Acts of the Apostles 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 own 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."
Psalms 104(103)
- Bless the LORD, my soul! O LORD, my God, you are great indeed! How manifold are your works, O LORD! the earth is full of your creatures;
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.
If you 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.
First Letter to the Corinthians 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.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 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."
POPE FRANCIS SOLEMNITY OF PENTECOST 28 May 2023 Dear brothers and sisters, buongiorno!
Today, the Solemnity of Pentecost, the Gospel takes us to the Upper Room, where the apostles had taken refuge after the death of Jesus (Jn 20:19-23). On the evening of Passover, the Risen One presents himself precisely into that situation of fear and anguish and, breathing on them, says: “Receive the Holy Spirit” (v. 22). In this way, with the gift of the Spirit, Jesus wishes to free the disciples from fear, from this fear that keeps them holed up at home, and he frees them so that they may be able to go out and become witnesses and proclaimers of the Gospel. Let us dwell a little on what the Spirit does: he frees from fear.
The disciples had closed the doors, the Gospel says, “for fear” (v. 19). The death of Jesus had shocked them, their dreams had been shattered, their hopes had vanished. And they had closed themselves inside. Not only in that room, but within, in the heart. I would like to underline this: closed inside. How often do we too shut ourselves in? How often, because of some difficult situation, because of some personal or family problem, because of the suffering that marks us or the evil we breathe around us, do we risk slipping slowly into loss of hope and lack the courage to go on? This happens many times. And then, like the apostles, we shut ourselves in, barricading ourselves in the labyrinth of worries.
Brothers and sisters, this “shutting ourselves in” happens when, in the most difficult situations, we allow fear to take the upper hand and let its stern voice prevail within us. When fear enters, we close ourselves off. The cause, therefore, is fear: fear of not being able to cope, of having to face everyday battles alone, of risking and then being disappointed, of making the wrong choices. Brothers, sisters, fear blocks, fear paralyses. And it also isolates: let us think of the fear of others, of foreigners, of those who are different, who think in another way. And there can even be the fear of God: that he will punish me, that he will be angry with me… If we give space to these false fears, the doors close: the doors of the heart, the doors of society, and even the doors of the Church! Where there is fear, there is closure. And this is no good.
However, the Gospel offers us the remedy of the Risen One: the Holy Spirit. He frees us from the prisons of fear. When they receive the Spirit, the apostles — we celebrate this today — come out of the Upper Room and go out into the world to forgive sins and to proclaim the good news. Thanks to him, fears are overcome and doors open. Because this is what the Spirit does: he makes us feel God’s closeness, and thus, his love casts out fear, illuminates the way, consoles, sustains in adversity. Faced with fears and closure, then, let us invoke the Holy Spirit for us, for the Church and for the whole world: let a new Pentecost cast out the fears that assail us and revive the flame of God’s love.
May Mary Most Holy, the first to be filled with the Holy Spirit, intercede for us.
BENEDICT XVI 27 May 2012 Dear Brothers and Sisters, This morning I would like to reflect on an essential aspect of the Mystery of Pentecost which has preserved its full importance in our time. Pentecost is the feast of union, comprehension and human communion. We can all see that in our world, although we are increasingly close to one another with the development of the means of communication and geographical distances seem to be disappearing, understanding and communion between people is both superficial and problematic.
Imbalances endure that frequently lead to conflict; dialogue between the generations is heavy-going and at times antagonism prevails; we witness daily events in which it seems people are becoming more aggressive and more belligerent; understanding each other seems too demanding so they prefer to remain closed in on themselves, in their own interests. Can we truly find and live in this situation the unity we need?
The narrative of Pentecost in the Acts of the Apostles, which we heard in the First Reading (cf. Acts 2:1-11), contains against the background of one of the great frescoes we find at the beginning of the Old Testament: the ancient history of the construction of the Tower of Babel (Gen 11:1-9). But what is Babel? It is the description of a kingdom in which men had concentrated so much power that they thought they no longer needed to rely on a distant God and that they were powerful enough to be able to build a way to heaven by themselves in order to open its gates and usurp God’s place. Yet we do not realize that we are reliving the same experience as Babel. It is true, we have increased the possibility of communication, of obtaining information, of transmitting news, but can we say that our ability to understand each other has increased? Or, perhaps, paradoxically, do we understand each other less and less? Doesn’t a sense of mutual mistrust, suspicion and fear seem to be creeping in among human beings even to the point of making one individual dangerous to another? Let us therefore return to our initial question: can unity and harmony really exist? How?
We find the answer in Sacred Scripture: unity can only exist as a gift of God’s Spirit who will give us a new heart and a new language, a new ability to communicate. And this is what happened at Pentecost. On that morning, 50 days after Easter, a mighty wind blew through Jerusalem and the flame of the Holy Spirit came down upon the disciples gathered together. It settled on each one of them and kindled within them the divine fire, a fire of love capable of transforming them. Their fear evaporated, they felt their hearts filled with new strength, their tongues were loosened and they began to speak freely in such a way that everyone could understand the announcement that Jesus Christ had died and was risen. At Pentecost, where there had been division and alienation, unity and understanding were born. However, let us look at today’s Gospel in which Jesus says: “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth” (Jn 16:13). Here, in speaking of the Holy Spirit, Jesus explains to us what the Church is and how she should live in order to be herself, to be the place of unity and communion in Truth; he tells us that behaving as Christians means no longer being shut into our own “I” but rather being open to all things: it means inwardly welcoming the whole Church within ourselves or, even better, inwardly letting her receive us. Therefore when I speak, think and act as a Christian I do not do so by closing myself into myself, but I always do so in all things and starting with all things: thus the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of unity and of truth, may continue to resonate in our human hearts and minds and spur people to meet and to welcome each other.
--->Precisely because the Spirit acts in this way, he ushers us into the whole truth, which is Jesus, and guides us to look at it more deeply and to understand it. We do not grow in knowledge by locking ourselves into own ego but only in an attitude of profound inner humility do we become capable of listening and sharing in the “we” of the Church. And in this way it becomes clearer why Babel is Babel and Pentecost is Pentecost. Wherever people want to set themselves up as God they cannot but set themselves against each other. Instead, wherever they place themselves in the Lord’s truth they are open to the action of his Spirit who sustains and unites them.
The comparison of Babel with Pentecost is re-echoed once again in the Second Reading where the Apostle says: “Walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Gal 5:16). St Paul explains to us that our personal life is marked by an inner conflict, a rupture between the impulses that come from the flesh and those that come from the Spirit; and we cannot follow them all. Indeed, we cannot be both selfish and generous, follow the tendency to dominate others and at the same time feel the joy of disinterested service. We always have to choose which impulse to follow and we can do so authentically only with the help of the Spirit of Christ.
St Paul — as we have heard — lists the works of the flesh. They are the sins of selfishness and violence, enmity, discord, jealousy and disagreement; they are thoughts and actions that do not let us live in a truly human and Christian way, in love. This direction leads to the loss of one’s own life. The Holy Spirit on the contrary leads us to the heights of God, so that we may already experience on this earth the seed of divine life which exists within us. St Paul says in fact: “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace...” (Gal 5:22)... Dear friends, we must live in accordance with the Spirit of unity and truth and this is why we should pray that the Spirit illuminate and guide us so that we may overcome our fascination with following our own truths and receive the truth of Christ, passed on in the Church. Luke’s account of Pentecost tells us that before ascending into heaven Jesus asked the Apostles to stay together to prepare themselves to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. And they assembled in prayer with Mary in the Upper Room to await the promised event (cf. Acts 1:14). Gathered with Mary, as at her birth, today too the Church prays: “Veni Sancte Spiritus! — Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love!”. Amen.
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.
Acts of the Apostles 2,1-11.
RispondiEliminaWhen 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 own 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."
Psalms 104(103)
- Bless the LORD, my soul!
O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
How manifold are your works, O LORD!
the earth is full of your creatures;
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.
If you 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.
First Letter
to the Corinthians 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.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ
according to Saint John 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."
THE WORDS OF THE POPES
RispondiEliminaPOPE FRANCIS SOLEMNITY OF PENTECOST 28 May 2023
Dear brothers and sisters, buongiorno!
Today, the Solemnity of Pentecost, the Gospel takes us to the Upper Room, where the apostles had taken refuge after the death of Jesus (Jn 20:19-23). On the evening of Passover, the Risen One presents himself precisely into that situation of fear and anguish and, breathing on them, says: “Receive the Holy Spirit” (v. 22). In this way, with the gift of the Spirit, Jesus wishes to free the disciples from fear, from this fear that keeps them holed up at home, and he frees them so that they may be able to go out and become witnesses and proclaimers of the Gospel. Let us dwell a little on what the Spirit does: he frees from fear.
The disciples had closed the doors, the Gospel says, “for fear” (v. 19). The death of Jesus had shocked them, their dreams had been shattered, their hopes had vanished. And they had closed themselves inside. Not only in that room, but within, in the heart. I would like to underline this: closed inside. How often do we too shut ourselves in? How often, because of some difficult situation, because of some personal or family problem, because of the suffering that marks us or the evil we breathe around us, do we risk slipping slowly into loss of hope and lack the courage to go on? This happens many times. And then, like the apostles, we shut ourselves in, barricading ourselves in the labyrinth of worries.
Brothers and sisters, this “shutting ourselves in” happens when, in the most difficult situations, we allow fear to take the upper hand and let its stern voice prevail within us. When fear enters, we close ourselves off. The cause, therefore, is fear: fear of not being able to cope, of having to face everyday battles alone, of risking and then being disappointed, of making the wrong choices. Brothers, sisters, fear blocks, fear paralyses. And it also isolates: let us think of the fear of others, of foreigners, of those who are different, who think in another way. And there can even be the fear of God: that he will punish me, that he will be angry with me… If we give space to these false fears, the doors close: the doors of the heart, the doors of society, and even the doors of the Church! Where there is fear, there is closure. And this is no good.
However, the Gospel offers us the remedy of the Risen One: the Holy Spirit. He frees us from the prisons of fear. When they receive the Spirit, the apostles — we celebrate this today — come out of the Upper Room and go out into the world to forgive sins and to proclaim the good news. Thanks to him, fears are overcome and doors open. Because this is what the Spirit does: he makes us feel God’s closeness, and thus, his love casts out fear, illuminates the way, consoles, sustains in adversity. Faced with fears and closure, then, let us invoke the Holy Spirit for us, for the Church and for the whole world: let a new Pentecost cast out the fears that assail us and revive the flame of God’s love.
May Mary Most Holy, the first to be filled with the Holy Spirit, intercede for us.
BENEDICT XVI 27 May 2012
RispondiEliminaDear Brothers and Sisters,
This morning I would like to reflect on an essential aspect of the Mystery of Pentecost which has preserved its full importance in our time. Pentecost is the feast of union, comprehension and human communion. We can all see that in our world, although we are increasingly close to one another with the development of the means of communication and geographical distances seem to be disappearing, understanding and communion between people is both superficial and problematic.
Imbalances endure that frequently lead to conflict; dialogue between the generations is heavy-going and at times antagonism prevails; we witness daily events in which it seems people are becoming more aggressive and more belligerent; understanding each other seems too demanding so they prefer to remain closed in on themselves, in their own interests. Can we truly find and live in this situation the unity we need?
The narrative of Pentecost in the Acts of the Apostles, which we heard in the First Reading (cf. Acts 2:1-11), contains against the background of one of the great frescoes we find at the beginning of the Old Testament: the ancient history of the construction of the Tower of Babel (Gen 11:1-9). But what is Babel? It is the description of a kingdom in which men had concentrated so much power that they thought they no longer needed to rely on a distant God and that they were powerful enough to be able to build a way to heaven by themselves in order to open its gates and usurp God’s place.
Yet we do not realize that we are reliving the same experience as Babel. It is true, we have increased the possibility of communication, of obtaining information, of transmitting news, but can we say that our ability to understand each other has increased? Or, perhaps, paradoxically, do we understand each other less and less? Doesn’t a sense of mutual mistrust, suspicion and fear seem to be creeping in among human beings even to the point of making one individual dangerous to another? Let us therefore return to our initial question: can unity and harmony really exist? How?
We find the answer in Sacred Scripture: unity can only exist as a gift of God’s Spirit who will give us a new heart and a new language, a new ability to communicate. And this is what happened at Pentecost. On that morning, 50 days after Easter, a mighty wind blew through Jerusalem and the flame of the Holy Spirit came down upon the disciples gathered together. It settled on each one of them and kindled within them the divine fire, a fire of love capable of transforming them. Their fear evaporated, they felt their hearts filled with new strength, their tongues were loosened and they began to speak freely in such a way that everyone could understand the announcement that Jesus Christ had died and was risen. At Pentecost, where there had been division and alienation, unity and understanding were born.
However, let us look at today’s Gospel in which Jesus says: “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth” (Jn 16:13). Here, in speaking of the Holy Spirit, Jesus explains to us what the Church is and how she should live in order to be herself, to be the place of unity and communion in Truth; he tells us that behaving as Christians means no longer being shut into our own “I” but rather being open to all things: it means inwardly welcoming the whole Church within ourselves or, even better, inwardly letting her receive us. Therefore when I speak, think and act as a Christian I do not do so by closing myself into myself, but I always do so in all things and starting with all things: thus the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of unity and of truth, may continue to resonate in our human hearts and minds and spur people to meet and to welcome each other.
--->Precisely because the Spirit acts in this way, he ushers us into the whole truth, which is Jesus, and guides us to look at it more deeply and to understand it. We do not grow in knowledge by locking ourselves into own ego but only in an attitude of profound inner humility do we become capable of listening and sharing in the “we” of the Church. And in this way it becomes clearer why Babel is Babel and Pentecost is Pentecost. Wherever people want to set themselves up as God they cannot but set themselves against each other. Instead, wherever they place themselves in the Lord’s truth they are open to the action of his Spirit who sustains and unites them.
EliminaThe comparison of Babel with Pentecost is re-echoed once again in the Second Reading where the Apostle says: “Walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Gal 5:16). St Paul explains to us that our personal life is marked by an inner conflict, a rupture between the impulses that come from the flesh and those that come from the Spirit; and we cannot follow them all. Indeed, we cannot be both selfish and generous, follow the tendency to dominate others and at the same time feel the joy of disinterested service. We always have to choose which impulse to follow and we can do so authentically only with the help of the Spirit of Christ.
St Paul — as we have heard — lists the works of the flesh. They are the sins of selfishness and violence, enmity, discord, jealousy and disagreement; they are thoughts and actions that do not let us live in a truly human and Christian way, in love. This direction leads to the loss of one’s own life. The Holy Spirit on the contrary leads us to the heights of God, so that we may already experience on this earth the seed of divine life which exists within us. St Paul says in fact: “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace...” (Gal 5:22)...
Dear friends, we must live in accordance with the Spirit of unity and truth and this is why we should pray that the Spirit illuminate and guide us so that we may overcome our fascination with following our own truths and receive the truth of Christ, passed on in the Church. Luke’s account of Pentecost tells us that before ascending into heaven Jesus asked the Apostles to stay together to prepare themselves to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. And they assembled in prayer with Mary in the Upper Room to await the promised event (cf. Acts 1:14). Gathered with Mary, as at her birth, today too the Church prays: “Veni Sancte Spiritus! — Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love!”. Amen.
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.
EliminaThat 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.