Today we have the Feast of Pentecost. This is in some sense the climax of the Easter story. Up until now, the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus has been amazing. Yet it has only impacted a small number of people in Galilee and Jerusalem. Pentecost changes that. It is time to preach the good news to the whole world. The last thing they needed before they were ready to roll was the Holy Spirit. What did the Holy Spirit provide? In a word, POWER.
Let’s back up a bit. The first words of our story are, “When the day of Pentecost had come.” What does that tell us? It means that the Feast of Pentecost was a thing even before what we think of as the first Pentecost. It was part of the Jewish liturgical calendar. Pentecost is the Greek name. In Hebrew it is call the Feast of Weeks. So next time you are reading in the book of Leviticus, and you see a reference to the Feast of Weeks, you should know that is the same thing as Pentecost.
The event it was traditionally associated with was the giving of the law on Mt. Sinai. Remember the Israelites were slaves in Egypt and God rescued them with the ten plagues and the Passover and the parting of the Red Sea. Now after winning that victory, they were in the middle of the dessert, and they had no idea what to do next. God appeared to the people on Mt. Sinai. It says Mt. Sinai was covered in smoke because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. The people were so scared that only Moses and Aaron went up the mountain. Still God gave them the law and told them how this new covenant was going to work.
The disciples are in a similar situation. They have won a huge spiritual victory at Easter. Yet they really do not know what to do next. God comes down to them, again with fire, and establishes this new covenant community called the Church.
John Paul II saw some similarities with modern Catholicism. You can have Catholics who are baptized, they get first communion, first reconciliation, and confirmation. It is really a great spiritual victory to receive the grace of all those sacraments. Yet often there is a sense of not knowing what to do next. This is why St. John Paul II called for a new Pentecost. Pope Benedict and Pope Francis have repeated that call. Yet what does it look like?
First, it involves power. The Holy Spirit makes the gospel powerful. It makes Peter powerful in our first reading. Remember when the disciples were locking themselves in a room for fear of the Jews? Suddenly they are proclaiming Jesus right in the middle of Jerusalem. It is not like it has become safe. They have just found some courage. That is the Holy Spirit. He gives us the wisdom to know the truth and the ability to speak it boldly. That is a gift that is badly needed in a culture that is quick to cancel people for saying something they do not like.
Coffee Connections:
Thursdays | After Daily Mass | 9:30am
Sundays | After Morning Masses | 10:00am and 12:00pm
Children’s Liturgy:
Group A: start time 8:30am – ages 3 Years to Grade 3
Group B: start time 10:30am – ages 3 Years to Grade 3
Regular Events:
Mondays | Bible Study: “Galatians: Set Free To Live in the Spirit” | St. Nicholas Room | 7:00-9:00pm
Tuesdays | Rosary Group | Day Chapel | 6:30-7:00pm
Tuesdays | RCIA | St. Nicholas Room | 7:0-9:00pm
Wednesdays | Into the Breach | Day Chapel | 6:00-7:30am
Thursdays | Moms and Tots | St. Nicholas Room | 9:30-11:30am
Thursdays | Knitting Ministry | Library | 10:00am-12:00pm
May 2024:
May 19 | CANCELLED: Children’s Liturgy
May 19 | CANCELLED: Coffee Connection
May 20 | CANCELLED: Bible Study “Galatians: Set Free To Live in the Spirit”
May 23 | CANCELLED: Moms and Tots
May 23 | CANCELLED: Coffee Connection
May 24 to June 2 | Eucharistic Miracles Exhibition | Mezzanine | Various Times
May 26 | CANCELLED: Altar Server Training
May 26 | CANCELLED: Coffee Connection
May 26 | Confirmation 2024 | Sanctuary | 2:00pm
May 28 | PPC Meeting | St. Michael’s Room | 7:00-9:00pm
May 28 | SSVP Meeting | St. Gabriel Room 145 | 7:00-9:00pm
May 30 | Moms and Tots | Last Session | St. Nicholas Room | 9:30-11:30am