The Catholic Calendar for Sunday, June, 3, 2001
The Solemnity of Pentecost
Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Acts 2:1-11
Psalm 104:1,24,29-31,34
1 Corinthians 12:3-7,12-13 or Romans 8:8-17
John 20:19-23 or John 14:15-16,23-26
Full text: http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/index.htm
A Reflection on today's Scripture:
The Holy Spirit will teach you everything. (see John 14:26)
The Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Blessed Trinity, embodies
the loving power of God. It was His descent upon the Apostles at
Pentecost that gave them the ability to continue Christ's mission on
earth. However, we should also recognize that it was the presence of
the Holy Spirit, given to Jesus with absolute fullness that enabled
Him to accomplish His mission on earth, the salvation of mankind.
Through His stories and teachings, He weaned His people away from the
false religious practices of His day and instead conveyed to them
God's truths, moral and spiritual. His great signs and miracles
witnessed to His divine power, God's healing love abiding in Him. The
boundless mercy of God was shown in Christ's offering of Himself to
die on the cross, put our sins to death in His own human flesh and so
restore us to friendship with our heavenly Father.
But what does the Holy Spirit do for the ordinary person? First, we
should realize that there is nothing ordinary about us, because we
are God's creatures, made in His image. Sin marred that "image" and
separated us from God. It is the Holy Spirit, indwelling and working
in the hearts and spirits of all those who sincerely seek God, Who
enables us to "work out" our salvation, that is, restore us to the
image He will recognize as His own children.
It is not sufficient for us to say we believe in Christ, our actions,
attitudes and relationships must demonstrate Christ's life within us.
It is the Holy Spirit who sanctifies us by calling us to deny
ourselves, be emptied of selfishness to make room for Christ's life.
In brief, the Spirit's work is to transfer both the image and the
work of Christ to us who are called to make Him known on this earth.
Father of all,
pour out Your Spirit upon us
that we may continue to do Christ's saving work. Amen
- Marie L. Bocko, ocds ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
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