Pentecost Sunday
May 24, 2015
Gospel : Jn 20:19-23
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.” When he had said this, he
showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the
Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me,
so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive (1)
are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain (2)
are retained.”
The difficult words
(1) The Holy Spirit empowers the apostles to forgive sins. In the name of
Jesus, they are given the power to forgive the bad things that someone has
done.
(2) To retain means to keep or
remember of something. Hence, to retain a sin means not to forgive
it.
This week’s spotlight
Pentecost in Jerusalem
When the apostles
receive the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, why are there so many people
in Jerusalem? At the time of Jesus, all the Jews came to Jerusalem from all
over the world for Passover. Fifty days later, the Jews celebrated another
feast “Shavuot”, which is the gift of the law from God to Moses on Mount Sinai.
Many Jews remained in Jerusalem for this celebration. Because the Jews spoke
many languages, the Spirit gave each apostle the ability to speak in these
languages so that they could proclaim the Good News to all of the Jewish
people.
Prayers and the Holy Spirit
During the
Eucharistic prayer of the Mass, the priest asks God to send down his Holy
Spirit. We call this the “epiclesis.” The Church asks the Father to send his
Holy Spirit (or the power of his blessing) on the bread and wine, so that by
his power they may become the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Later the priest
prays for the Holy Spirit to make those who take part in the Eucharist to be
one body and one spirit.
Reflection
Come, Holy Spirit
This
Sunday is the feast of Pentecost, when we recall how Jesus sent the Holy Spirit
to his disciples. Sunday's readings tell us that the Holy Spirit is like a
breath of air, or like fire. When the Holy Spirit breathes on the disciples,
they are able to speak in languages they didn’t even know moments before. How
amazing! However, the Holy Spirit is not someone magical who turns us into
geniuses without our having to make any effort! The Holy Spirit helps us
understand God’s Word and to live God’s own life because he is the Spirit of
love. God sends the Spirit to be our guide here on earth now that Jesus has
gone to heaven. The Holy Spirit will always accompany you if you ask him each
day: “Come, Holy Spirit! Come, Spirit of God! Visit me and stay with me.”
Discussion
questions
1. What did Jesus said to the disciples when he appeared among them?
2. How did they feel when they recognized Jesus?
3. Who sent Jesus to the world?
4. What did Jesus give to the disciples by breathing on them?
5. What can the disciples do with the help of the Holy Spirit?
Praying after Communion
After receiving Holy Communion, you can
say this prayer silently to yourself. If you
have not yet
received your First Communion, you can still say this prayer because of your desire to
receive Jesus.
Father, through Jesus, in communion
with the whole Church, I thank you for coming into my heart. You sent your Holy
Spirit to consecrate the bread and the wine. They have become the body and the
blood of your Son Jesus. May this communion help us always to live in your
Spirit, so that we may do good things and spread the Good News.
Puzzle
