First Reading Commentary
Shavuot, a Jewish festival
mandated by the Law of Moses is the root of the Christian celebration of
Pentecost. Shavuot commemorates the day when on Mount Sinai the Torah was
given to the Jewish people. In Scripture
it is called the "festival of weeks" (cf. Exodus 34:22 & Deuteronomy 16:10). It is also labeled the "feast of the
harvest" (cf. Exodus 23:16) and
the "day of firstfruits" (cf.
Numbers 28:26). Pentecost or "Pentekoste," the transliterated
word from the Greek, means "the fiftieth" and is linked to Shavuot because Pentecost arrives fifty
days after Easter and Shavuot recalls
the Torah being given on Mount Sinai fifty days after Israel's departure from
the land of Egypt. It is actually during
Shavuot "when the time for
Pentecost was fulfilled".
Blessed Columba Marmion wrote: "The
Holy Spirit appeared under the form of tongues of fire in order to fill the
apostles with truth and to prepare them to bear witness to Jesus. He also came to fill their hearts with
love. He is the Person of Love in the
life of God. He is also like a breath, an aspiration of infinite Love, from
which we draw the breath of life. On the
day of Pentecost the Divine Spirit communicated such an abundance of life to
the whole Church that to symbolize it ‘there came a sound from heaven, as of a
violent wind coming, and it filled the whole house where they [the apostles]
were sitting.’ The Holy Spirit came to
remain with the Church forever. This is
the promise of Jesus Himself. He dwells
in the Church permanently and unfailingly, performing in it without ceasing,
His action of life-giving and sanctification.
He establishes the Church infallibly in the truth. It is He Who makes the Church blossom forth
with a marvelous supernatural fruitfulness, for He brings to life and full
fruition in Virgins, Martyrs, Confessors, those heroic virtues which are one of
the marks of true sanctity" (Les
Mysteres du Rosaire).
To expound a little on Blessed Columba's
thoughts about the tongues of fire preparing the apostles to bear witness to
Jesus, the image of tongues perhaps more specifically points to the power that
would be prevalent in the apostles' preaching.
Also coming to mind is a statement made by Saint John the Baptist:
"He [Christ] will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire" (Luke 3:16).
Our liturgical text reads that the tongues
"parted" which means that before the parting they were together
indicating the unity the Holy Spirit would give to the Church; and then by
parting intimates the dispersion of the Good News to all nations and peoples. The universality of the Church is revealed by
the many nations and languages present and yet all understanding the
proclamations "of the mighty acts of God".
Acts 1:14 indicates that the Blessed Virgin
Mary was present in the Upper Room. If
there was ever a time the ancient world needed a mother's assurance and love,
this was it. Jesus is no longer
physically present to the apostles. It
was surely a stressful time; but they were all "persevering with one mind
in prayer" (Acts 1:14). Perhaps it was the Blessed Virgin Mary who opened
their hearts to prayer. She did, after
all, exemplify trust in God at the Annunciation: "Behold the handmaid of
the Lord, let it be done to me according to your word" (Luke 1:38).
Saint John Paul II
shared these words: "In the atmosphere of expectation that prevailed in
the Upper Room after the Ascension, what was Mary's position in relation to the
descent of the Holy Spirit? Having
already had a unique experience of the effectiveness of such a gift, the Blessed
Virgin was in a condition to appreciate it more than anyone; indeed, she owed
her Motherhood to the mysterious intervention of the Spirit, Who had made her
the way by which the Savior came into the world. Unlike those in the Upper Room who were waiting
in fearful expectation, she, fully aware of the importance of her Son's promise
to the disciples, helped the community to be well disposed to the coming of the
Paraclete. Thus, while her unique
experience made her ardently long for the Spirit's coming, it also involved her
in preparing the minds and hearts of those around her. It was appropriate that the first outpouring
of the Spirit upon her, which had happened in view of her divine Motherhood,
should be repeated and reinforced.
Indeed, at the foot of the Cross Mary was entrusted with a new
Motherhood, which concerned Jesus' disciples.
It was precisely this mission that demanded a renewed gift of the
Spirit. The Blessed Virgin therefore wanted it for the fruitfulness of her
spiritual Motherhood. While at the
moment of the Incarnation the Holy Spirit had descended upon her as a person
called to take part worthily in the great mystery, everything is now
accomplished for the sake of the Church, whose Image, Model and Mother Mary is
called to be. Thus Pentecost is also a
fruit of the Blessed Virgin's incessant prayer, which is accepted by the
Paraclete with special favor because it is an expression of her Motherly love
for the Lord's disciples. Responding to
the prayer of the Blessed Virgin and the community gathered in the Upper Room
on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit bestows the fullness of His gifts on
the Blessed Virgin and those present, working a deep transformation in them for
the sake of spreading the Good News. The
Mother of Christ and His disciples are granted new strength and new apostolic
energy for the Church's growth" (L'Osservatore
Romano, June 4, 1997).
Second Reading Commentary
What Saint Paul is trying to impress upon us is that "different kinds of spiritual gifts" or "different forms of service" or "different workings" should not cause division. We are a great diversity of people called to unity.
The physical body and its "many parts" is useful imagery for trying to understand the Mystical Body. Saint Paul uses the word "different" three times in this short Reading. We are all different – in fact, we are all unique. No two people are exactly the same. God produces spiritual gifts in each of us and calls us to service for the sake of the entire Mystical Body.
What Saint Paul is trying to impress upon us is that "different kinds of spiritual gifts" or "different forms of service" or "different workings" should not cause division. We are a great diversity of people called to unity.
The physical body and its "many parts" is useful imagery for trying to understand the Mystical Body. Saint Paul uses the word "different" three times in this short Reading. We are all different – in fact, we are all unique. No two people are exactly the same. God produces spiritual gifts in each of us and calls us to service for the sake of the entire Mystical Body.
Saint Ambrose very directly taught:
"Recall then that you have received the spiritual seal, the spirit of
wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgment and courage, the spirit
of knowledge and reverence, the spirit of holy fear in God's Presence. Guard
what you have received. God the Father has marked you with His sign; Christ the
Lord has confirmed you and has placed His pledge, the Spirit, in your
hearts" (De Mysteriis). The need to guard anything suggests that it
could escape or be taken away.
Our Savior tells us
that whosoever shall drink of the water which He gives, it shall become a well
of water springing up unto everlasting life (cf. John 4:14). Saint Paul
tells us in the Reading that this drink is the Spirit. Once again, Saint Ambrose continues with that
thought and adds: "This well is clearly the grace of the Spirit, a stream
proceeding from the living Fount. The Holy Spirit, then, is also the Fount of
eternal life" (ibid.).
Gospel Commentary
Our Lord's appearance through locked doors might seem like forced entry and thus incompatible with Love. But God knows our hearts, therefore, our Savior not only loves with a boundless love all those who are on the other side of the door, but He also knows that they love Him and it is out of fear that the doors are locked.
Our Lord's appearance through locked doors might seem like forced entry and thus incompatible with Love. But God knows our hearts, therefore, our Savior not only loves with a boundless love all those who are on the other side of the door, but He also knows that they love Him and it is out of fear that the doors are locked.
In the spiritual life perhaps there are aspects of it in which we have locked the doors of our hearts. Sacramentally, here are some common things that are said: "I can't go to Confession and tell Father what I have done – what will he think of me?" Or, "The priest is just a man, what do I need him for? Can't I just go directly to God?!"
Back in 1947 there was a rather humorous
movie titled: "Life with Father".
The film centers on a turn of the century upper class family in New
York. The eccentric husband and his wife
are the parents of five sons. It is
discovered early on in the film that the father had never been baptized. From that point on his family keeps gnawing
at him to get baptized even though he is dead set against it. In the end when he finally agrees or actually
is kind of tricked into it, as the mother gathers up her five children in order
for the family to hop on a horse and carriage and head off to church to get
their father baptized, the father asks somewhat angrily, "Must the
children witness this indignity?"
The sacraments were instituted by our Savior; and as far as entertaining
thoughts of: "There must be another way," only Jesus knows. Even the father in the film in his wishful
thinking boldly said: "They can't keep me out of heaven on a
technicality!" All we know by means
of Scripture and Tradition is how Jesus architected the dispersing of grace and
our Lord's specific design for reconciliation is revealed in this Gospel:
"Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose
sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are
retained."
When adult baptism is seen as undignified
or the many excuses that arise for avoiding Confession, perhaps it is a sign
that there are hearts with locked doors.
And it doesn't mean that God is loved less because of our excuses or
fears of embarrassment or the fear of emptying ourselves to a priest. The more attention that one gives to the
spiritual life, the more one realizes that we're all in a war zone. The battle for the human soul is waged all
around us nonstop. The third chapter of
the Book of Genesis tells us that the serpent is the craftiest of all; and
original sin has already inflicted us with a disease that is adamant about
being in control of everything ourselves.
Knowing that, it's quite convenient for the serpent to bombard us with
the thought of: "Did God really say…?" (Genesis 3:1).
Jesus touches us through
His Holy Spirit and challenges us to meditate on "His Hands and His
Side". This is Almighty God Who
stands before us with these Wounds. From
a human perspective, shouldn't our Lord feel undignified or embarrassed? A deep absorption into these Wounds, however,
will undoubtedly disclose that love is the reason for them – and love conquers
all. In this Gospel the apostles get
that. Don't forget they love Him too as
we love Him; and what should have been a room full of uncomfortable looking
faces staring at this marred Man, instead there was rejoicing. Since they love Jesus, if the doors of their
hearts locked Him out because of the shame of abandoning Him, Jesus, because
there is mutual love, is able by His Divine Power to go through those locked doors. In our own fears of embarrassment, shame,
mockery or just the struggle to surrender our will to God, all of which can
make fulfilling the mission of being sent an obstacle, as long as Jesus is
loved, He will in His own time appear through those locked doors. If we're willing to keep fighting the good
fight in this life full of distractions and temptations, the day will come when
we will close our eyes to this world and finally gaze upon the Face we have
been seeking our whole life and He may say: "Peace be with you." And then what will follow is an undeniable
assurance that this Peace will remain with us uninterrupted for all eternity.
