Pentecost Sunday
Today we celebrate the decent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and the beginning of the apostolic mission to bring the Church to the world. The readings for the Pentecost clearly tell us that we need to be willing to receive the Holy Spirit and then use the gifts we receive. In the first reading we hear how the Holy Spirit came to the disciples and empowered them to share the gospel with people from different nations as a result of this we are able to hear the word of God spoken in our own language. The second reading tells us that it is the Holy Spirit who enables us to proclaim the gospel in unity. By the time John wrote his gospel, Jewish Christians had been excommunicated for their belief in the Messiah. Ostracized and socially persecuted, some Christians reacted in fear, while others boldly proclaimed the gospel. Early Christians needed a sense of stability, a sense of divine peace.
Through the words of Jesus, “Peace” was John’s prayer for his readers 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. And the lack of spiritual direction turned into a real sense of deep spiritual grounding. The divine presence stood close to them and with the divine presence came divine peace. We too have the divine presence in the Blessed Sacrament and it brings Joy and spiritual grounding to all those who come and Jesus says to each and every one of us you are welcome. We can’t ignore the problems that are there and there are many in our own lives and the lives of those around us church and otherwise. If we pray through the problems as well as thinking them through we will find that they are much easier to get through the tough times. Gathered at Mass week in week out we bring our prayers to God. We each have our own needs. Family and friends may be sick. People we know need work. The person who has been central to our lives for so long has passed on.
We bring 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 is fruitful, satisfies our longings, and brings us peace. Because of God’s faithfulness to all of us, we give thanks and once again present our needs as we remember the presence of God and the Holy Spirit who are with us. The feast of Pentecost is a day of thanksgiving for the beginning of the Church, in which are contained all the treasures of spiritual grace. Pentecost is also the day of thanksgiving for the coming of the Holy Spirit firstly to the Apostles as well as all of us. It is a day on which we renew our trust in the working of the Holy Spirit within us and the Church in the world and we thank Him for His inspiration and guidance in all the good and bad times and things that are part of our lives.
Fullerton T 