by Fr. Jose “Joesum” Sumampong, Jr.
May 23, 2021
Pentecost Sunday (B)
Acts 2: 1-11 / Psalm 104: 1, 24, 29-31, 34 /
1 Cor 12: 3-7, 12-13 / John 20: 19-23
THE GIFT OF THE SPIRIT
Word: This text is also used each year on the Second Sunday of Easter, when the reading continues with the story of Thomas. Today our attention focuses on the gift of the Spirit and the forgiveness of sins.
John’s account of the appearance of Jesus occurs on the evening of Easter Sunday, which is a reminder that Pentecost is the other end of the Easter feast. Unlike Luke’s account in Acts, John describes the giving of the Spirit on the day of the resurrection rather than 50 days later.
The account starts with this: 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” (Jn 20:19). Fear! Our world is always built on fear!
We must look squarely for the fears in our own lives. Let’s ask: In which situations am I “shut”? Which circumstances, sins, anxieties imprison us?
St. Paul compares it to death: “So death is at work in us, but… we are not discouraged; rather, although our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Cor 4:12;16-17).
Not without purpose does John link together the resurrection of Jesus and the gift of the Spirit. In the Nicene Creed, we profess by saying: “We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life…” This gift of life is first received by Jesus.
His sudden presence in the midst of his shut-in disciples signifies that no obstacle can keep Jesus back from standing among his own. Jesus breaks all barriers.
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord (Jn 20:20). Confronted by fears in various forms, are we wondering where the Paschal rising takes place? Do we find it difficult to discern the presence of the Spirit? The answer is within our reach: when we try to find out where the scars, and the wounds are in our hearts, in our lives. By seeing the wounds of Jesus, his fearful disciples also saw their own fears. In Jesus, we can have journey “from fear to joy”. By recognizing their own fears and acknowledging that fear could be strongly overcome, as Jesus did, the disciples rejoiced! Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you” (Jn 20:21). They were “shut-in”; now they are “sent out”.
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven…” (Jn 20-22-23). The breath of life! What we find is a stroke of genius to describe the active presence of God in the world, in terms of what is most essential and ordinary: breathing! From microbes to wild beasts, all living beings breath in the same oxygen: a striking image of the One God who makes us all live!
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Order: The feast of the Pentecost is challenging us. First, we must receive this Spirit. Mankind must receive the community of Spirit which exists between the Father and the Son: several, yet One!
We discover that, in the mission of the Church, there is not only the Father, and the Son whom he sent, but there is also the mystery of the Three Divine Persons.
Second, we must forgive. The role and mission of the Church is to proclaim forgiveness of sin and salvation.
We find a striking progress of thought in this page of St. John: 1) a community of persons experiences the risen Presence of Jesus;; 2) as a fruit of this experience, the community is sent on a mission; 3) this mission is made possible by the gift of the Spirit; and 4) this mission is to pass on Forgiveness, Salvation, Holiness.
The task of the Church, therefore, is LIBERATION. It is to offer to all the infinite love of God.
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Realities: 1. Fire is a good symbol for the Holy Spirit. Fire can do many different kinds of things. Fire can make something strong; that is why we char a canoe and fire clay pots. Fire can make something soft. Put a piece of iron into the fire and it turns red and then you can bend it. Heat a piece of wood and you can bend it too. Fire gives us light…as a candle, or kerosene lamp or electric bulb.
Fire takes away pain: if you have a sprained ankle or a swollen hand, put it close to the fire. Heat helps the pain to go away. (Frank Mihalic, Fire and The Holy Spirit)
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2, A giant television tower rises above the skyline of East Berlin. Just below the tip of the tower is a revolving restaurant.
Communist officials intended it to be a showpiece to the West. But instead, a fluke in design “, turned it into a giant embarrassment.
Whenever the sun hits the tower a certain way, the tower turns into a huge, shimmering cross.
Officials tried to repaint the tower to blot out the cross, but to no avail. (Mark Link, S. J.)
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3. It’s found in Abraham Lincoln’s Civil War diary.
Lincoln writes: “Of all the forms of charity and benevolence seen in the crowded wards in the hospitals, those of some Catholic Sisters were the most efficient.
“I never knew whence they came or what was the name of their order. More lovely than anything I have ever seen in art … are the pictures of those modest sisters,
going on their errands of mercy among the suffering and the dying.
“Gentle and womanly, yet with the courage of soldiers … they went from cot to cot. … They were veritable angels of mercy.”
It is this kind of witness that Pentecost invites each one of us to bear in whatever area of life we are working. It is this kind of witness that the Holy Spirit has empowered
each one of us to give.
It is this kind of witness that you and I are called to by our baptism and confirmation. This is the Pentecost message for each one of us here. (Mark Link, S.J.)
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4. When I spoke before the Indiana Retarded Children Association, I realized that the members of the audience were mostly parents of retarded children or teachers of retarded children and that they were very sensitive toward the treatment their children receive, so I included this piece of material for them:
“Ladies and gentlemen, over in Michigan we are beginning to integrate retarded children with the regular classes in our schools, and this happened in a newly-integrated sixth grade class recently. It was recess time and one of the students said to the other, “Come on, Theresa, let’s go. Don’t bother with Elizabeth, she’s retarded.”
And they left, and Elizabeth, who was retarded but not deaf, walked slowly up to the front of the classroom and said to her teacher, “Mrs. Browning, am I retarded?”
And Mrs. Browning smiled a loving smile and took Elizabeth by the hand and said, “Yes, Elizabeth, you are retarded.” She paused for just an instant and then she continued, “And Elizabeth, I am retarded and everyone is retarded, because God didn’t make any perfect people. But, Elizabeth, none are so retarded as those who could, but will not understand.” (Art Fetting, RETARDED CHILDREN)
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5. Eye contact helps people in almost any walk. of life. Examples: Salvation Army “Santas” claim they almost always get a donation if they make eye contact with pedestrians. Salespeople who use eye contact with customers generate more and larger sales.
Hitchhikers stand a better chance of getting rides if they engage in eye contact with passing motorists. Managers and executives who use their eyes when talking with their staff, open communications. And parents often find eyes the most effective means of scolding children. (Study at U. of Utah, EYE CONTACT)
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6. “Ghost” comes from the Anglo Saxon “gast” which was also developed into “gust”, and that is what it means… a violent flurry of wind: the Ghost of Wind that will swing us ‘round to look on God, and then move in a different direction.
“Spirit” derives from the Latin “Spiritus”, the gentle breath of life that quietly fills our lungs with air continuously throughout life. There is need for both.
Modern liturgies seem to be phasing out “ghost”, which is a pity. There is something invigorating about the stark Anglo Saxon word, and something helpfully expressive. (Ken Sharpe)
o0oDirection: Divine Spirit, your gifts are diverse. You call some to give clear witness to the desire for a heavenly home and to keep that desire green among the human family. You summon others to dedicate themselves to the earthly service of human beings and to make ready the material of the celestial realm by this ministry of theirs. Grant all of us your freedom so that by putting aside love of self and bringing all earthly resources into the service of human life, we can devote ourselves to that future when humanity itself will become an offering accepted by God. (Prayer for the Freedom of the Spirit Based on Vatican II)
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We sincerely appreciate and give thanks to all who generously and actively participated the Diocesan Pentecost Vigil held last night at the HNU Ground-Dampas. Happy Birthday… to our dearest Mother Church! All GLORY be to our living God… May the Holy Spirit renew the face of the earth…