PENTECOST SUNDAY
Psalter: Proper / (Red)
Ps 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34
Lord, send out your Spirit,
and renew the face of the earth.
1st Reading: Acts 2:1-11
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. And suddenly, out of the sky, came a sound, like a strong rushing wind; and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. There appeared tongues, as if of fire, which parted and came to rest upon each one of them. All were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak other languages, as the Spirit enabled them to speak.
Staying in Jerusalem were religious Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd gathered, all excited, because each heard them speaking in his own language. Full of amazement and wonder, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? How is it, that we hear them in our own native language? Here are Parthians, Medes and Elamites; and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia; Pontus and Asia; Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt; and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene; and visitors from Rome; both Jews and foreigners who accept Jewish beliefs, Cretians and Arabians; and all of us hear them proclaiming in our own language what God, the Savior, does.”
2nd Reading: 1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13 (or Gal 5:16-25)
I tell you that nobody inspired by the Spirit of God may say, “A curse on Jesus,” as no one can say, “Jesus is the Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. There is diversity of gifts, but the Spirit is the same. There is diversity of ministries, but the Lord is the same. There is diversity of works, but the same God works in all. The Spirit reveals his presence in each one with a gift that is also a service.
As the body is one, having many members, and all the members, while being many, form one body, so it is with Christ. All of us, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, have been baptized in one Spirit, to form one body, and all of us have been given, to drink from the one Spirit.
Gospel: Jn 20:19-23
(or Jn 15:26-27; 16:12-15)
On the evening of that day, the first day after the Sabbath, the doors were locked where the disciples were, because of their fear of the Jews. But Jesus came, and stood among them, and said to them, “Peace be with you!” Then he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples, seeing the Lord, were full of joy. Again Jesus said to them, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” After saying this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit! Those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; those whose sins you retain, they are retained.”
Lectio Divina
Read: The Event of Pentecost and the Birth of the Church: the Holy Spirit descends on the apostles who are transformed into the messengers of the Gospel. In the gospel, Jesus promises the Holy Spirit and breathes on the disciples. Paul reminds us that all gifts, ministries, and works are the handiwork of the Holy Spirit with the purpose of producing spiritual fruit in us and making us into one body of Christ.
Reflect: Pentecostal event is the reverse and a corrective of the Tower of Babel event (Gen. 11:1-9). In attempting to build the Tower, humanity took it upon itself the task of unifying the world without any reference to God, but their efforts ended in great crisis, leading to scattering of the peoples – exactly the opposite of what they had intended. In the Pentecost, God gathers the people around and bestows on them the gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit to unite all into one body in Christ. In our modern embrace of globalization, it is good to remember that we cannot make a world community of our own without reference to God and the assistance of the gifts and fruits of the Spirit of God. For He alone can unite us.
Pray: Pray for the world to pivot itself on God, recognizing His primacy and centrality.
Act: Do a faith-sharing at the family dinner table tonight.
Daily Reflection 2018
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Biblical Texts are taken from Christian Community Bible, Catholic Pastoral Edition (57th Edition) The New English Translation for the ROMAN MISSAL
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