[In John’s Gospel the Spirit is given to the church on
Easter evening during Jesus’ first post resurrection appearance to the
disciples. (See today’s gospel). In the Acts of the Apostles the Spirit
is given to the church on the feast of Pentecost. Pentecost was a Jewish
feast before it was a Christian feast. On the fiftieth day after
Passover the Jews celebrated their covenant relationship with God.
Do you remember the story of the building of the Tower of Babel. After
the Flood the people wanted to be independent of God and were scattered
and confused with different languages as they built their Tower.
Meaning: sin divides. Today’s story, people of all languages united.
Meaning: the Spirit of God unites. See gospel notes for comparison
between Spirit in today’s reading in Acts and John’s Gospel]
When Pentecost day came round, the apostles had all met in one room,
when suddenly they heard what sounded like a powerful wind from heaven,
the noise of which filled the entire house in which they were sitting;
and something appeared to them that seemed like tongues of fire; these
separated and came to rest on the head of each of them. They were all
filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak foreign languages as the
Spirit gave them the gift of speech.
Now there were devout men living in Jerusalem from every nation under
heaven, and at this sound they all assembled, each one bewildered to
hear these men speaking his own language. They were amazed and
astonished. Surely they said all these men speaking are Galileans? How
does it happen that each of us hears them in his own native language?
Parthians, Medes and Elamites; people from Mesopotamia, Judaea and
Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts
of Libya round Cyrene; as well as visitors from Rome - Jews and
proselytes alike - Cretans and Arabs; we hear them preaching in our own
language about the marvels of God.
[The Spirit unites us, different as we are, and having different gifts/ talents, to work together to build a better community that is Church and world]
No one can say, 'Jesus is Lord' unless he is under the influence of the
Holy Spirit.
There is a variety of gifts but always the same Spirit; there are all
sorts of service to be done, but always to the same Lord; working in all
sorts of different ways in different people, it is the same God who is
working in all of them. The particular way in which the Spirit is given
to each person is for a good purpose.
Just as a human body, though it is made up of many parts, is a single
unit because all these parts, though many, make one body, so it is with
Christ. In the one Spirit we were all baptised, Jews as well as Greeks,
slaves as well as citizens, and one Spirit was given to us all to drink.
[There is possibility of Alternative Second Reading: Romans 8:8-17
Theme: Everyone moved by the Spirit is a son of God.]
[In John’s Gospel the Spirit is given to the church on
Easter evening during Jesus’ first post resurrection appearance to the
disciples. Jesus offers the disciples a single gift – the Holy Spirit,
the most valuable of all gifts (life of the risen Christ). He also
describes three aspects of this gift: a] peace b] responsibility for
continuing Jesus’ mission. He sends them c] They are given authority to
forgive and to hold sins bound (discernment between belief and unbelief,
and they must forgive)
Although the two accounts that we read today about the Spirit being
given to the church are very different, each reading describes a very
important result of the gift of the Spirit. In John it is the Spirit who
gives to the disciples, and to us, the power to carry on Jesus’ mission
in the world. Luke tells us that through the power of the Spirit the
gospel will be preached to every nation.]
In the evening of the first day of the week, the doors were closed in
the room where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews. Jesus came and
stood among them. He said to them, 'Peace be with you', and showed them
his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy when they saw
the Lord, and he said to them again, 'Peace be with you.
'As the Father sent me,
so am I sending you.'
After saying this he breathed on them and said:
'Receive the Holy Spirit.
For those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven:
for those whose sins you retain, they are retained.'
[Alternative Gospel: John 14:15-16.23-26
Theme: The Holy Spirit will teach you everything.]
A
1. What word or phrase stands out for you? Why?
2. With whom in the readings do you most identify? Why
3. Do you feel attracted to anything in today’s readings? Do you feel
resistant to anything? Do you know why?
4. In what way do these readings affirm you?
5. In what way do these readings challenge you?
6. What can you do to respond to this challenge?
B
1. How can you offer genuine peace to others?
2. 2nd reading: there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. You have
been blessed/ gifted. How do you use these gifts for building up the
community? Can you think of what of your gifts are?
3. What help do you need to become a better disciple (which means
follower)? Whom can you ask for this help?
4. What gifts of the Spirit can you identify in you community/
5. Describe how some person has inspired courage in you?
6. Any verse appeal to you?
The first reading for this feast describes an extraordinary event.
There is a great noise, like that produced by a hurricane. Then tongues
of fire appear over the heads of the followers of Jesus. The noise and
the fire are what were heard and seen, but what really happened? The
reading says that “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.” But what
does that mean? We are told that the disciples were then able to speak
in a way that those present from all over the world could understand
them in their own native language. But does this answer satisfy our
questioning?
The reading tells us what happened. The disciples announced the good
news of salvation “as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.” We, children
of the scientific age, are interested in the mechanics of the event. Did
it really happen as described? Was there an actual noise? Genuine
tongues of fire? And how could they speak in one language and be
understood in another? None of these questions is as important as the
one that is often omitted: What does it mean to be filled with the Holy
Spirit?
Both the Gospel and the reading from Corinthians provide us with
examples of this mysterious phenomenon. Put simply, it means that the
followers of Jesus were given the power promised by Jesus to further the
reign of God that he started. The Gospel tells us that the disciples
received the Spirit so that they would be able to exercise judgment
within the community. “Forgiving and holding back forgiveness of sin” is
a way of expressing complete jurisdiction. It is a way of suggesting
totality, like flesh and blood, or east and west, or left and right.
Having received the Holy Spirit, the disciples are given authority
within the community.
The second reading, a passage from Paul, offers a more extensive
portrait of what it meant to be filled with the Spirit. First, it was
the power of the Spirit that enabled believers publicly to acknowledge
their religious allegiance: “Jesus is Lord!” This was not only a
religious profession; it was also a political proclamation. It meant: I
choose Jesus, not the emperor. How many of us are able to stand up for
religious values in the face of social or political opposition? The
power of the Spirit enables believers to do so.
Paul goes on to speak of the gift (charisma/ charism) that each one has
been given as a manifestation of the Spirit. In this passage he does not
explicitly identify these gifts, for his focus seems to be on the unity
that is possible in such diversity. This is clear from his reference to
the many parts making up one body. We have different gifts, different
forms of service and different workings or expressions of power. But
these are all manifestations of the same Spirit, given to us for the
benefit of the entire body.
So what happened on that first Pentecost, and what does it all mean for
us today? The Spirit of God took hold of the first disciples with a
force like a mighty wind, and they were set on fire with zeal for the
reign of God. As baptized and confirmed Christians, we too have been
seized by that same Spirit; we too have been given gifts meant for the
service of others.
Pentecost is not simply the “birthday of the church.” It is more than
that. It is the feast that calls us out from behind the locked doors
where, like the disciples in the Gospel reading, we may be hiding for
fear of others. It is the feast that reminds us that we are indeed
people filled with the Spirit, people with gifts that the world needs so
desperately: wisdom for a world searching for meaning, knowledge for a
world seeking insight, healing for a world torn apart by violence,
prophecy for a world in need of direction, discernment of spirits for a
world confronted by competing forces.
The power of the Spirit worked wonders in and through the lives of the
first disciples. The power of the Spirit has worked wonders in and
through the lives of believers down through the ages. What wonders will
the Spirit work in and through us today? Don’t you wonder what will
really happen?
• Pray about times when you have felt the Holy Spirit enter your life,
perhaps in surprising and disturbing ways.
• In prayer ask the Holy Spirit to continue to break down the barriers that
separate people and nations.
• Pray for the gift of peace and that we may be bearers of peace.