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.” 

Sunday Meditation: Feast of Pentecost

With Pentecost we conclude the Easter season: Easter Sunday plus forty days to the Ascension plus ten days to the descent of the Holy Spirit, which is Pentecost.  Forty plus ten is fifty, and Pentecost in Greek means fiftieth.  There is more detail in the Book of Acts, but the Gospel comes from the Gospel of John. 

On the evening of that first day of the week,

when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,

for fear of the Jews,

Jesus came and stood in their midst

and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.

The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.

As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”

And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,

“Receive the Holy Spirit.

Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,

and whose sins you retain are retained.”

~Jn 17:11-19

At Pentecost the revelation of the Holy Spirit as part of the Trinity is made manifest. Dr. Brant Pitre explains the Jewish roots of Pentecost.

 

Hopefully today you have concluded your Pentecost Novena?  My Pentecost novena included the wonderful “Come Holy Spirit” prayer.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.

Sunday Meditation: And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

 

Your Mass should include the “Veni, Sancte Spiritus” sequence, hopefully performed by your choir.  With English translation.

 

Sunday Meditation: The Feast of Pentecost

Today is the culmination of what began with Ash Wednesday.

 

On the evening of that first day of the week,

when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,

for fear of the Jews,

Jesus came and stood in their midst

and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.

The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.

As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”

And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,

“Receive the Holy Spirit.

Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,

and whose sins you retain are retained.”            

Jn 20:19-23

 

Bishop Barron is on fire this week.  

 

Here is a verse to meditate on: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”

John Michael Talbot is just beautiful with this.

 

Come, Holy Spirit,

fill the hearts of your faithful,

and enkindle in us the fire of your love.

Send forth your Spirit and we shall be created,

and you shall renew the face of the earth.

Amen.