Pentecost Year A 2023

Title

Inward and Outward Pentecost

Outline

When it comes to the Holy Spirit, we are often confused

There is a tendency to focus on Luke’s account, the outward thrust of Jesus through the Holy Spirit from Jerusalem to Rome. This was the problem in Corinth with which Paul is dealing. But Christians still focus on these outward gifts, for they are more visible and seem to grant us power, but they are part of a unified thrust into mission, not about the life of Jesus within us.

It is something like Eucharistic miracles. The reality of the presence of Christ at a deep level of physical reality happens on every Catholic altar, often daily. But we “see nothing happen.” We need the Spirit’s gift of faith/ trust/ etc. In a Eucharistic miracle we see something; we can even test the blood type. But as Thomas Aquinas said, Quiquam esse, non es corpus Christi. It may be a pointer to the body and blood of Christ, but it is not itself the body and blood of Christ, for it is no longer under the species of bread and wine.

Look first at John’s gospel

The resurrected Jesus appears in the middle of his disciples who are hiding in fear, thinking that they are next to die. Jesus speaks God’s peace to them, that is, as faith in the risen Lord rises in their hearts they are told that they are in a healthy relationship with God.

Then Jesus shows them the evidence of his really resurrected body. And he commands them to take this message of the resurrected Lord to the world (as he had sent the 12 and the 70 in the synoptic gospels).

Then he breathes on them saying, “Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” That is the birth of the Church. They are formed into body of Christ by the Spirit, they Spirit brings the character of Christ seen in the gifts of Isaiah chapter 11, and they as a Church can speak the forgiveness of Christ upon those they go to, which also entails indicating when sins are not forgiven.

This coming of the Spirit with those gifts is granted to every Christian in baptism and strengthened in confirmation enabling us to live the life of Christ. I pray for an increase in those gifts every day.

Now turn to Acts and Paul

Acts, of course, centers on the Pauline mission.

In Acts the Church is gathered together waiting for the Spirit to say, “Go” “Go now” “Go into all the world.” They are worshipping together in prayer, including the Eucharist; they seem to be growing in number, for it says 120 were present, not 11 men and a few women; they are caring for one another. But they are obeying Jesus and not going out to proclaim the good news - they are awaiting the signal.

First, God gathers “all nations” - “Jews from every nation” - into Jerusalem. Only some speak Aramaic, many have a smattering of Greek and possibly Latin, most are fluent in their local language and dialect.

Then, God sends the Church an unmistakable experience of the Spirit’s empowering them for mission and, overflowing with joy and the praise of God they burst into the streets speaking to whomever they encounter in their own language. That phenomenon was a sign that caught people’s attention, indicated in understandable terms what the good news was, and showed that it was for all nations, not just for Jews in Judea. Three thousand are converted. Soon those people were headed home carrying the message all over the Roman world.

Paul later corrects some misunderstandings. The Spirit is in someone if they can make a true, honest confession of Jesus as Lord. That is the Spirit as described in John: everyone is built into Jesus. Paul says, “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.”

But when it comes to ministry, especially to witnessing to the faith, the Spirit gives different gifts to different believers as they are needed for the building up and adding to of the body of Christ. No one has all the gifts and each one has a gift situationally, as needed in the situation. The point is to make the body of Christ work together as one and to reconfigure the body for each new situation. There is one Spirit handing us the tools needed for united mission.

Brothers and Sisters, this is about mission, not excitement

It can be exciting when the Spirit moves through us in a dramatic way - that is fine, thank God for it, but realize that you do not have to have a particular experience or a particular feeling for the Spirit to work through you.

But it can also be quite unemotional - one just does what the situation calls for and realizes afterwards that the Spirit was gifting one in this or that way.

Realize that it is the Johannine gift of the Spirit with the Isaiah chapter 11 gifts that make us like Jesus, unifies us, and makes us holy. It is the Acts chapter 2 and 1 Corinthians chapter 12 gifts of the Spirit that can be misused but that are needed for mission.

Thanks be to God for his gift of the Spirit both to make us one with Jesus and prepare us for heaven and to equip us for and in mission to reach the world.

Come, Holy Spirit.

Readings

Catholic Daily Readings 5-28-2023: Pentecost

FIRST READING

Acts 2:1–11

1 When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. 2 And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. 3 Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.

5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem. 6 At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd, but they were confused because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7 They were astounded, and in amazement they asked, “Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how does each of us hear them in his own native language? 9 We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene, as well as travelers from Rome, 11 both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs, yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty acts of God.”

Catholic Daily Readings 5-28-2023: Pentecost

RESPONSE

Psalm 104:30

30 Send forth your spirit, they are created

and you renew the face of the earth.

PSALM

Psalm 104:1, 24, 29–31, 34

1 Bless the LORD, my soul!

LORD, my God, you are great indeed!

You are clothed with majesty and splendor,

24 How varied are your works, LORD!

In wisdom you have made them all;

the earth is full of your creatures.

29 When you hide your face, they panic.

Take away their breath, they perish

and return to the dust.

30 Send forth your spirit, they are created

and you renew the face of the earth.

31 May the glory of the LORD endure forever;

may the LORD be glad in his works!

34 May my meditation be pleasing to him;

I will rejoice in the LORD.

Catholic Daily Readings 5-28-2023: Pentecost

SECOND READING

1 Corinthians 12:3b–7, 12–13

3 Therefore, I tell you that nobody speaking by the spirit of God says, “Jesus be accursed.” And no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the holy Spirit.

4 There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; 5 there are different forms of service but the same Lord; 6 there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. 7 To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.

12 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. 13 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.

Catholic Daily Readings 5-28-2023: Pentecost

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Text

GOSPEL

John 20:19–23

19 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.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 [Jesus] said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the holy Spirit. 23  Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

Notes

Catholic Daily Readings 5-28-2023: Pentecost

SUNDAY, MAY 28, 2023 | EASTER

PENTECOST

YEAR A | ROMAN MISSAL | LECTIONARY

First Reading Acts 2:1–11

Response Psalm 104:30

Psalm Psalm 104:1, 24, 29–31, 34

Second Reading 1 Corinthians 12:3b–7, 12–13

Gospel Acclamation Text

Gospel John 20:19–23

RED