Saturday, June 11, 2011
PENTECOST SUNDAY
PENTECOST SUNDAY
Acts 2:1-11 / Ps 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34 / 1 Cor 12:3-7, 12-13 / Jn
20:19-23
ACTS 2:1-11
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.
And suddenly out of the sky came a sound like a strong rushing wind
and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. There appeared
tongues as if of fire which par ted and came to rest upon each one of
them. All were filled with Holy Spirit and began to speak other
languages, as the Spirit enabled them to speak. Staying in Jerusalem
were religious Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard
this sound, a crowd gathered, all excited because each heard them
speaking in his own language. Full of amazement and wonder, they
asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? How is it that
we hear them in our own native language? Here are Parthians, Medes and
Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus
and Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt and the par ts of Libya belonging
to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and foreigners who accept
Jewish beliefs, Cretians and Arabians; and all of us hear them
proclaiming in our own language what God, the Savior, does."
1 CORINTHIANS 12:3B–7, 12–13
Brothers and sisters: I tell you that nobody inspired by the Spirit of
God may say, "A curse on Jesus," as no one can say, "Jesus is the
Lord," except by the Holy Spirit. There is diversity of gifts, but the
Spirit is the same. There is diversity of ministries, but the Lord is
the same. There is diversity of works, but the same God works in all.
The Spirit reveals his presence in each one with a gift that is also a
service. As the body is one, having many members, and all the members,
while being many, from one body, so it is with Christ. All of us,
whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, have been baptized in one
Spirit to form one body and all of us have been given to drink from
the one Spirit.
JOHN 20:19-23
On the evening of that day, the first day af ter the Sabbath, the
doors were locked where the disciples were, because of their fear of
the Jews, but Jesus came and stood in their midst. He said to them,
"Peace be with you"; then he showed them his hands and his side. The
disciples kept looking at the Lord and were full of joy. Again Jesus
said to them, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send
you." After saying this he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive
the Holy Spirit; for those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven;
for those whose sins you retain, they are retained."
REFLECTION
The resurrection, the descent of the Spirit, and the mission – these
are the three things that we must reflect on as we celebrate
Pentecost. We need to realize that Jesus is alive and in our midst.
Jesus is in our hearts and we can turn to Jesus at any moment. He is
alive in the coming of the Spirit. It is important that we grasp these
truths, just as those first disciples of Jesus did.
In the Gospel reading, Jesus breathes the Spirit upon his disciples
The other time that God is described as breathing the Spirit was when
God created Adam and Eve. John wants us to realize that Jesus, by
breathing upon us, makes us alive in a new way.
Jesus is the light to the world. He helps people break away from the
darkness of ignorance, prejudice, hatred, and evil. He is light. He is
a healer. Jesus always reaches out to others out of love.
Jesus brings the gift of forgiveness to his disciples. He asks them to
forgive one another. If we are being sent in the same way as Jesus, we
too must be forgiving. This has to happen in our everyday life, our
personal family life, our interactions with our fellow workers, at
school, at work or in our parish. We have to bring them Jesus' gift of
forgiveness.
Jesus came into this world to bring healing. Forgiveness heals the one
who is forgiven, but also heals the one who has been hurt and
forgives. This is part of Jesus' mission, to bring that spirit of
reconciliation, of forgiveness into the world and ourselves.
Jesus spent much of his time taking care of those who were in need of
physical and spiritual healing. He consoled people, and brought joy
even of those who were grieving over some terrible sorrow or tragedy
in their lives. Jesus was always there spreading his goodness and his
love. That was his mission, to transform the world, to bring the gift
of peace. Jesus said in the synagogue at Nazareth: "This is why God
sent me, to heal the broken hearted, to set the downtrodden free, to
proclaim God's year of favor." This is why God sends all of us.
People's lives can really be changed if we really take seriously the
fact that we are sent out into the world just as Jesus was, to be
light, to be healer, to be men and women of compassion and
forgiveness.
At the time of the Tower of Babel all the nations were dispersed and
division came into the world. Different people from every part of the
known world were separated and divided from one another by their
language, cultural and historical differences. The coming of the
Spirit removed all barriers. People became drawn together into one
human family.
We need to believe that we are sent into the world as Jesus was sent;
otherwise our world will become divided and ultimately be destroyed,
just like Babel. Jesus was sent to break down barriers, to heal
divisions, to make the nations of the world one human family, to stop
people from bringing about destruction and death so that all the
nations can live in peace. "As God sent me, I send you." That is what
Jesus said to the first disciples and that is what Jesus says to all
of us today.
Let us pray for the Holy Spirit to come upon us today, to open our
hearts. May the Spirit of Jesus change us, so that we can go forth
more ready than ever before, to become true disciples of Jesus and to
choose Jesus over everything.
PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Bert Villacorta
- Ely Lara
- Rita P. Cuerva
- Leah Salterio
… for the personal intentions of
- Titong Villacorta
- RR
- Enrique and Eufrocina Navarro
- Michael and Maria Elinor Pintado
- Pauline
- Lance, Audrey & Aileen Olona
- Josheil Dapo
… In Memoriam: John Laurence Carpio
… for the eternal repose of the soul of Bert Relatado. Eternal rest
grant unto them and may perpetual light shine upon them. May they and
all the dearly departed rest in peace.
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Polly Limpe Alianan
- Birthday: Wilfredo Ortiz
- Birthday: Anton M. Villaflor
- Birthday: Linda Villanueva
- Birthday: Ma. Ella C. Sanchez
- Birthday: Galing Pilipino Movement Foundation
- Birthday: Ma. Carmela F. Bate
- Wedding Anniversary: John Christopher & Ma. Luisa Chongson
- Wedding Anniversary: Jerry & Sabrina Uy
- In Memoriam (+): Teofila Felix
… for world peace and reconciliation.
Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers
and for those who need our prayers the most.
Have a good day!
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