Gospel Reflection: Pentecost
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I love the feast of Pentecost, which we celebrate 50 days from Easter. This was the birth of the Church and the Holy Spirit birthed it powerfully with a loud noise and strong winds, with miracles, and massive conversions to the faith. The apostles, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and other disciples were gathered in the Upper Room during the feast of Pentecost, celebrated 50 days after Passover. This feast was originally meant to gratefully celebrate the first fruits of the harvest, and later it became a remembrance of the law given by God to Moses on Mt. Sinai. In Acts, St Luke says that they had been gathering in the Upper room “devoting themselves to prayer.”
The Bible says that during the day of Pentecost they were all gathered in one place, and the Greek could also be interpreted as “of one mind.” They were all united in prayer when “…suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.” (Acts 2:2-4) This sound was heard all over Jerusalem and people rushed to the site to see what had happened. There were Jews in Jerusalem that had come from many different countries, and they all could understand what the Galileans were saying. The were “bewildered, amazed, astonished” by this miracle.
Wind and fire often demonstrated the presence of God in the Old Testament. The fire represents the power of the Holy Spirit. In Hebrew they used the word “tongues” to describe pointy objects, so they probably looked like flames. The Holy Spirit then helped the apostles understand all that Jesus taught them, gave them the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and filled their hearts with burning love. Just as Jesus had promised during the Last Supper in that same room, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you.” (Jn 16:13–14).
Empowered and emboldened by the Holy Spirit, St Peter, who not long ago denied Jesus three times, began to eloquently and boldly preach about Jesus. Without any fear, he accused the Jewish and Roman leaders of crucifying and killing the Messiah that was sent by God. He tells everyone that God raised Jesus from death, fulfilling Scripture. He told the listeners to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus, upon which their sins will be forgiven, and they too would receive the Holy Spirit. That day 3,000 people were baptized and “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” (Acts 2:42).
As amazing as Pentecost was, it was not simply a glorious historical event, it was a magnificent start. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the Church grew from just a few disciples of Jesus to about 2.4 billion Christians today. The Church was born on that day. As baptized and confirmed members of the body of Christ, we form the Church and this membership comes with obligations. In the Nicene Creed we say that the Church is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic.
Jesus did not form many churches, he founded one church under the leadership of Peter. He desired unity. In our own lives, we need to do all we can to unite all Catholics and unite all Christians. Division comes from satan. Furthermore, we should proclaim the good news of the gospels to all to maximize the number of people that will be saved and will some day enjoy the beatific vision of God in heaven. The Church is holy, which means it is filled with the Holy Spirit. We need to pray to the Holy Spirit to strengthen the gifts and charisms within us and help us love like Jesus loves. The Church is catholic, which means universal. We need to share the good news with people from all nations, but in our day to day lives we are called to love and cherish the diverse population among us. We are called to be welcoming and loving to those that do not look, talk, or think like us. The Church is apostolic, which means to be sent. Filled by the Holy Spirit, God sent the apostles all over the world. They focused outwardly. We cooperate with the Holy Spirit to discern how God would like us to live our faith. For some, this means becoming missionaries, others priests and religious, some as parents, and others through various professions and volunteer activities. The Holy Spirit will guide us in our apostolate.
“Breathe into me, Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy. Move in me, Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy. Attract my heart, Holy Spirit, that I may love only what is holy. Strengthen me, Holy Spirit, that I may defend all that is holy. Protect me, Holy Spirit, that I may always be holy.”
References:
The Navarre Bible Acres 2:2-12
A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture, Acts 2:2-12
Bishop Barron, From the Upper Room to the Wider World (Sunday Homily from May 31, 2020)
