Pentecost Sunday

Sunday May 19, 2024

Pentecost Sunday

1. The Spirit of Renewal

2. The Spirit of Unity

3. The Spirit of Courage

Note. We take the readings for Year B as in the new Lectionary edition since 1981. Those who still want to use the old readings may do so. We give only the readings of the Mass of the day itself, as there are many options for the Vigil Mass.

Greeting (see Sequence)

May the Spirit of the Lord
make flexible what is rigid,
kindle what is frigid,
straighten what is wayward.
With his Spirit may the Lord be always with you. R/ And also with you.

1.   The Spirit of Renewal

There are days when life looks drab to us, too much like a repetitious, boring routine. Our faith too may impress us as unexciting, monotonous and tiring and cheerless. Today’s feast of Pentecost reminds us: life, especially the life of faith, is marvelous, thanks to the Spirit of Jesus who wants to renew the Church and the whole world as he did on the first Pentecost. Let him bring us to life again with joy and peace and the fire of his love. Let him breathe on us the fresh air of the gospel and the life of Jesus. We ask Jesus here in this Eucharist to pour out on us his invigorating Spirit.

2.   The Spirit of Unity

On this beautiful day of Pentecost God lets his Spirit bring together again all that has been divided: our own selves, so often broken and ripped apart, our Church and its communities, nations. The Spirit unites in their diversity masters and servants, rich and poor, free people and those enslaved in any way, citizens and strangers, people of every race and tongue and color. All of us are called to hear in our own language the marvels God is doing among us. Wonder at all this, rejoice and celebrate the feast of the Spirit.

3.   The Spirit of Courage

Prudence is a good virtue to have, but a quality that is much rarer is courage: the courage to make a long overdue change, the courage to speak up for the truth when silence can keep you out of trouble, the courage to act according to your conscience, the courage to commit yourself to people when it is much safer not to be involved. Often prudence is cited as a good reason for not being courageous, and that’s bad. Courage and prudence should go hand in hand. The Holy Spirit can bring about the harmony between these two. He gave the apostles and the young Church the courage to risk their lives for the gospel. Today we ask Jesus the Lord to pour out on us his Sprit of courage.

Penitential Act

Too often we have practiced our faith
without enthusiasm, as a set of duties to comply with.
Let us ask the Lord to forgive us.
                        (pause)
Lord Jesus, without your Spirit
we cannot understand the Good News
of your life and message.
Give us your Spirit of understanding:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Jesus Christ, without your Spirit
we cannot know the Father
and cannot pray well to him.
Give us your Spirit of wisdom:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, without your Spirit
we cannot love one another,
we cannot forgive or encourage each other.
Give us your Spirit of love:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Lord, heal us with your forgiveness
and let your Spirit of courage and joy lead us
on the road to everlasting life. R/ Amen.

Opening Prayer

Let us pray that God may breathe his Spirit
on us and on the world
                        (pause)
God, Creator of all that is,
breathe your life-giving Spirit
on us and on our world
to refresh us and make us new and free.
Let him inflame us and our communities
with the fire of your love and freedom
and open for us his treasury of joy and youth,
of wisdom and peace and courage.
When we look back to the past,
may he surprise us with a view of your future.
May he lead us forward to follow in the footsteps
of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

First Reading: Acts 2:1-11: The Spirit Comes as a Mighty Storm

Loud noise, a mighty storm, fire, languages – these symbols, used to describe the first Christian Pentecost, tell us forcefully that here something totally new is happening. God’s Spirit of power is breaking through to bring divided humanity together in a community where there is room for all.

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 appeared to them tongues as of fire,
which parted and came to rest on each one of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak in different tongues,
as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem.
At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd,
but they were confused
because each one heard them speaking in his own language.
They were astounded, and in amazement they asked,
"Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans?
Then how does each of us hear them in his native language?
We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites,
inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia,
Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,
Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene,
as well as travelers from Rome,
both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs,
yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues
of the mighty acts of God."

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 104:1, 24,29-30,31,34

R. (cf. 30) Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
How manifold are your works, O LORD!
the earth is full of your creatures;
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
may the LORD be glad in his works!
Pleasing to him be my theme;
I will be glad in the LORD.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
If you take away their breath, they perish
and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7,12-13Let the Holy Spirit Guide Us

If we are guided by the Spirit, we die with Jesus to sin, we live for love and joy and all that is good.

Brothers and sisters:
No one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; 
there are different forms of service but the same Lord;
there are different workings but the same God
who produces all of them in everyone.
To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit
is given for some benefit.

As a body is one though it has many parts,
and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body,
so also Christ.
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body,
whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons,
and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.

Or Galatians 5:16-25

Brothers and sisters, live by the Spirit
and you will certainly not gratify the desire of the flesh.
For the flesh has desires against the Spirit,
and the Spirit against the flesh;
these are opposed to each other,
so that you may not do what you want.
But if you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Now the works of the flesh are obvious:
immorality, impurity, lust, idolatry,
sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy,
outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness,
dissensions, factions, occasions of envy,
drinking bouts, orgies, and the like.
I warn you, as I warned you before,
that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, generosity,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Against such there is no law.
Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their flesh
with its passions and desires.
If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit.

Sequence

Veni, Sancte Spiritus

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
And from your celestial home
Shed a ray of light divine!
Come, Father of the poor!
Come, source of all our store!
Come, within our bosoms shine.
You, of comforters the best;
You, the soul's most welcome guest;
Sweet refreshment here below;
In our labor, rest most sweet;
Grateful coolness in the heat;
Solace in the midst of woe.
O most blessed Light divine,
Shine within these hearts of yours,
And our inmost being fill!
Where you are not, we have naught,
Nothing good in deed or thought,
Nothing free from taint of ill.
Heal our wounds, our strength renew;
On our dryness pour your dew;
Wash the stains of guilt away:
Bend the stubborn heart and will;
Melt the frozen, warm the chill;
Guide the steps that go astray.
On the faithful, who adore
And confess you, evermore
In your sevenfold gift descend;
Give them virtue's sure reward;
Give them your salvation, Lord;
Give them joys that never end. Amen.
Alleluia.

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful
and kindle in them the fire of your love.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Note. If there are people present from different language groups, perhaps a representative of each language could read a few verses of the gospel. In this way the universality of Jesus’ message is symbolized.

Gospel: John 15:26-27; 16:12-15: The Spirit Leads to the Complete Truth

The Holy Spirit will make Christians throughout the ages discover the meaning of the words spoken by God’s living Word, Jesus.

Jesus said to his disciples:
"When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father,
the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father,
he will testify to me.
And you also testify,
because you have been with me from the beginning.

"I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth.
He will not speak on his own,
but he will speak what he hears,
and will declare to you the things that are coming.
He will glorify me,
because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.
Everything that the Father has is mine;
for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine
and declare it to you."

Intercessions

Let us pray that today the Spirit may come for a new Pentecost in the Church and in the world. Let us say: R/ Pour out your Spirit, Lord.

– On the world and on the Church of our day in search of hope and a future to live for: R/ Pour out your Spirit, Lord.

– On the countries suffering hunger and war and in search of happiness and joy: R/ Pour out your Spirit, Lord.

– On us all, gathered here in the name of the Lord as the Body of Christ for the life of the world: R/ Pour out your Spirit, Lord.

– On all people who seek a grain of truth in the mist and chaos: R/ Pour out your Spirit, Lord.

– On all of us here listening to the Word, that it may let Christ’s light shine in the night of the world's darkness.

     R/ Pour out your Spirit, Lord.

– On the leaders of the Church and the world in charge of guiding people: R/ Pour out your Spirit, Lord.

– On us humble people with little to boast of, to make us more the body of Christ to bring the world together: R/ Pour out your Spirit, Lord.

–   On people who suffer, that they may be united with Christ and hope in him till the end of the world: R/ Pour out your Spirit, Lord.

– On all of us, gathered in prayer to bring about a new creation: R/ Pour out your Spirit, Lord.

Lord our God, let your Spirit unite us as the body of your Son and put on our lips and in our hearts words of praise and thanks to you, our God for ever and ever. R/ Amen.

Prayer over the Gifts

Loving Father,
the Holy Spirit has brought us together
around the table of your Son.
Let him heal us
from all that divides us
and set us free from hatred
and from all injustice,
that, one in heart and mind,
we may give all honor and praise
as the one body of your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer

Let the Spirit of joy and love and gratitude prompt us to give wholehearted thanks to God, our creator and Father, for all his goodness and patience.

Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer

We cannot say “Jesus is Lord”
except through the Spirit.
We cannot say “Father” to God,
except through the Spirit crying out in us.
With him, we can now say with complete trust
the prayer given us by Jesus: R/ Our Father...

Deliver Us

Deliver us, Lord, from every evil
and grant in our day the peace of Christ,
which is the work of your Spirit.
In your mercy keep us free from all the sins
which obstruct the unity
and the universality of your Church.
Protect us from all anxiety and reassure us
that even in the uncertainties of our time
the Spirit leads us forward in joyful hope
toward the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom...

Invitation to Communion (see Rev 22:17,21)

The Spirit and the Church say: Come.
Let everyone who listens answer: Come.
Let all who are thirsty come.
All who want it may have the water of life
and have it for free.
This is the Risen Christ
whose Spirit moves us forward
to bear witness to God’s love. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...

Prayer after Communion

God our Father,
source of all love and joy,
the Holy Spirit has opened our hearts
to understand the Word of your Son.
May he give us the courage now
to bring the Good News to the poor
and to set one another free
from all injustice and hardness of heart,
that we may enjoy together
your forgiveness, your joy and your peace.
And at the end, welcome us into your home,
to be united forever with you,
Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Blessing

Pentecost does not belong to the past.
It is here with us today,
on condition we can overcome our reluctance
to be pushed forward by God’s Spirit
and to do what we know and see to be
right and just and truthful.
Let the Spirit make you free
for God and people.
Overcome your fears,
with the blessing of almighty God:
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.

Go in peace and take with you
the love of the Holy Spirit. R/ Thanks be to God

Commentary

The Gospel begins by saying “On the evening of the First day of the week.” By the time the Gospel of John was written, the first day of the week had become the accepted day for Christians to gather for the celebration of the Eucharist. John sets the scene of Jesus breathing on the disciples and inviting them to “receive the Holy Spirit” in the backdrop of the weekly gatherings of the first Christian community.

John gives the details of the incident: It was the first day of the week, it was evening and the doors were closed. The closed doors may simply have explained the fear of the disciples, as John himself presented. But they may also have symbolised the hearts of the disciples, that are closed and paralysed, not yet ready to believe that their Lord who was tortured and killed, is now alive.

It is into the midst of these unbelieving group, the Lords comes in. He is no more restrained by the closed doors – he passes through their hardened hearts to breath peace and joy. Remember the words in the letter to the Hebrews 4:12: “For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Was this the experience of the disciples when they felt the Lord was breathing on them and invited them to “receive the Holy Spirit?”

The Word of God is not chained! It pierces through any closed doors – enters deep into the hearts of people. And whispers gently to the hearts that are burdened, bruised, restless, frightened, lonely and sad, the message of “Peace be with you.” He breaths happiness and peace into their hearts and invite them to receive the Holy Spirit.

Jesus promises the guidance of the Spirit in our lives. Gospel of John has given us extensive details on the works of the Holy Spirit. “I will not leave you alone,” “The Spirit of Truth will guide you to all truth.” Today, as the Church joyously celebrates its birthday, we are reminded to pray to the Holy Spirit, for the guidance, direction, protection during our journey of faith.

We often pray to God the Father, we pray to Jesus, but we seldom pray to the Holy Spirit and thus fail to listen to the voice of the Spirit. If we listen to him in silence, He makes the Word of God penetrate in our hearts and gives us the strength to live by the Gospel. Today we are called to let ourselves be led by the voice of the Spirit to give glory to Jesus.