The Spirit of Renewal

May 23, Sunday

 

Pentecost Sunday

 

There are days when life looks drab to us, too much like a repetitious, boring routine. Our faith too may impress us as unexciting, monotonous and tiring and cheerless. Today’s feast of Pentecost reminds us: life, especially the life of faith, is marvelous, thanks to the Spirit of Jesus who wants to renew the Church and the whole world as he did on the first Pentecost. Let him bring us to life again with joy and peace and the fire of his love. Let him breathe on us the fresh air of the gospel and the life of Jesus. We ask Jesus here in this Eucharist to pour out on us his invigorating Spirit.

 

First Reading: Acts 2:1-11

When the Feast of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Without warning there was a sound like a strong wind, gale force—no one could tell where it came from. It filled the whole building. Then, like a wildfire, the Holy Spirit spread through their ranks, and they started speaking in a number of different languages as the Spirit prompted them.

There were many Jews staying in Jerusalem just then, devout pilgrims from all over the world. When they heard the sound, they came on the run. Then when they heard, one after another, their own mother tongues being spoken, they were thunderstruck. They couldn’t for the life of them figure out what was going on, and kept saying, “Aren’t these all Galileans? How come we’re hearing them talk in our various mother tongues?

Parthians, Medes, and Elamites;
Visitors from Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia,
Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,
Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene;
Immigrants from Rome, both Jews and proselytes;
Even Cretans and Arabs!

“They’re speaking our languages, describing God’s mighty works!”

 

Second Reading: Galatians 5:16-25

My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God’s Spirit. Then you won’t feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don’t you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence?

It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.

This isn’t the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God’s kingdom.

But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.

Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.

Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.

 

Gospel: John 15:26-27; 16:12-15

“When the Friend I plan to send you from the Father comes—the Spirit of Truth issuing from the Father—he will confirm everything about me. You, too, from your side must give your confirming evidence, since you are in this with me from the start.”

“I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t handle them now. But when the Friend comes, the Spirit of the Truth, he will take you by the hand and guide you into all the truth there is. He won’t draw attention to himself, but will make sense out of what is about to happen and, indeed, out of all that I have done and said. He will honour me; he will take from me and deliver it to you. Everything the Father has is also mine. That is why I’ve said, ‘He takes from me and delivers to you.’

 

Prayer
God, Creator of all that is,
breathe your life-giving Spirit
on us and on our world
to refresh us and make us new and free.
Let him inflame us and our communities
with the fire of your love and freedom
and open for us his treasury of joy and youth,
of wisdom and peace and courage.
When we look back to the past,
may he surprise us with a view of your future.
May he lead us forward to follow in the footsteps
of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

Reflection:

Happy Birthday 

The Gospel begins by saying “On the evening of the First day of the week.” By the time the Gospel of John was written, the first day of the week had become the accepted day for Christians to gather for the celebration of the Eucharist. John sets the scene of Jesus breathing on the disciples and inviting them to “receive the Holy Spirit” in the backdrop of the weekly gatherings of the first Christian community.

John gives the details of the incident: It was the first day of the week, it was evening and the doors were closed. The closed doors may simply have explained the fear of the disciples, as John himself presented. But they may also have symbolised the hearts of the disciples, that are closed and paralysed, not yet ready to believe that their Lord who was tortured and killed, is now alive.

It is into the midst of these unbelieving group, the Lords comes in. He is no more restrained by the closed doors – he passes through their hardened hearts to breath peace and joy. Remember the words in the letter to the Hebrews 4:12: “For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Was this the experience of the disciples when they felt the Lord was breathing on them and invited them to “receive the Holy Spirit?”

The Word of God is not chained! It pierces through any closed doors – enters deep into the hearts of people. And whispers gently to the hearts that are burdened, bruised, restless, frightened, lonely and sad, the message of “Peace be with you.” He breaths happiness and peace into their hearts and invite them to receive the Holy Spirit.

Jesus promises the guidance of the Spirit in our lives. Gospel of John has given us extensive details on the works of the Holy Spirit. “I will not leave you alone,” “The Spirit of Truth will guide you to all truth.” Today, as the Church joyously celebrates its birthday, we are reminded to pray to the Holy Spirit, for the guidance, direction, protection during our journey of faith.

We often pray to God the Father, we pray to Jesus, but we seldom pray to the Holy Spirit and thus fail to listen to the voice of the Spirit. If we listen to him in silence, He makes the Word of God penetrate in our hearts and gives us the strength to live by the Gospel. Today we are called to let ourselves be led by the voice of the Spirit to give glory to Jesus.

 

Video available on Youtube: Happy Birthday