BIBLE STUDY #91



PENTECOST SUNDAY


May 27, 2012










READING 1


ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 2:1-11




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 as 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 Spirit enabled them to proclaim.



Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem.

At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd,

but they were confused

because each one heard them speaking in his own language.

They were astounded, and in amazement they asked,

"Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans?

Then how does each of us hear them in his native language?

We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites,

inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia,

Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,

Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene,

as well as travelers from Rome,

both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs,

yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues

of the mighty acts of God."



The Word of the Lord






READING 2


1 CORINTHIANS 12:3B-7, 12-13



Brothers and sisters:

No one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.



There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit;

there are different forms of service but the same Lord;

there are different workings but the same God

who produces all of them in everyone.

To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit

is given for some benefit.



As a body is one though it has many parts,

and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body,

so also Christ.

For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body,

whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons,

and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.



The Word of the Lord






GOSPEL


JOHN 20:19-23



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."



The Gospel of the Lord






Reflection



There are different readings for the Vigil of Pentecost, and different options for the readings for the Mass on Pentecost Sunday. I am using the first options for the Mass of Pentecost Sunday.



Today’s Gospel was included in the Gospel reading for the Second Sunday of Easter (John 29:19-31). Following is the part of my reflection from that date relevant to today’s Gospel.



This Gospel comes immediately after Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene on Easter morning, and it seems to indicate that Jesus appeared to the disciples on Easter evening (his reference to “that day” refers to Easter Sunday).



The doors were locked “for fear of the Jews”. If the authorities were able to have Jesus crucified, it would be possible for them to be treated as such. They are not yet the fearless disciples of Jesus until Pentecost.



Jesus didn’t knock on the door to be let in, nor did he bust the door open. He appeared to them through the locked doors. He has a resurrected body and is no longer bound by space and time as we are. He can appear where ever he desires.



He appears to the disciples; presumably there are 10 of them. Thomas is not there, and Judas hung himself.



Jesus gives them his peace, referring to John 14:27, part of the Last Supper Discourse, where Jesus promises to send the Advocate (the Holy Spirit). This peace, or “shalom” is a gift of salvation, and connotes the bounty of the messianic blessing. He is giving the kind of peace that only comes through faith in him. This peace also reflects rejoicing, as seen in John 16:22.



Jesus then sends his disciples (and us) on a mission: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you." Jesus was the obedient Son who perfectly obeyed the Father’s will for him. He sends all of us out on a mission to bring the good news of salvation to others. We also see this type of sending in Matthew 28:19, Luke 24:47, and Mark 16:15.



But they can’t do it on their own. They need his help. He breathes the Holy Spirit on them, which reminds us of Genesis, when God breathed life into Adam. Just as Adam’s life came from God, so now the new spiritual life breathed into the Apostles comes from God. This is John’s version of Pentecost.



The Apostles are sent out to preach forgiveness: “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." The Council of Trent defined that this power to forgive sins is exercised in the sacrament of confession. Forgiveness is one of the biggest themes in scripture, both in the Old Testament and the New Testament. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus conquered sin and death. He paid the penalty for our sins and wants all of us to feel that forgiveness. What is the one thing that can keep us from eternal life (or life in abundance now)? Sins that are not forgiven from people who are not repentant. There are a lot of themes in scripture, but this one seems like it should be near the top of the list in importance, and is why the apostles are sent to preach forgiveness.



Being forgiven by God, whether from an act of contrition, or sacramentally through confession, is a wonderful way to grow spiritually. Sins that are not forgiven will eventually block the avenues of God’s grace. If God feels distant, it may be time to seek forgiveness. The sacrament of reconciliation gives us an opportunity to focus on the things we did wrong, be forgiven, and receive the grace to do better and grow as a disciple.



The Apostles are given the power to retain sins by Jesus, but I don’t know of any time that Jesus or the apostles ever refused to forgive someone. My experience is that those who are unrepentant do not seek forgiveness. Any one who comes to confession is seeking God’s forgiveness, and if they are not sure if something is a sin, they will ask.



One of the saddest things is when people refuse to believe that they sin and therefore need forgiveness. Unrepentant people are passing up an opportunity to live in God’s grace, peace, meaning, and happiness.



I do think that clergy need to preach on this topic without belaboring the point. It’s an important part of the message of Jesus. But we need to preach on it by stating that God loves us and wants us to participate in Jesus sacrifice on the cross and be forgiven, not so we won’t be punished, but that we can live in the peace of Christ.



The first reading from Acts of the Apostles details the Pentecost scene we are familiar with: the wind, the tongues of fire, the Holy Spirit, the speaking in tongues.



The wind should remind us of the breath of God, how God breathed life into Adam and he became alive (Genesis 2:7) and how Jesus breathed on the apostles in today’s gospel and they became alive with the Holy Spirit.



The tongues of fire remind us of the time Moses was on Mt. Sinai (see Exodus 19:18) and the presence of God appearing in fire which initiated the covenant on Sinai. The Holy Spirit coming as tongues of fire reminds us that God, in the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, comes to prepare the apostles to preach the new covenant sealed by the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ our Savior.



Speaking in tongues is ecstatic prayer in praise of God which is interpreted as speaking in different languages that signifies the universal mission of the church to all the people of the world.



Pentecost is also seen as the fulfillment of the prophecy in the book of Joel chapter3. The word “ruah” is used here (and in many parts of the Old Testament), which is God’s power, or spirit, given to certain people. Ruah can also mean breath or wind. Joel anticipates the renewing breath of God given on Pentecost in Acts.



Pentecost is also the fulfillment of the promise made by Jesus in Acts 1:8: “But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”



The second reading from 1 Corinthians reminds us that while we all receive the same spirit, we are empowered by this spirit to perform different types of service. We are all parts of one body, but we all have different gifts and talents to be used in the building up of the body of Christ.



Pentecost is considered as the beginning, or birthday, of the church. What do the readings tell us about what it means to be church? While there are many ways to define the church and its mission, I offer five different aspects of being church that I see in the readings. 1) The readings tell us that it is God’s church, formed by the giving of the Spirit. It is not our church: we are not in charge. We do not do what we want, but let the Spirit lead and guide us. 2) We are a missionary church, charged to bring the Good News to all the nations. 3) We are to preach that Jesus died for our sins; he died so that we may live. 4) No one can do everything. We all have our own gifts and talents used to build up the kingdom. In other words, it’s not only the church of the clergy, but of all people. We each have different roles, but no one is better because of their role. 5) Being a member of the church should give us the kind of peace only given by faith in the risen Christ.







Fr. Phil