Pentecost
Sunday liturgy (Cycle C) — Red
1st Reading
Acts 2:1-11
Lectio (Reading)
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.
Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem.
At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd,
but they were confused
because each one heard them speaking in his own language.
They were astounded, and in amazement they asked,
“Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans?
Then how does each of us hear them in his native language?
We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites,
inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia,
Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,
Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene,
as well as travelers from Rome,
both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs,
yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues
of the mighty acts of God.”
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34
Lectio (Reading)
R. (cf. 30) Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
How manifold are your works, O LORD!
the earth is full of your creatures;
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
may the LORD be glad in his works!
Pleasing to him be my theme;
I will be glad in the LORD.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
If you take away their breath, they perish
and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
2nd Reading
Romans 8:8-17
Lectio (Reading)
Brothers and sisters:
Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
But you are not in the flesh;
on the contrary, you are in the spirit,
if only the Spirit of God dwells in you.
Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
But if Christ is in you,
although the body is dead because of sin,
the spirit is alive because of righteousness.
If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
the one who raised Christ from the dead
will give life to your mortal bodies also,
through his Spirit that dwells in you.
Consequently, brothers and sisters,
we are not debtors to the flesh,
to live according to the flesh.
For if you live according to the flesh, you will die,
but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body,
you will live.
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,
but you received a Spirit of adoption,
through whom we cry, “Abba, Father!”
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit
that we are children of God,
and if children, then heirs,
heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ,
if only we suffer with him
so that we may also be glorified with him.
Gospel Reading
John 14:15-16, 23b-26
Lectio (Reading)
Jesus said to his disciples:
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
And I will ask the Father,
and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always.
“Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.
Those who do not love me do not keep my words;
yet the word you hear is not mine
but that of the Father who sent me.
“I have told you this while I am with you.
The Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name,
will teach you everything
and remind you of all that I told you.”
Meditatio (Reflecting)
Jesus said to his disciples: “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words;
Oratio (Responding)
Jesus says in today’s reading that “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him…” Our atheist friends will tell us that God is suggesting a “quid-pro-quo” here…, that God only loves those that love Him. But in fact the exact opposite is happening, a “quo-pro-quid” is actually what is being offered. The offer is that if you align your will with that of the Father, essentially willing for your own life what God has always willed for you, that you will find your greatest happiness, and as a result will grow to love Him, and in that love you will experience the full love that the Father has for you in return.
It is important to note here that God in Heaven does not need your love, He is perfect, and complete in all things. He does not need it but in His divine wisdom knows that we do! Love is not a feeling, it is an action. The greeks had 8 words for love, they ranged from selfless divine love, to brotherly and familial love, all the way down to affection, passion and attraction, etc. But in all of its names these loves are not feelings. Certainly feelings accompany all of these acts, but the feelings follow the actions. The actions are sacrifice, kinship, friendship, desire, duty, etc, but the feelings only come after those actions are pursued, and the “love” is actually exchanged.
But here is the most amazing part, When you receive God’s love and return it, the love in the world is multiplied. Thus the love that God offers us is magnified in our acceptance and return, and both parties benefit from the increase. There is literally nothing in the entire realm of existence that we can give to God that He does not already possess…, except our love! When we allow God’s love into our hearts, and return it to Him (and others), we are in-fact doing something completely new in the universe. Something that God cannot do for us, or even compel us to do. Our love (when freely given) is a new creation, uniquely our own, and God delights in it. And in doing so, we get to participate in making God’s joy more complete. How incredible is that?!?
This exchange of love with the Father is the convergence of love and obedience. Obedience is probably the hardest of all of the virtues to fulfill. For many years we had a pope that spread confusion, and division. Our presidents and politics have done the same. Even our local bishops and priest may ask us to do or accept things that we do not like or want to do. But obedience to the authority of the office compels us to abide. However, the difference between all of those humans and God is that God is the good Father, and His will is perfect, and He only asks us (whether we like it or not) to do things that are actually the best thing for us. And in that obedience, aligning our will to His, is where we will find the greatest peace, and in that peace, is where we will find the fullest expression of His love.
The way we accomplish this convergence is through entering into relationship with the lord, and the way that relationship is nurtured is through intimacy. Peter Kreeft, in his commentary on this passage wrote:
“The goal of love is always intimacy, and God becomes more and more intimate with us as he reveals himself in three stages: first, the Father reveals himself in the Old Testament; then, the Son, in the New Testament; and then, the Holy Spirit, in the Church. First God is above us and then he is with us and then he is in us. First, he is outside us; then, he is beside us; and finally, he is inside us.”
So the goal is to have His love inside us. We do that by studying his word, and listening to His ’ Teachings. Walking “the way” and staying close to the sacraments, of confession, and the eucharist. When we do these things we will find ourselves in His love, and in return our mind and our actions will be loving Him in return.
Contemplatio (Contemplating)
Take time to simply remain in the presence of God.
Resolutio (Resolving)
Oh lord help me to seek the peace that is not of this world…, your peace! The peace that comes from the tranquility of order.