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11 May 2008

Solemnity of Pentecost, Year A

The lectionary readings for Pentecost Sunday, Year A
are taken from: the Acts of the Apostles, the first letter of
Paul to the Corinthians, and the gospel of John. Since this
is a special feast, there is a prose text or poetic text that
can be read or sung - a Sequence. It is also given in this page.
[Just click on the link on Solemnity of Pentecost above to get
to the page.] In the book of Acts, we read the story of the
descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles and Mary - arriving
and coming upon them like a strong, driving wind and with tongues
of fire resting on each of them.  Then in the letter of Paul
to the Corinthians, Paul teaches that the Holy Spirit gives
different gifts and ministries to each member of the body of
Christ.  Lastly, in the gospel of John, we read of one of the
resurrection appearances of Jesus to His apostles - which, in
this passage He breathed on them so that they would receive
the Holy Spirit. learn more

The Pentecost Event in Acts 2:1-11

The Pentecost event that we read in the book of Acts -
specifically chapter 2, verses 1-11, can be understood from
both a historical point of view and a spiritual point of view.
If we try to picture Galilee at the time of the apostles, we
can presume to see that it contained a mixed population of
different peoples and races.  Some of the disciples of Jesus
(outside the apostles) could have been from other races in the
Roman Empire.  Thus, interacting with them, the apostles may
have learned basic words and phrases that belonged to their tongue.
So, when the Holy Spirit came down upon the apostles and emboldened
them to speak of Jesus and His saving ministry, they had the gift
of courage to speak in that second or third language they learned
from interacting with their companion disciples.  This way of
understanding the Pentecost event considers the social and cultural
factors that may be have been a part of the event.  If we however
understand it from a purely spiritual point of view, then the gift
of tongues (speaking in different languages) is seen as a genuine
supernatural gift that the Holy Spirit has given the apostles, so
that the miraculous powers of God may continue to be felt by His
people so that they may acknowledge Him as Lord and Giver of Life.
learn more

“What Must We Do Brothers?” - Acts 2:38

When Peter and the apostles received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost,
they stood up before the people and preached a gospel of repentance
from sin and reconciliation with God.  The text of the Scripture
said that the people were “cut to the heart” - proving that the Word
of God is indeed a double-edged sword.  They asked Peter, “What
shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized
every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of
your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”  The
people received the apostles’ word and had themselves baptized.  In
our modern times, we tend to place the blame on many other things
except the wrong use of our free will and freedom. Dr. Karl Menninger,
a famous psychologist who wrote the book, “Whatever Happened to Sin?”,
teaches us in his book that much of what we suffer in life is due to
our disregard of our sense of moral responsibility. If we listen to
the voice of God more through our consciences, and follow an ethical
standard that is genuinely Christian, we can learn how to use our
freedom and will wisely, prudently and according to the teachings of
Christ through the Church. learn more

Sharing and Witnessing to Christ of His Love

It is a truth that the world listens to witnesses more than to
teachers. This is evident in how many follow those who witness by
deed more than by word. When teachers teach what they know, some
of what they teach are not necessarily being lived out by them.
This holds true for many of us who teach whatever we know about. The
audience or student body who listens to teachers listen and acknowledge
the teacher’s expertise of the subject because the teacher is often a
professional and is well-trained to deliver what he was educated to
do as an educator. The impact on the audience of his teaching is based
on the truth of what he learned and what he imparts from both theory
and experience. What is in witnessing that creates such a life-changing
direction and outlook in people? It is in the very example of the way
he is living his talk or ‘walking his speech’. That creates a good
and positive impact. Although witnesses can have this great impact,
a greater impact can be made by teachers who are also witnesses of
how great Christ is in their life. They are often more powerful
witnesses because of their command of their knowledge of Christ
and their commitment to Him. However, we need not teach at a
professional level in order to make this greater and more powerful
witness. We only need to know the necessary basics and rudiments of
our faith, nurture and strengthen our relationship with Christ
through the Eucharist, and in our ministry to others, and commit
ourselves every day to do as we say. This is a challenge. It is
a Christian challenge that we are called to make by virtue of
our baptismal commitment. learn more

“The Holy Spirit Strengthens the ‘Inner Man’”

The late holy father, John Paul II, has written an encyclical
on the Holy Spirit, entitled “Dominum et Vivificantem”.  In
this encyclical, he mentions, among so many other truths, that the
purpose why God sent His Holy Spirit into the world was to strengthen
us in a way that we become more and more like His Son, and have the
courage and fortitude to bring the Gospel to all peoples.  For those
of us who are working along this line on the Net (which John Paul II
encourages Catholics to do so), we receive His Holy Spirit continuously,
and every moment of our life, by our commitment to follow His will
through our participation in the sacraments, especially the Eucharist,
and then make the Catholic presence on the Net a way of making Christ
more central, and vital to anything technological in content or in
tools.  The witness on the Net shows that the Net is not only a mere
mass of technological information, but can also contain the words
of the Gospel of Christ Jesus.  If we use it rightly, the Net can
disseminate and spread classic Catholic tradition to those who use
this medium as part of their daily lives: in their family setting,
in their workplace, in their religious communities, in their parish,
or in big secular institutional settings. learn more

Saint in Review: St. John Chrysostom, bishop and doctor

St. John Chrysostom earned the title golden-mouthed or “Chrysostom”,
because of the eloquence of his preaching.  He was made patriarch
of Constantinople against his wishes, but at once reformed the
see of Constantinople when he assumed the position.  As patriarch, he
incurred the enmity of the imperial court and other less worthy bishops.
He particularly incurred the enmity of the Empress Eudoxia because he
reprimanded her for her vanity, lack of charity and dress.  He also
incurred the enmity of bishops, more specifically his rival to the
see of Constantinople - bishop Theophilus.  Due to this political
situation, he was sent into exile several times.  On his trip to his
last exile, he eventually died of exhaustion due to the stifling
heat. St. John Chrysostom was declared Doctor of the Universal Church
in the council of Chalcedon in 451 A.D. St. John Chrysostom is the
fourth of the four men - along with Saints Athanasius, Basil and
Gregory Nazianzen - who were considered the great Doctors of the
Church from the East until more were added in the sixteenth century.
Due to the excellence and eloquence of his preaching ability, he
was also named patron of preachers by Pope Pius X.  His feast day is
September 13. learn more

Saint in Review: St. Benedict of Nursia, abbot

St. Benedict is also one of the greatest saints that the Church has
produced.  His way of life and spirituality had a great influence
in the life of the Church for many centuries.  The religious order
he founded, the Benedictines, has given to the Church 50 popes,
7,000 bishops, and 40,000 saints and blesseds.  Our current pontiff,
Pope Benedict XVI, (a.k.a. Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger), took the name
of this saint, because he believed that the present conditions of
world societies are similar to the conditions that were happening
also during the time of St. Benedict.  Since St. Benedict was very
active in combatting the evils in himself first, and then in the society
of his time, he sets a very good example for us in contemporary time to
have courage to fight through all attacks of evil and not to grow weary,
to labor on ourselves and to change ourselves until we become one with
ourselves and experience oneness with others in the oneness with God.
learn more

Jesus of Nazareth, the Hope of our Lives

Ever since the Holy Father Benedict XVI wrote his second encyclical
Spe Salvi, Jesus as the source of our hope became more and more
pronounced in his statements and addresses.  He wrote a book called
Jesus of Nazareth, wherein the Pope shares with us his profound and
powerful insights about the person of Jesus Christ, and where he
inspires us to deepen our own understanding and relationship with
Him.  In this bold, momentous work, the Pope — in his first book
written as Benedict XVI — seeks to salvage the person of Jesus
from recent “popular” depictions and to restore Jesus’ true identity
as discovered in the Gospels. Through his brilliance as a theologian
and his personal conviction as a believer, the Pope shares a rich,
compelling, flesh-and-blood portrait of Jesus and invites us to
encounter, face-to-face, the central figure of the Christian faith.
A quotation from the book: “the great question that will be with us
throughout this entire book - But what has Jesus really brought, then,
if he has not brought world peace, universal prosperity, and a
better world? What has he brought? The answer is very simple: God.
He has brought God! learn more

News item from Zenit.org

Church Awaiting Miracles on Pentecost, Says Pope

check news item at: http://www.zenit.org/article-22538?l=english