Pentecost
23 May 2010
First reading Acts 2:1-11 3
When Pentecost day came round, they had all met in one room, when suddenly they heard what sounded like a powerful wind from heaven, the noise of which filled the entire house in which they were sitting; and something appeared to them that seemed like tongues of fire; these separated and came to rest on the head of each of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak foreign languages as the Spirit gave them the gift of speech.
Now there were devout men living in Jerusalem from every nation under heaven, and at this sound they all assembled, each one bewildered to hear these men speaking his own language. They were amazed and astonished. ‘Surely’ they said ‘all these men speaking are Galileans? How does it happen that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; people from Mesopotamia, Judaea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya round Cyrene; as well as visitors from Rome – Jews and proselytes alike – Cretans and Arabs; we hear them preaching in our own language about the marvels of God.’
Psalm or canticle: Psalm 103:1,24,29-31,34
Second reading 1 Corinthians 12:3-7,12-13
No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord’ unless he is under the influence of the Holy Spirit.
There is a variety of gifts but always the same Spirit; there are all sorts of service to be done, but always to the same Lord; working in all sorts of different ways in different people, it is the same God who is working in all of them. The particular way in which the Spirit is given to each person is for a good purpose. Just as a human body, though it is made up of many parts, is a single unit because all these parts, though many, make one body, so it is with Christ. In the one Spirit we were all baptised, Jews as well as Greeks, slaves as well as citizens, and one Spirit was given to us all to drink.
Gospel John 20:19-23
In the evening of the first day of the week, the doors were closed in the room where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews. Jesus came and stood among them. He said to them, ‘Peace be with you’, and showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy when they saw the Lord, and he said to them again, ‘Peace be with you.
‘As the Father sent me,
so am I sending you.’
After saying this he breathed on them and said:
‘Receive the Holy Spirit.
For those whose sins you forgive,
they are forgiven;
for those whose sins you retain,
they are retained.’
Reflection
By Elizabeth R. Eguia
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created, and you will renew the face of the earth. Lord, by the light of the Holy Spirit, you have taught the hearts of your faithful. In the same Spirit, help me to relish what is right and always rejoice in your consolation.
Pentecost Sunday reminded me of the power that this prayer possesses every time we recite it. A true and humble person acknowledges that everything is not in our hands and that we need God through the Holy Spirit to be at our side to guide us, to help us make the right decisions.
Four keywords—“persistent”, “seek”, “believe” and “practice” came to my mind as I write this article. Let us be persistent to ask God for help, to ask for guidance, to ask what we need. He knows the plans and the dreams we have. Seek for Him in every moment of our lives whether we are happy or sad. The last few days I felt I was emotional. It could be attributed to women’s monthly cycle. I can’t explain it but it’s like you are surrounded by negativity. It’s hard to battle sometimes and the first thing I did was I ask for His help. I prayed continuously. I uttered…”Jesus help me” for so many times as I can’t do it alone. I seek His help because He is the only one I can rely on especially at that precise moment.
Believe that things will be okay. Believe that everything will be well for His greater glory. At that time, I was already preparing for work. I was emotional that I see tears in my eyes. The good thing is my colleague came and in a way she became an instrument to revert my attention to something else and not feel sad or emotional. God used her to tell me…hey Beth it’s not the end of the world…cheer up. Life is beautiful. It gave me the courage to move on.
Practice what we learn in our lives. During those days when I was emotional, some forces were telling me to listen to El Shaddai via internet. The messages given by Bro Mike Velarde reminded me that we all have power to heal ourselves, power to attain our goals in life. Once we hear the good news, we have to live it in our lives. It will not be easy but the Holy Spirit will lead us the way.
Most gracious and loving God, thank You for making all things possible. Thank you for Pentecost Sunday as it reminded me of such powerful prayer to the Holy Spirit. Instill in our hearts the attitude of being persistent to ask Your help, the attitude of seeking Your will, the attitude of believing that what we ask for will happen and the attitude of practicing in our lives what we have learned from You. The messages that this article will not be possible without the guidance of the Holy Spirit and so I’m giving back the honor and glory to You our Lord, Amen.
Gifts of the Holy Spirit
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