Sunday Meditation: Pentecost Sunday

We close the Easter season with Pentecost Sunday.  There are several readings that one can choose from.  I am going to select this short one from John’s Gospel, chapter 14.  I found that as I surveyed the homilies, it doesn’t matter much which is the reading.  The homilists all preach on the descent of the Holy Spirit and what that means in you.  If you’re interested in the Jewish roots of the Holy Spirit, I included in last year’s meditation on Pentecost an explanation by Dr. Brant Pitre.  

In one of today’s possible Gospel readings, Jesus explains how on His departure the Father will send the Holy Spirit down.

 

Jesus said to his disciples:

"If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

And I will ask the Father,

and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always.

 

"Whoever loves me will keep my word,

and my Father will love him,

and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.

Those who do not love me do not keep my words;

yet the word you hear is not mine

but that of the Father who sent me.

 

"I have told you this while I am with you.

The Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything

and remind you of all that I told you."

   ~Jn 14:15-16, 23-26

 

Fr. Joseph Mary of the Franciscan Capuchins in his A Simple Word podcast provides a great homily.

There is a lot of information in there, but that empty glove illustration is phenomenal.  You can think of the rest of the homily as the Holy Spirit being the hand that slides into us to do the will of God.  That is so memorable.

For the pastoral homily I turn to Bishop Robert Barron, who skips any explanation of the Holy Spirit’s descent—he’s probably done it repeatedly over the years—for an explanation of the fruits of the Holy Spirit.  For this Bishop Barron want you to turn to Galatians 5:22 on.  I’m going to quote it here for you to have handy.  I am going to highlight the nine fruits.

In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.  Now those who belong to Christ [Jesus] have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires.  If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit.  Let us not be conceited, provoking one another, envious of one another. (Gal 5:22-26)

 

Now combining, Fr. Joseph Mary’s glove analogy with Bishop Barron explanation for the fruits, we can see that just as the hand goes into the glove so it can pick up the book, the Holy Spirit goes into us allowing us to perform these nine fruits.

 

Sunday Meditation: The Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything.

 

For the hymn, let’s turn to John Michael Talbot’s beautiful, “Come Holy Spirit.”

 

“For without your grace, all turns to ill.”