May 31, 2009

Acts 2:1-11
1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2And suddenly out of the sky came a sound like a strong rushing wind and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. There appeared 3tongues as if of fire which parted and came to rest upon each one of them. 4All were filled with Holy Spirit and began to speak other languages, as the Spirit enabled them to speak.
5Staying in Jerusalem were religious Jews from every nation under heaven. 6When they heard this sound, a crowd gathered, all excited because each heard them speaking in his own language. 7Full of amazement and wonder, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8How is it that we hear them in our own native language? 9Here are Parthians, Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11both Jews and foreigners who accept Jewish beliefs, Cretians and Arabians; and all of us hear them proclaiming in our own language what God, the Savior, does.

Commentaries:
Pentecost was one of the greatest feasts of the Jewish calendar. Originally an agricultural feast, in the latter centuries of the Old Testament it became the celebration of the giving of the Law to Moses on Mt. Sinai. For this occasion, like for the Passover, many Jews from the countries around the Mediterranean came on pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
It was during the Jewish Passover, which commemorated the liberation from slavery in Egypt, that Jesus, by his own death and resurrection, offered the world freedom from death and sin; it is on the day when the gift of the Law on Sinai is celebrated, the day when God made his covenant with the chosen people, that God now gives his Spirit to the “Israel of God” (Gal 6:16).
That very day the baptism of fire announced by John (Lk 3:16) takes place. God sends the Spirit of his Son and, with this, the Church is born. For the Church is not a human institution, or the work of a group of believers; it comes from God’s initiative, and God wills that individuals of every nation witness this event.
What happened at Pentecost was as unique as what was accomplished by the resurrection. Nevertheless it follows the pattern of other interventions of God in history. On one hand, the Spirit constantly brings about our apostolic renewals, religious awakenings, and dynamic communities that become the new blood of the Church, which constantly grows old and constantly needs renewal.
The Spirit comes to give life to the Church. It also comes to confirm or affirm the believers. The baptism of fire that the apostles receive is normally conferred on us through confirmation (see commentary on 8:9).
The rushing wind is a sign, because spirit means both breath and wind in the Hebrew culture. Inspired by the Spirit, Peter speaks up. He now knows the truth and believes, and this is why he can boldly proclaim it (Jn 15:26; 16:13).
Each one heard them speaking in his own language. The repetition of this expression on three occasions (verses 6, 8, 11) is an indication to us that here is a key for understanding this passage. The miracle of Pentecost is not really in the fact that the apostles, all of Palestinian origin, began to speak in foreign languages, but in the fact that all the foreigners heard the proclamation of God’s wonderful deeds in their own language: that is the miracle of Pentecost. Many other New Testament texts refer to the “gift of tongues” (Acts 10:46; 19:6; 1 Cor 12; 14:2-19) but here in the Pentecostal text God outlines the basis of all evangelization: those who are called to have faith in Jesus, to become members of the Church, are not required to renounce their language and their culture, as the Jewish proselytes of old were expected to. On the contrary, God wishes to be praised and blessed by people of all languages and cultures: in this way the diversity of the members in the body of Christ ( 1Cor 12:12-13) will be clearly visible for all to see, likewise the gathering together through Jesus and his Spirit of God’s scattered children will also be visible (Jn 11:52).
Throughout her history, the Church has tended to forget the miracle of Pentecost when she imposed her language and her culture while evangelizing new peoples. Throughout her history, the Holy Spirit has also warned the Church against such temptations in the persons of apostles who live by the spirit of Pentecost.


Psalms 104:1-34
1 Bless the Lord, my soul!
Clothed in majesty and splendor;
O Lord, my God, how great you are!
2You are wrapped in light as with a garment;
you stretch out the heavens like a tent,
3you build your upperrooms above the waters.
You make the clouds your chariot
and ride on the wings of the wind;
4you make the winds your messengers,
and fire and flame your ministers.
5You set the earth on its foundations,
and never will it be shaken.
6You covered it with the ocean like a garment,
and waters spread over the mountains.
7But at your rebuke the waters flee,
at the sound of your thunder they take to flight.
8Brought to the mountains, they flow down again
to settle in the valleys.
9You set a limit they could not cross,
never again to flood the earth.
10You make springs gush forth in valleys
winding among mountains and hills,
11giving drink to the beasts of the field,
quenching the thirst of wild donkeys.
12Birds build their nests close by
and sing among the branches of trees.
13You water the mountains from your abode
and fill the earth with the fruit of your work.
14You make grass grow for cattle
and plants for man to cultivate,
that he may bring forth food from the earth:
15wine to gladden his heart,
oil to make his face shine,
and bread to make him strong.
16The Lord waters his trees to their fill,
the cedars of Lebanon which he planted.
17The birds build their nests,
the stork has its home in the pine trees.
18High mountains are for wild goats,
the cliffs a refuge for badgers.
19You made the moon to mark the seasons,
and the sun that knows when to set;
20when you bring the darkness of the night,
all the beasts of the forest begin to prowl:
21the young lions roaring for their prey
claiming their food from God.
22When the sun rises, the beasts steal away,
returning to rest in their dens.
23Man then goes out to his work,
and toils till evening comes.
24How varied O Lord, are your works!
In wisdom you have made them all –
the earth full of your creatures.
25Behold the sea, wide and vast,
teeming with countless creatures,
living things both great and small,
26a strange world reserved for the ships,
for Leviathan, the dragon you made to play with.
27They all look to you
for their food in due time.
28You give it to them,
and they gather it up;
you open your hand,
they are filled with good things.
29When you hide your face they vanish,
you take away their breath, they expire
and return to dust.
30When you send forth your spirit,
they are created,
and the face of the earth is renewed.
31May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
may the Lord rejoice in his works!
32He looks on the earth, and it quakes;
he touches the mountain, and it smokes.
33I will sing to the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to God while I live.
34May my song give him pleasure,
as the Lord gives me delight.




Commentaries: Not only does all come from God but all belongs to him and speaks of him. Atoms, nature, shapes and colors, everything is a radiation of his own riches: light is your cloak; the clouds, your chariot; the firmament, the tent of your dwelling. The beauty of the cosmos is the cloud that hides God’s beauty.
Even if today we have a scientific vision of the world, this psalm, 2,500 years old, retains its value. The world we know is much vaster, diverse and marvelous. How could we ever think that it has formed itself or that it is the product of an accident?
God continually sustains every being and holds it in his hands. What would become of them should he in an instant take away his Spirit? Just think what happens when there is a power failure – no longer is there light, energy, movement – it is rather as if the world ceased to exist.
Invitation to optimism. All creatures are good and are linked together in harmony. One by one the psalmist names with admiration the great cosmic powers and almost with tenderness the birds, wild animals and fish. This psalm has a deeply human touch: everything exists for the benefit of humanity. Humankind is called to be the consciousness that understands the universe and is able to admire it, the voice that praises the Creator, the artisan called to beautify it and organize it for the service of people, all people. Our psalms and songs of praise would be useless if they did not express human effort to build a world reflecting the purity and infinite riches of God.
“He formed me from of old, from eternity, even before the earth. When he laid the foundations of the earth, I was close to him, the designer of his works and I was his daily delight, forever playing in his presence, playing throughout the world and delighting to be with humans” (Pro 8:23, 29-31).


1 Cor 12:3-13
3I tell you that nobody inspired by the Spirit of God may say, “A curse on Jesus,” as no one can say, “Jesus is the Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
4There is diversity of gifts, but the Spirit is the same. 5There is diversity of ministries, but the Lord is the same. 6There is diversity of works, but the same God works in all.
7The Spirit reveals his presence in each one with a gift that is also a service. 8One is to speak with wisdom, through the Spirit. Another teaches according to the same Spirit. 9To another is given faith, in which the Spirit acts; to another the gift of healing, and it is the same Spirit. 10Another works miracles, another is a prophet, another recognizes what comes from the good or evil spirit; another speaks in tongues, and still another interprets what has been said in tongues. 11And all of this is the work of the one and only Spirit, who gives to each one as he so desires.
12As the body is one, having many members, and all the members, while being many, form one body, so it is with Christ. 13All of us, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, have been baptized in one Spirit to form one body and all of us have been given to drink from the one Spirit.

Commentaries: Let us notice the order followed by Paul: the Spirit comes after the Word, the Son. The spiritual gifts distributed in our days are the fruit of the death and resurrection of Jesus.
In the Church of Corinth the Holy Spirit reveals his presence by giving many believers spiritual gifts. All marvel when some of them, touched by the Spirit, begin praising God with words understood by no one. They feel still more the presence of God when a prophet reveals to some of them what is on their conscience or gives to someone a special message from God.
Paul intervenes in two ways. First to establish order. Pagans went wild in the frenzied celebration of their feasts, while the Spirit makes everyone more responsible. When a frenzied individual cried out something senseless or scandalous, it was proof that he was not inspired.
Paul reminds us that the gifts of the Spirit (sometimes called charisms) have several aspects. They are gifts, especially evident in miracles. But they are also ministries (v. 5), that is services, as is evident in the leading of a community. These should also be called works, because in them a person must not praise himself, but all must be seen as the work of God.
If Paul said that these services come from Christ, people might think that most important in the Church is the authority of those who govern in the name of Christ and at times are considered his “vicars.” Yet these gifts and ministries are also related to the Holy Spirit. The Spirit blows where he pleases and multiplies, among believers of simple heart, gifts and initiatives that renew the church. The mission of the ministers (bishops, priests or lay ministers) is not only to govern and command the Church, but also to recognize the true work of the Spirit in the community.
Who gives to each one as he so desires (v. 11). The Spirit gives the Church what it needs at the right place and the right time. These paragraphs reveal the concerns of the Church of that time, very different from ours today. Now the Spirit reminds the Church of its mission in the world. Many believers possess gifts that, without being apparent in miracles, inspire their exemplary and fruitful lives. Whereas, in those early times, the newly converted Christians discovered that God was among them. Through gifts of prophecy, wisdom, teaching, the Church unfolded day by day the innumerable consequences of the death and resurrection of Christ.
Words of wisdom that indicate an attitude to adopt. Words of knowledge that reveal something that is hidden, or what God is about to do. Faith (not in the meaning we usually give it, but as in Mk 11:22) that means certitude that God wishes to do something and urges us to ask for a miracle. Thus, it was that the Church discovered God’s presence within herself as well as the power issuing from the death and resurrection of Christ.
The same Spirit… the same Lord… the same God. God is the fountain of the various gifts granted to the Church and God is also the model of how diversity may be coupled with unity.



Jn 20:19-23
19On the evening of that day, the first day after the Sabbath, the doors were locked where the disciples were, because of their fear of the Jews, but Jesus came and stood in their midst. He said to them, “Peace be with you”; 20then he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples kept looking at the Lord and were full of joy.
21Again Jesus said to them, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22After saying this he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit; 23for those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained.”