Word to the Wise
Sunday, May 28, 2023 - Pentecost Sunday: Mass during the Day - A
[Acts 2:1-11; 1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13; John 20:19-23]When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim. "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 are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." [John] No one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit. There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.
Two different traditions of the "sending of the Holy Spirit" were at work in the time of composition of the gospels according to Luke and John. [Luke is considered the author of the Acts of the Apostles.] St. Luke remembers the event as taking place after Jesus' ascension. St. John remembers it as taking place during one of Jesus' post-resurrection appearances. St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians, which antedates both gospels, does not choose between those two traditions but focuses on the effects of the presence of the Holy Spirit in the members of the Body of Christ. The effects in each individual may be different, but the Spirit is the same Spirit. We are not celebrating only a gift from the past, but a gift of the present. The analogy that comes to my mind is a birthday party. We celebrate not just the birth of the honoree or their age but the honoree as he or she is NOW.
When Pentecost Sunday falls on Memorial Day weekend, the important remembrance of those who have died in military service can overshadow the significance of the feast day. Both "remembrances" are important. I hope that both can share space in our minds and hearts. Our very remembrance of deceased veterans, especially on Monday, at Mass is a work of the Holy Spirit who inspires in us every good work. A "remembrance" is not just of something in the past but a reminder of how that past event is actually a present force in our lives. I rely on the Holy Spirit every morning as I offer this reflection. We are all challenged to share the gift(s) we have received to proclaim "Jesus is Lord!" AMEN