Pentecost Sunday
Scripture and Reflection
Today, we celebrate Pentecost Sunday, the birthday of the church, the body of Christ. But before we address what happened on this Sunday, let us reflect on the days leading up to that Sunday.
During the Easter season, we have heard, in the Acts of the Apostles, how the followers of Jesus reacted to His crucifixion and resurrection. On Good Friday, the apostles and disciples went into hiding because they feared the Jewish leaders were looking for Jesus’ followers to put them to death as they did to Jesus. On Good Friday, the lives of the apostles and disciples were turned upside down as they watched their leader Jesus taken, tortured, and crucified in front of them. The followers of Jesus were left with the question of what do we do now.
Even after Jesus appeared to His own and showed Himself to them, they remained fearful and without purpose as to the meaning of the events. For forty days they hid in the upper room awaiting instruction or inspiration on what they were to do.
On Ascension Thursday, they gathered at the place where Jesus had instructed them to gather, and they witnessed firsthand Jesus ascending to the Father and they stood there staring at the sky. Then, Jesus’ followers went back to the upper room.
Another ten days passed and then the Holy Spirit came upon them in the upper room and there appeared tongues of fire upon the assembled and they were filled with the Holy Spirit.
On Pentecost Sunday, the upper room was emptied and remained empty until the present time.
On Pentecost Sunday, the apostles and disciples were consecrated by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the good news of salvation, and they went out to the corners of the civilized world and proclaimed Jesus Christ, crucified, risen, ascended into heaven, and the promise He will come again in glory.
The sacrament of confirmation is administered to all believers, so they too receive the Holy Spirit and proclaim Jesus in words and actions. In confirmation the faithful receive the gifts and the fruits of the Holy Spirit, namely; ( the following is taken from instruction given by the Holy See and the Catholic Catechism)
The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. They belong in their fullness to Christ. They complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them. They make the faithful docile in readily obeying divine inspirations.
The fruits of the Spirit are perfections that the Holy Spirit forms in us as the first fruits of eternal glory. The tradition of the Church lists twelve of them: “charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity.
The gifts of the Holy Spirit are distributed through the Body of Christ, so the Body has the fullness of Christ present without any one person being endowed with all the gifts. The fruits of the Spirit are a reflection of our growth into the likeness of Jesus for the benefit of the Body as the Body grows and is perfected in Christ Jesus.
The fruits of the Spirit are the result of our relationship with God, our prayer life, and participation in the sacramental life of the church.
As we gather as the Body of Christ each Sunday, we are renewed in faith and mission. But we are also called to “go forth”. We cannot be servants of Christ sitting in our pews. We can only serve when we go forth and distribute all that we have received to bring all people to salvation.
Today, we are called to be missionary apostle, not traveling to the far ends of the earth but instead, to minister where our shadow falls. And we do not depend on our own strength or motivation to minister. Instead we are directed by the Holy Spirit to who will guide us as He guided the apostles and disciples in the early church.
Today, we need to pray for a new Pentecost, as John Paul II told us and may we have an abundance of laborers to work the vineyard so that no one is left behind and are welcomed into the Body of Christ. We pray for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit and a new renewal of all souls throughout the world. Today, the upper room remains empty.
Come Holy Spirit and renew the face of the earth.
Deacon Phil