Pentecost Sunday
This Sunday We celebrate the great feast of Pentecost and it takes place 50 days after Easter Sunday, marking the end of Eastertide. We hear in the account from the Acts of the Apostles how Jews from all over were gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish feast. It is recorded that 120 people, including Mary and the Apostles were in the upper room where they had seen Christ after his resurrection. They had been told by Jesus just before he ascended, to wait there to receive ‘what the father has promised, power from on high’ His holy spirit. On Pentecost Sunday the sound of a mighty wind filled the room, witnesses saw what looked like tongues of fire resting on each person’s head and despite being from different parts of the world they could all communicate and understand to each other Pentecost is the birthday of the church
With the feast of Pentecost the seven weeks of Easter have come to an end, Christ’s Passover is fulfilled with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, manifested, given, and communicated as a divine person: of his fullness, Christ, the Lord, pours out the Spirit in abundance. In the Gospel reading, Jesus, gives the apostles the power to forgive and reconcile those who sin. By the time John wrote his gospel, Jewish Christians had been excommunicated for their belief in Jesus. Ostracized and socially persecuted, some Christians reacted in fear, while others boldly proclaimed the gospel. The First Christians needed a sense of stability, a sense of serenity and peace. Through the words of Jesus, “Peace” was John’s prayer for his readers as it is for us as we listen to this gospel reading. With the sight of Jesus, fear turned into great joy. Anxiety turned into relief. Desperation turned into vindication. Most important, a lack of spiritual direction turned into a sense of deep spiritual grounding.
The divine presence stood close to them and with the divine presence came peace. We too have the divine presence with us in the Blessed Sacrament and it brings Joy and spiritual grounding to all those who come and Jesus says to each and every one you are welcome. We can’t ignore the problems that are there for ourselves and those around us. Most of the time, the problems just don’t go away by themselves very often we need to stop and pray through the problems as well as thinking them through. Gathered at the Eucharist we bring our prayers to God. We each have our own needs. Family and friends may be sick. Kids need work. The person who has been in our lives for so long has died. We bring these and all our concerns in prayer to church because they remind us of our need and they raise our hopes in the power of God made real to every generation through the Holy Spirit.
Through the Holy Spirit our relationship with God produces fruitfulness, satisfies our longings, and brings us serenity and peace. Because of God’s faithfulness, we give thanks, offer sacrifice, and once again present our needs as we remember the presence of God with us in all our lives. As we encounter people who are different from us, whether in language, culture, or background, the Holy Spirit will give us the words and the wisdom to share the Good News with them. In today’s world, we are called to be ambassadors of Christ’s love, reaching out to all people with compassion and understanding. We must be willing to listen to their stories, to learn from their experiences, and to share the Gospel in a way that speaks to their hearts. So on this feast of Pentecost, let us renew our commitment to the Holy Spirit and ask for the grace to be open to the Spirit’s guidance in our lives.
Fullerton T 