Cycle B - Year I:  

23 May 2021: Pentecost Sunday 

(Liturgical Color: Red)

Readings:

First Reading:        Acts 2:1-11

Second Reading:   13-7, 12-13

Gospel:  Please Read  John 20:19-23

"Receive the Holy Spirit!"

We count the days again, and fifty days after Easter Sunday the Church celebrates Pentecost Sunday.  That is why it is called "Pentecost" , from the Greek word which means "the 50th day".  Pentecost comes on the seventh Sunday after the Lord's Resurrection.

Pentecost Sunday is one of the most ancient feasts of the Church, celebrated early enough to be mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles (20:16) and also in St. Paul's first letter to the Corinthians (16:8).

The Acts of the Apostles recount the story of the original Pentecost Sunday (Acts 2).  Jews "from every nation under heaven" (Acts 2:5) were gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish feast of Pentecost.  On that Sunday, ten days after the Ascension of our Lord, the Apostles and Blessed Virgin Mary were gathered in the Upper Room where they had seen Jesus after His Resurrection.

After Jesus ascended into heaven, it is now the turn of the Holy Spirit to continue the work of our Lord Jesus Christ through His disciples and Holy Mother Church.  The Acts of the Apostles in the first reading today describe the great event of the first Pentecost:

"When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were.  Then there appeared to them tongues of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them.. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues as the Holy  Spirit enabled them to proclaim." (Acts2:1-4)

The Gospel narrative is from St. John, which speaks about the very first encounter of the risen Lord with His disciples.  When the resurrected Christ appears, He offered proof of His resurrection by showing the disciples the wounds of His passion, His pierced hands and side.  Then He calmed their fears and brought them peace, the peace which reconciles sinners and makes one a friend of God. Jesus then commissioned His weak and timid Apostles to carry the Gospel to the ends of the earth.  He breathes on them the gift of the Holy Spirit.  These gifts would help them to fulfill their mission to preach the Gospel to all nations. And so, the Apostles, who were not especially learned men, suddenly began to speak in the languages of all those around them.  They become eloquent when prophesying "the mighty acts of God" and expert in exegesis of the Scriptures.  

That is why Pentecost Sunday is often called "the birthday of the Church". On Pentecost Sunday, with the descend of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, Christ's mission is completed and the New Covenant is inaugurated.  It is interesting to note that Saint Peter, the first Pope, was already the leader and spokesperson of the Apostles on the very first Pentecost Sunday.

 The same gifts of the Holy Spirit, which were granted to us when we were infused with sanctifying grace, the life of God in our souls, help us to live authentic Christian life.  In other words, we are empowered by the same Holy Spirit to continue the missionary work of the Church, to face the challenges of our time, especially in matters of faith and morality.

And so through the gift of faith we proclaim that Jesus Christ is our personal Lord and our God.  He died and rose again that we might have new life in Him.  The Lord offers each of us a new life in His Holy Spirit that we may know Him personally and walk in this new way of life through the power of His resurrection.

At times when we struggle to pray because of so many distractions, or when we want to pray but do not have the words, it is the Holy Spirit that links us to God and interprets our desire before Him.  In the words of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, "It is the Holy Spirit who helps our inability, who enlightens our minds and warms our hearts, guiding us as we turn to God."

In the Eucharist at Mass, let us pray that the Holy Spirit empowers us with His seven gifts (wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord) to keep us unwavering in our faith and remain committed to all the teachings of the Church handed down from the Apostles to the bishops and the Pope.  And let us use these gifts to build and strengthen the Church as the Body of Christ through constant prayers.  Because it is through prayers that the Holy Spirit works in our humanity, strengthens our weaknesses and transforms us from men bound to material realities into men filled with the Spirt of Christ.  Amen.

A blessed Pentecost Sunday to us all.  And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!