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Home > Spiritual Aid > Daily Prayer
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ACTS 2:1-11
FIRST CORINTHIANS 12:3-7, 12-13
JOHN 20:19-23
http://www.usccb.org/nab/052310.shtml
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We are celebrating today the feast of Pentecost. On that first
Pentecost over 2,000 years ago, the Holy Spirit descended upon the
disciples and transformed them in the most remarkable way imaginable.
They were filled with a Spirit that radiated from them and swept across
the world like a tidal wave. On that first Pentecost the Holy Spirit
transformed the disciples into the Body of Christ. On that first
Pentecost the Church was born.
Something else happened that first Pentecost. The Holy Spirit not only
changed the disciples into the Body of Christ but also breathed into
them the mind of Christ. A story illustrates how remarkable their new
understanding was.
A newspaper reporter once asked a biblical expert: if a film crew got
into a time machine, flew back into history, and recorded on film the
complete life of Jesus would he exchange the Gospels for that film?
Without a moment’s hesitation, the biblical expert said “No,” Then he
explained that even the disciples did not always understand everything
that Jesus said and did. It was only after Jesus rose from the dead and
sent the Holy Spirit that they understood everything fully.
For example, Jesus said to them; “The Son of Man is to be handed over
to men and they will kill him, and three days after his death he will
rise.” St. Mark then adds, “But they did not understand the saying, and
they were afraid to question him.” Likewise, after describing how Jesus
rode a donkey into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, St. John says, “His
disciples did not understand this at first, but when Jesus had been
glorified, they remembered that these things were written about him.”
And finally, once Jesus told Jewish authorities in Jerusalem: “Destroy
this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” John then adds, “But
he was speaking about the temple of his body. Therefore when he was
raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this,
and they came to believe the scripture and the word Jesus had spoken.”
What happened to the disciples of Jesus to help them understand these
things? Exactly what Jesus said would happen: “The Holy Spirit that the
Father will send in my name - he will teach you everything and remind
you of all that I told you.” In other words what makes the Gospel so
valuable is that they were written in the light of the Holy Spirit’s
coming on Pentecost. The Holy Spirit gave Jesus’ followers a new
understanding of the teaching of Jesus. It is this understanding that
is recorded in the Gospels. And so, on Pentecost, the Holy Spirit not
only formed Jesus’ disciples into the Body of Christ but also breathed
into them the mind of Christ. They became the Church, the body and mind
of Christ extended into space and time. They became a whole new
creation. And that is what we celebrate today.
We celebrate the birthday of the Church; we celebrate the birthday of
the Body of Christ. It was into this body that we were baptized and
confirmed. Through baptism and confirmation we received the Holy Spirit
just as fully as did the disciples on Pentecost. Like them, we received
from the Holy Spirit the mission to continue the work that Jesus began.
We received the mission to complete God’s kingdom on earth. This is our
mission; this is our calling; this is what we celebrate today.
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View: Prayer Requests
Finally,
we pray
for one another, for those who have asked our prayers and for those who
need our prayers the most.
Have a
good day!
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