READING OF THE DAY First reading from the Acts of the Apostles ACTS 2:1-11
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.”
Second reading from the first letter to Corintians 1 COR 12:3B-7, 12-13
Brothers and sisters: 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.
As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY From the Gospel according to John 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 are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”
WORDS OF THE HOLY FATHER It is no use knowing that the Risen One is alive, unless we too live as risen ones. It is the Spirit who makes Jesus live within us; he raises us up from within. That is why when Jesus appears to his disciples, he repeats the words, “Peace be with you!” (Jn 20:19.21), and bestows the Spirit. That is what peace really is, the peace bestowed on the Apostles. That peace does not have to do with resolving outward problems – God does not spare his disciples from tribulation and persecution. Rather, it has to do with receiving the Holy Spirit. The peace bestowed on the apostles, the peace that does not bring freedom from problems but in problems, is offered to each of us. (Holy Mass on yhe Solemnity of Pentecost, 9 june 2019)
FAUSTI - "Being therefore evening" For the Jews, evening is the beginning of the new day. Here, on the other hand, it is the fulfilment of day "one", "that day" which is the "today" of God, always present in the Word. Let us therefore hasten to enter into this today (Heb 4:11). The evening, the beginning of the night, recalls Easter, when the cloud illuminated the darkness (Ex 14:20). Now the light returns to visit the night of the disciples and all the nights of man. It is the eighth day without end, the day of the Lord. Now we always live on that day. But it is dark until we open our eyes to the Light of the world, which comes to be among us. The scene is no longer outside, in the garden, where Magdalene is. Instead we are inside, in the cenacle, where Jesus anticipated the gift of Himself and gave His Spirit and His mission. The disciples have made a tomb of it. The tomb of Jesus is open and empty, their house barred and full of death, like their heart. The sheep are locked up waiting for the beautiful Shepherd to lead them to the pastures of life. They are in this situation because they did not believe the announcement of the Magdalene. They don't say that the disciples are "together". They are not in communion. They are all orphans and alone, behind closed doors. John does not speak of apostles, but of disciples, a broader term that embraces all believers in Jesus, of all times. He says "the" and not "some" disciples, to indicate that they are all in this situation and always will be. It is the place where they meet the Lord. Fear divides the people; everyone, closed in on himself, is in defense and attack against others.In this situation, in many ways opposite to that of Mary, Jesus comes. He is not ashamed of His brethren, (Heb 2:11), even if they have abandoned Him, denied Him and betrayed Him. He chose them and bound them not because they are wise and strong, but because they are small and weak, in need of Him. From Mary Magdalene who seeks Him, Jesus makes Himself found. By the disciples, instead, He comes of His own initiative, not sought by them, even if He is loved. While the people are closed, each one in his room, the Lord comes out of His dwelling and comes to visit it (Is 26:20). No closure stops the Risen One . The light enters into the darkness of the disciples. The Lord does not save them from death - He did not even save Himself - but in the death in which they are. Jesus does not enter through the door, barred. It is not an obstacle for Him, just as it was not the wall of death nor the stone of the tomb. He Himself is the door of life (10, 7-10). He stands upright, victorious over death. He is in the middle, in the center of the disciples and in the heart of each one. He is light that dissolves darkness, love that drives away all fear (1Jn 4:18). Where death reigned, now there is the Living One. He chose them and bound them not because they are wise and strong, but because they are small and weak, in need of Him. From Mary Magdalene who seeks Him, Jesus makes Himself found. By the disciples, instead, He comes of His own initiative, not sought by them, even if He is loved. While the people are closed, each one in his room, the Lord comes out of His dwelling and comes to visit him () (Is 26:20). No closure stops the Risen One . Thou light enters into the darkness of the disciples. The Lord does not save them from death - He did not even save Himself - but in the death in which they find themselves. Jesus does not enter through the door, barred. It is not an obstacle for Him, just as it was not the wall of death nor the stone of the tomb. He Himself is the door of life (10, 7-10). He stands upright, victorious over death. He is in the middle, in the center of the disciples and in the heart of each one. He is light that dissolves darkness, love that drives away all fear (1Jn 4:18). Where death once reigned, now there is the Living One. He who loves us to the extreme shows His Glory. God is in the midst of His people.
-->The Lord wants to be with us always, even in us. That is why he entered where we were, into death and into the grave. "Peace to you" 'Peace' is not simply the usual greeting of the Jews. It indicates the fullness of every messianic blessing. It is the gift of Jesus who says: "I leave you peace, I give you my peace", that peace that the world does not know. It is the peace of love that overcomes hatred. "Have peace in me. You will have tribulations in the world; but trust me: I have conquered the world". The pierced hands and the pierced side are the identity of the Risen One. It is the Crucified One, the Word become Flesh, who exposed, disposed and laid down His life and took it up again (10:11-18), after facing the Kingdom of death. His wounds are the source of this peace, they bring back to unity the children of God who are lost. It is the plagues that heal us (Is 53:5), an exposition of His extreme Love. In His hands lies all the power that the Father has given to the Son. They, who have washed and dried feet, are nailed to the love and service of every lost one. They are those hands from which no one can abduct us (10:28). They are in fact the same as the Father's hands. "The Father and Me are one" (10:30). His torn side is Flesh from which we are born, wounded by which we are begotten. In those who look to Him whom they have pierced, a Spirit of grace and consolation is poured out (Zc 12:10). From the crack in the rock that saves us gushes forth the gushing spring, opened in Jerusalem to wash away all sin and impurity (Zc 13:1- 14,8). From there comes the river of living water that gushes forth from the side of the temple. It is an immense river that fertilizes the earth and heals the bitter waters, reviving what has died. All sorts of fruit trees grow on its shores, whose branches do not wither and whose fruits ripen every month; and the fruits are life and the leaves medicine for man (Ez 47, 1-12). "He that thirsteth, come to Me, and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture says, rivers of living water will flow from his breast"(7,37) The disciples, contemplating the hands and the side, the perennial memory of God's love, see the light of the world. They receive everlasting peace and joy. Then "the Lord will be king of all the earth and there will be the Lord alone, and only His name" (Zech 14:9). Here Jesus, through His wounds, is presented as the Paschal Lamb, who takes away the sin of the world (1:29), His Blood frees us from death and His Body is nourishment for the Exodus (Ex 12:8-13). That day is now the day in which we also live: by celebrating the Eucharist, we remember Lord's love, we receive His Spirit and are sent into the world to bring reconciliation. The disciples are sent like Him to bear witness to the Father's love (3:16-17:6,26). "Father, as you sent me into the world, I sent them into the world"(17,18). That is why He has chosen them (15,16). The sending makes the envoys the equal of those who send them: "He who welcomes him whom I will send, welcomes me". (13,20). He who is sent is called to do as He does: to love and wash feet (13:13-17), doing His own works (14:2). Associated with His destiny, He is like the grain of wheat that falls into the ground and bears much fruit (12,24).
--The mission to the brothers expresses the nature of the son. It is by loving the brother that one becomes son. "To those to whom you forgive sins" The Spirit of the Lord is forgiveness. For if love is a gift, per-gift is a super-love. The community of disciples receives the exclusive power of God: to forgive sins. It is given the possibility to separate, untie and absolve the sinner from his sin, freeing the present from all the mortgages of the past. Forgiving sins is a greater miracle than raising the dead. He who forgives makes the other live, because he recognizes him as a brother, so he himself is born as a son equal to the Father, because he loves like Him. The Spirit, Love that creates and recreates everything, is the principle of creation and redemption: forgiveness makes all things new.
READING OF THE DAY
RispondiEliminaFirst reading from the Acts of the Apostles
ACTS 2:1-11
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.”
Second reading from the first letter to Corintians
1 COR 12:3B-7, 12-13
Brothers and sisters:
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.
As a body is one though it has many parts,
and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body,
so also Christ.
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body,
whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons,
and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to John
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 are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”
WORDS OF THE HOLY FATHER
It is no use knowing that the Risen One is alive, unless we too live as risen ones. It is the Spirit who makes Jesus live within us; he raises us up from within. That is why when Jesus appears to his disciples, he repeats the words, “Peace be with you!” (Jn 20:19.21), and bestows the Spirit. That is what peace really is, the peace bestowed on the Apostles. That peace does not have to do with resolving outward problems – God does not spare his disciples from tribulation and persecution. Rather, it has to do with receiving the Holy Spirit. The peace bestowed on the apostles, the peace that does not bring freedom from problems but in problems, is offered to each of us. (Holy Mass on yhe Solemnity of Pentecost, 9 june 2019)
FAUSTI - "Being therefore evening" For the Jews, evening is the beginning of the new day.
RispondiEliminaHere, on the other hand, it is the fulfilment of day "one", "that day" which is the "today" of God, always present in the Word. Let us therefore hasten to enter into this today (Heb 4:11).
The evening, the beginning of the night, recalls Easter, when the cloud illuminated the darkness (Ex 14:20).
Now the light returns to visit the night of the disciples and all the nights of man.
It is the eighth day without end, the day of the Lord.
Now we always live on that day.
But it is dark until we open our eyes to the Light of the world, which comes to be among us.
The scene is no longer outside, in the garden, where Magdalene is. Instead we are inside, in the cenacle, where Jesus anticipated the gift of Himself and gave His Spirit and His mission.
The disciples have made a tomb of it. The tomb of Jesus is open and empty, their house barred and full of death, like their heart. The sheep are locked up waiting for the beautiful Shepherd to lead them to the pastures of life.
They are in this situation because they did not believe the announcement of the Magdalene.
They don't say that the disciples are "together". They are not in communion.
They are all orphans and alone, behind closed doors. John does not speak of apostles, but of disciples, a broader term that embraces all believers in Jesus, of all times.
He says "the" and not "some" disciples, to indicate that they are all in this situation and always will be. It is the place where they meet the Lord.
Fear divides the people; everyone, closed in on himself, is in defense and attack against others.In this situation, in many ways opposite to that of Mary, Jesus comes.
He is not ashamed of His brethren, (Heb 2:11), even if they have abandoned Him, denied Him and betrayed Him. He chose them and bound them not because they are wise and strong, but because they are small and weak, in need of Him.
From Mary Magdalene who seeks Him, Jesus makes Himself found. By the disciples, instead, He comes of His own initiative, not sought by them, even if He is loved. While the people are closed, each one in his room, the Lord comes out of His dwelling and comes to visit it (Is 26:20).
No closure stops the Risen One .
The light enters into the darkness of the disciples.
The Lord does not save them from death - He did not even save Himself - but in the death in which they are. Jesus does not enter through the door, barred. It is not an obstacle for Him, just as it was not the wall of death nor the stone of the tomb.
He Himself is the door of life (10, 7-10).
He stands upright, victorious over death. He is in the middle, in the center of the disciples and in the heart of each one. He is light that dissolves darkness, love that drives away all fear (1Jn 4:18).
Where death reigned, now there is the Living One. He chose them and bound them not because they are wise and strong, but because they are small and weak, in need of Him.
From Mary Magdalene who seeks Him, Jesus makes Himself found. By the disciples, instead, He comes of His own initiative, not sought by them, even if He is loved. While the people are closed, each one in his room, the Lord comes out of His dwelling and comes to visit him () (Is 26:20).
No closure stops the Risen One .
Thou light enters into the darkness of the disciples.
The Lord does not save them from death - He did not even save Himself - but in the death in which they find themselves. Jesus does not enter through the door, barred. It is not an obstacle for Him, just as it was not the wall of death nor the stone of the tomb.
He Himself is the door of life (10, 7-10).
He stands upright, victorious over death. He is in the middle, in the center of the disciples and in the heart of each one. He is light that dissolves darkness, love that drives away all fear (1Jn 4:18).
Where death once reigned, now there is the Living One. He who loves us to the extreme shows His Glory. God is in the midst of His people.
-->The Lord wants to be with us always, even in us.
RispondiEliminaThat is why he entered where we were, into death and into the grave.
"Peace to you" 'Peace' is not simply the usual greeting of the Jews. It indicates the fullness of every messianic blessing. It is the gift of Jesus who says: "I leave you peace, I give you my peace", that peace that the world does not know. It is the peace of love that overcomes hatred. "Have peace in me. You will have tribulations in the world; but trust me: I have conquered the world".
The pierced hands and the pierced side are the identity of the Risen One. It is the Crucified One, the Word become Flesh, who exposed, disposed and laid down His life and took it up again (10:11-18), after facing the Kingdom of death.
His wounds are the source of this peace, they bring back to unity the children of God who are lost. It is the plagues that heal us (Is 53:5), an exposition of His extreme Love.
In His hands lies all the power that the Father has given to the Son. They, who have washed and dried feet, are nailed to the love and service of every lost one.
They are those hands from which no one can abduct us (10:28).
They are in fact the same as the Father's hands. "The Father and Me are one" (10:30).
His torn side is Flesh from which we are born, wounded by which we are begotten. In those who look to Him whom they have pierced, a Spirit of grace and consolation is poured out (Zc 12:10).
From the crack in the rock that saves us gushes forth the gushing spring, opened in Jerusalem to wash away all sin and impurity (Zc 13:1- 14,8).
From there comes the river of living water that gushes forth from the side of the temple.
It is an immense river that fertilizes the earth and heals the bitter waters, reviving what has died. All sorts of fruit trees grow on its shores, whose branches do not wither and whose fruits ripen every month; and the fruits are life and the leaves medicine for man (Ez 47, 1-12).
"He that thirsteth, come to Me, and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture says, rivers of living water will flow from his breast"(7,37) The disciples, contemplating the hands and the side, the perennial memory of God's love, see the light of the world.
They receive everlasting peace and joy. Then "the Lord will be king of all the earth and there will be the Lord alone, and only His name" (Zech 14:9).
Here Jesus, through His wounds, is presented as the Paschal Lamb, who takes away the sin of the world (1:29), His Blood frees us from death and His Body is nourishment for the Exodus (Ex 12:8-13). That day is now the day in which we also live: by celebrating the Eucharist, we remember Lord's love, we receive His Spirit and are sent into the world to bring reconciliation.
The disciples are sent like Him to bear witness to the Father's love (3:16-17:6,26).
"Father, as you sent me into the world, I sent them into the world"(17,18).
That is why He has chosen them (15,16). The sending makes the envoys the equal of those who send them: "He who welcomes him whom I will send, welcomes me". (13,20).
He who is sent is called to do as He does: to love and wash feet (13:13-17), doing His own works (14:2).
Associated with His destiny, He is like the grain of wheat that falls into the ground and bears much fruit (12,24).
--The mission to the brothers expresses the nature of the son. It is by loving the brother that one becomes son.
RispondiElimina"To those to whom you forgive sins" The Spirit of the Lord is forgiveness. For if love is a gift, per-gift is a super-love. The community of disciples receives the exclusive power of God: to forgive sins. It is given the possibility to separate, untie and absolve the sinner from his sin, freeing the present from all the mortgages of the past.
Forgiving sins is a greater miracle than raising the dead. He who forgives makes the other live, because he recognizes him as a brother, so he himself is born as a son equal to the Father, because he loves like Him. The Spirit, Love that creates and recreates everything, is the principle of creation and redemption: forgiveness makes all things new.