PENTECOST – MAY 27, 2012
«
We have reached the end of the Easter Season.
«
Pentecost happens during one of the Jewish Festivities.
«
Israel celebrated in this day the giving of the Law by Yahweh on Mount
Sinai.
«
Today we celebrate the birth of our Church.
FIRST READING – Acts 2:1-11
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Luke has a theological intention on writing about the event of
Pentecost.
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The Spirit is very much present in the Work of Luke: Gospel and
Acts.
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This presence comes to its highest point in the narration of
Pentecost.
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It is a fascinating account of the coming and presence of the Spirit in
the Church.
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The Spirit of God who was over the waters at the beginning of creation,
the Spirit who together with the Word transformed chaos into a wonderful and
beautiful creation, in our universe.
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In this day Israel commemorated the Law received on Mount Sinai.
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To us in this day God gives us the new Law of Grace, the Law of Jesus,
the Law of the Spirit of God who teaches us the only precept given by our
Redeemer: the love of God made visible in the love of neighbor, of our brothers
and sisters.
-
Let us meditate some aspects of this Reading:
o
Let us begin with the word spirit “Ruah” in ancient Hebrew
language:
§
It means the atmospheric space between the earth and the sky.
§
It can be either calm or agitated.
§
It is an open space, where the wind can be perceived easily.
§
It is the vital space where man moves and breathes.
o
Let us see now the meaning of Ruah
in the Bible:
§
It means two things: wind and breath.
§
The Greek word pneuma and the Latin word spiritus have the same meaning
as the Hebrew word Ruah.
§
Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa says that the two books that God has written:
creation made of mute elements and the Bible made of words, they mutually
illuminate each other.
§
The Bible speaks very often of the Spirit of God as wind, Jesus uses
this expression when he speaks to Nicodemus.
§
The wind in nature and in the Bible is always the manifestation of a
powerful force, only the wind is able to
agitate the ocean.
§
Breathing, the other meaning of Ruah, is represented as a whisper or as
a gentle breeze.
§
The gentle breeze symbolizes kindness, peace.
o
Both meanings of the word Ruah are used in the Bible to present to us
the two different manifestations of God: God is the Other, the One completely
different from us: the transcendence of
God. But God also is present to us
in a very intimate way: the immanence of
God .
§
The Holy Spirit shows clearly the mystery of God, He is at the same time
absolute power and kindness without limits, movement and quietness.
§
In the life of the Church we have moved from the symbol: wind, breath,
to the reality of the Person of the Holy
Spirit. He is at the same time a mystery
of power and a mystery of kindness, gentleness.
o
The mystery of communion
among the followers of Jesus: the community of the believers.
§
The Spirit comes, when they are together, all are filled with the Holy
Spirit, who has in all the same manifestations: speaking in different
languages, tongues of fire come upon them.
o
The universality of
salvation.
§
All those present hear about the wonderful works of God in their own
language.
§
This miracle is the wonderful reality of salvation given to all the
peoples of the earth. This continues to be a reality in the evangelizing
mission of the Church.
o
Let us say together the response of the responsorial psalm.
LORD
SEND FORTH YOUR SPIRIT AND RENEW THE FACE OF THE EARTH.
SECOND
READING 1Co 12:3b-7,12-13
This Reading present two aspects of the work of the
Holy Spirit in the community of the believers in Jesus:
Ø Diversity
o
The different gifts of the Spirit, different services and works in the
community.
Ø Unity:
o
But it is the same and only Spirit who gives the gifts, who moves to
serve in the different works.
o
It is the Spirit who makes
§
Of one group of apostles an apostolic college.
§
Of a group of believers a community and a Church.
o
The same and only Spirit makes of us through baptism a body, where we
are all together Jews and Gentiles, free and slaves.
o
All of us have been given to drink of the same Spirit.
GOSPEL Jn
15:26-27; 16:12-15
The Gospel teaches to us some other aspects of the
Holy Spirit:
«
He is the advocate
o
He is sent by the Father and gives testimony of Jesus.
o
And they (the Apostles) will also be witnesses, because they have been
with Jesus from the beginning.
«
He is the Spirit of Truth
o
He will lead us to the full truth.
o
He will speak of what he hears in the Trinity, in the intimate life of
the Three.
«
He is the Teacher who teaches
us and reveals God to us:
o
God is the totally Other.
o
He is more intimate to us than we are to ourselves.
o
The eternal God and at the same time the God who becomes one of us in
the Incarnation.
o
The Spirit reminds to us the
words of Jesus.
Let us repeat
with enthusiasm:
COME HOLY SPIRIT, FILL THE HEARTS OF YOUR FAITHFUL,
AND ENKINDLE IN THEM THE FIRE OF YOUR LOVE
SEQUENCE OF PENTECOST
Holy Spirit,
Lord of Light,
From the clear celestial height.
Thy pure beaming radiance give.
From the clear celestial height.
Thy pure beaming radiance give.
Come,
thou Father of the poor,
Come, with treasures which endure;
Come, thou Light of all that live!
Come, with treasures which endure;
Come, thou Light of all that live!
Thou,
of all consolers best,
Thou, the soul's delightful guest,
Dost refreshing peace bestow.
Thou, the soul's delightful guest,
Dost refreshing peace bestow.
Thou in
toil art comfort sweet;
Pleasant coolness in the heat;
Solace in the midst of woe.
Pleasant coolness in the heat;
Solace in the midst of woe.
Light
immortal, Light divine,
Visit thou these hearts of thine,
And our inmost being fill.
Visit thou these hearts of thine,
And our inmost being fill.
If thou
take thy grace away,
Nothing pure in man will stay;
All his good is turned to ill.
Nothing pure in man will stay;
All his good is turned to ill.
Heal
our wounds, our strength renew;
On our dryness pour thy dew,
Wash the stains of guilt away.
On our dryness pour thy dew,
Wash the stains of guilt away.
Bend
the stubborn heart and will;
Melt the frozen, warm the chill;
Guide the steps that go astray.
Melt the frozen, warm the chill;
Guide the steps that go astray.
Thou,
on us who evermore
Thee confess and thee adore,
With thy sevenfold gifts descend.
Thee confess and thee adore,
With thy sevenfold gifts descend.
Give us
comfort when we die;
Give us life with thee on high;
Give us joys that never end.
Amen. Alleluia.
Give us life with thee on high;
Give us joys that never end.
Amen. Alleluia.
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We know that many souls were saved through the prayers of St. Teresa of
Jesus and St. Mary Magdalen of Pazzi, and that many are now being saved through
the prayers of good and fervent nuns. For this reason I have always been ready
to preach retreats and sermons to nuns (although my time has been too
restricted to allow me to be their confessor), namely, that they might commend
me to God in their prayers. Sometimes I would tell nuns that they must play the
part of Moses on the mountain, while I played Joshua's in the field of
battle--they praying and I wielding the sword of God's Word. Thus, just as
Joshua claimed victory through the prayers of Moses, so I would expect to claim
it through the prayers of the nuns. And to urge them on to greater heights of
prayer, I would tell them that we would share the merits of the victory. Saint Anthony Mary Claret, Founder
of the Claretian Missionary Sisters. Autobiography
263.
BIBLIOGRAFÍA
CANTALAMESSA,
Raniero. Ven Espiritu Creador. Meditaciones
sobre el Veni Creator. Paulinas(Edición
española) 2010.
CLARET,
Antonio María. Autobiografía.
Internet:
Virtual Library.
PARIS,
María Antonia. Autobiografía en Escritos,
con Comentarios por Juan Manuel Lozano.
PASTOR
RAMOS, Federico. “Hechos de los
Apóstoles” en Comentario al Nuevo Testamento. La Casa de la Biblia 1995.
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