Bishop’s Gospel Reflection:
Sunday is Pentecost Sunday, traditionally celebrated as the “birthday” of our Holy Catholic Church. This is the day we remember the Holy Spirit descending upon Christ’s followers and equipping them for their mission to go forth and make disciples of all nations. We recall that the Church’s mission, and the Holy Spirit who inspires it, is essential to her existence.
Pentecost is the day that the followers of Christ finally went out to tell the good news. In today’s Gospel passage, which takes place a few weeks before the Pentecost scene in our first reading, Jesus has already risen from the dead, but the Apostles have locked themselves away in fear of persecution. We can ponder the difference between a group ruled by fear and a Church on fire with the Holy Spirit. How do we, the Church of today–gifted with the same Spirit who filled the faithful at Pentecost–behave? We have no excuse to hide behind locked doors from our persecutors. God is alive in us, and the Holy Spirit will give us every grace to accomplish our mission. Our Church, when she is truly and fully herself, is a Church that preaches openly about the “mighty acts of God.”
The listeners in the first reading all heard the disciples’ words in their own native language, but this phenomenon is not a testament to the talent of the speakers. Rather, it is a demonstration of how the Holy Spirit addresses every individual in a language they can understand. On this feast, we should remember that our mission in the Church is to tell the Good News zealously and unapologetically. The Holy Spirit will give us the proper words to do so–and will then bring those words to the hearts of those who hear them.
Read Bishop’s full reflection on AD Today.
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Gospel Reflection: Pentecost Sunday - AD Today
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 … Continue reading
