2015/05/24 — Pentecost Sunday

Today’s readings tell us of the descent of the Holy Spirit and explain what it means for the Church.

John the Baptist had told the people that the one who would follow him would baptize them with the Holy Spirit and with fire. (Luke 3:16) The first reading — Acts2:1-11 — tells of the fulfillment of that promise. The loud sound of wind and the appearance of fire recall other appearances of God — to Moses and to Elijah, for example. (See Exodus 19:16-19 and 2 Kings 2:11).

Pentecost is the Greek word for the Jewish Feast of Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks, which occurred seven weeks after Passover, and celebrated the giving of the Law to the Israelites at Mount Sinai. It was one of the three feasts on which people were supposed to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, which is why there were people from many different lands in the city when the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples. The Holy Spirit is in effect our Law.

Jesus spoke a lot about the Holy Spirit at the Last Supper, according to the Gospel of John. Today’s passage — John 15:26-27; 16:12-15 — gives some of his words. He says that the Holy Spirit will testify to him and that the disciples will also testify to him. The Holy Spirit’s testimony is internal. He speaks to the spirit of people. The disciples’ testimony is external. They speak words which others hear. And this testimony is just what the Spirit produced at Pentecost.

Jesus says the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth. It is important that testimony be the truth. The disciples’ testimony, and ours, must be true or it is useless and leads people astray. The Holy Spirit enables us to testify truly. He guides the disciples into all truth. This promise applies to the Church as a whole, and, through the Church, to all believers. This is what makes it possible for us to be true witnesses.

We also see in this passage, an indication of the Trinity. The Spirit’s testimony is not something he creates on his own. He takes it from Jesus, who in turn has it from the Father, and this is what he declares to us.

The second reading, from Galatians (5:16-25) presents another aspect of the work of the Spirit. First, Paul tells us that the Spirit and the flesh are in opposition. It is clear from the list of the works of the flesh that when Paul says “flesh,” he doesn’t mean the body but fallen human nature. The works of the flesh do not just include sexual immorality, but other types of misbehavior, some of which are not even simply physical actions. Most of the works of the flesh are things that attack the unity of the community. But Christians have the Holy Spirit. He produces love, joy, peace, and the other things Paul lists, if we choose to follow his leading. It is not that we attain these things on our own: the Holy Spirit is the source of a good way of life.

So this feast reminds us that we have received the Holy Spirit, who enables us to live as we ought, including giving witness to Jesus as individuals and as the Church. With his guidance, the Church holds fast to the truth, so that our testimony is true. We should seek to live all aspects of our lives under the leading of the Holy Spirit. Then the Holy Spirit can draw people to the Lord through the witness of our lives and our words.

It is possible that different readings will be chosen for the second reading (1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13) and gospel (John 20:19-23). Those are assigned to Pentecost in the cycle of readings for Year A, the first of the three-year cycle the Church uses. The ones I have written about are options for Year B, which is the current year. Eventually, I hope to get to the Year A readings — two years from now.

      I should note that there is a separate set of readings for the vigil Mass on Saturday evening. They tell of the tower of Babel. Genesis 11:1-9 The miracle of Pentecost overcomes the scattering of people and the confusion of language which occurred at Babel. Then Romans 8:22-27 tells of our need for redemption and theSpirit's intercession on our behalf. The gospel for the vigil, John 7:37-39, gives words of Jesus at the Feast of the Dedication of the Temple, in which he promises the Spirit to his followers under the symbol of living water.