up their calling in life with respect to the world

(Our society has a problem in that graduation is the best “coming of age” ceremony that we have, given the development of adolescence)

Now Pentecost has often been seen as the birth of the church, but really it is more the graduation, the coming of age

The birth of the church is in baptism, as each individual is born and integrated into the community.

That had happened in the Jesus movement and there had been ongoing education as well. Faith developed. A hierarchal structure had been established. What was needed was connection to the head once Jesus was in the eternal sphere

At Pentecost the church is equipped with divine tools and sent forth to renew the earth

In the so-called Johannine Pentecost Jesus does two things:

(1) He sends them out: “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”

(2) He equips them with power and authority for mission: “Receive the holy Spirit. 23 Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

In the Acts account the timing is significant

Pentecost is a harvest festival and as a major pilgrim feast people from around the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern world are there

The disciples have been worshipping in prayer, and now the power comes to turn outward: there are tongues of fire, for they will need to communicate with divine power, and there are foreign languages, for people hear the good news best in their heart language

They spill out and start proclaiming “the mighty acts of God” to the mixed crowd, which is both a sign (in that they were Galileans) and a means of clear communication

We saw this in the Blessed Stanley Rother who, no academic star in seminary, went to Guatemala and became fluent in not only Spanish but the local Native American language. Certainly this was a surprise to his seminary professors. Yet his ability to communicate with the Native Americans and his willingness to be their advocate before the government made this priest both effective and a martyr.

One suspects that Peter’s ensuing homily was in Greek, perhaps as good as Luke’s record, and, if one realizes that he normally needed an interpreter, was also a purposeful sign and means of communication.

And this is what Paul says with reference to the Spirit.

The Spirit is indeed the power of God in us brining us to faith and a true confession.

But the Spirit is also the wind of God given differentially to each individual (and probably differently from time to time) to empower them for love, for the good of others: “To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.”

Most of the gifts mentioned are for an apostolate, either in equipping and strengthening the body or in actual outreach.

As Paul says, “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.” And this gives us an inherent unity as the body of Christ and differential missions in the world as we are part of the renewal of the earth, which starts with evangelism.

Sisters, let this be your vision of Pentecost

It is not about who has and who does not have the Holy Spirit, although there are certainly some who call themselves Catholic who need evangelizing and a coming into true faith (I think of the 11% who never go to mass and parts of the 82% who only occasionally do)

It is about whether we are eager to enter into the work of Christ in the world and are open to the Spirit to empower us - long term or short term - to do our part, often thrusting us out “into the deep”

And it is about knowing that we are entirely dependent on the Spirit to be joined to Christ, to function in the body, and coordinated members of his Church.

Come, Holy Spirit, fill us anew and help us to function fully just as you head wishes. Amen

Readings

Catholic Daily Readings 5-23-2021: Pentecost

FIRST READING

Acts 2:1–11

1 When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. 2 And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. 3 Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.

5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem. 6 At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd, but they were confused because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7 They were astounded, and in amazement they asked, “Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how does each of us hear them in his own native language? 9 We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene, as well as travelers from Rome, 11 both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs, yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty acts of God.”

RESPONSE

Psalm 104:30

30 Send forth your spirit, they are created

and you renew the face of the earth.

PSALM

Psalm 104:1, 24, 29–31, 34

1 Bless the LORD, my soul!

LORD, my God, you are great indeed!

You are clothed with majesty and splendor,

24 How varied are your works, LORD!

In wisdom you have made them all;

the earth is full of your creatures.

29 When you hide your face, they panic.

Take away their breath, they perish

and return to the dust.

30 Send forth your spirit, they are created

and you renew the face of the earth.

31 May the glory of the LORD endure forever;

may the LORD be glad in his works!

34 May my meditation be pleasing to him;

I will rejoice in the LORD.

SECOND READING

Option A

1 Corinthians 12:3b–7, 12–13

3 Therefore, I tell you that nobody speaking by the spirit of God says, “Jesus be accursed.” And no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the holy Spirit.

4 There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; 5 there are different forms of service but the same Lord; 6 there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. 7 To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.

12 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. 13 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.

Catholic Daily Readings 5-23-2021: Pentecost

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Text

GOSPEL

Option A

John 20:19–23

19 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.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 [Jesus] said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the holy Spirit. 23 Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

Notes

Red

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