Pentacost Sunday:[C]: Acts 2:1-11; I Cor 12:3-7, 12-13; Jn. 20:19-23

Pentacost Sunday:[C]: Acts 2:1-11; I Cor 12:3-7, 12-13; Jn. 20:19-23

Pentecost literally means 50^th. It is a feast celebrated on the 50^th day after the Passover feast by the Jews and a feast celebrated on the 50^th day after the feast of the Resurrection of Jesus by the Christians. The Jewish Pentecost was originally a post-harvest thanksgiving feast.  Later it was celebrated to remember God’s covenants with Noah after the Deluge and with Moses at Mt. Sinai.

Exegesis:  “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.”(Acts 2:2-4)  On that day, 1) The Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles and Blessed Virgin Mary as fiery tongues. 2) The frightened apostles were transformed into fiery preachers and evangelizers by a special anointing of the Holy Spirit. 3) The audience experienced a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit with the gift of tongues, hearing Peter speaking in their languages. 4) The early Christians became powerful witnesses and brave martyrs for faith.

Event:  An old beggar lay on his deathbed.  His last words were to his youngest son who had been his constant companion during his begging trips.  “Dear son," he said, “I have nothing to give you except a cotton bag and a dirty bronze bowl which I got in my younger days from the junk yard of a rich lady.”  After his father’s death, the boy continued begging, using the bowl his father had given him.  One day a gold merchant dropped a coin in the boy’s bowl and he was surprised to hear a familiar clinking sound.  “Let me check your bowl,” the merchant said.  To his great surprise, he found that the beggar’s bowl was made of pure gold.  “My dear young man," he said, “why do you waste your time begging?  You are a rich man.  That bowl of yours is worth at least thirty thousand dollars.”  We Christians are often like this beggar boy who failed to recognize and appreciate the value of his bowl.  We fail to appreciate the infinite worth of the Holy Spirit living within each of us, sharing His gifts and fruits and charisms with us. 

Joke: A young man finally got a job at the Post Office. He was full of energy and eager to please. The supervisor agreed to work with the new employee, even though he had been warned that he was still immature and knew nothing of the job.

The first job the supervisor gives the young man is in sorting, and much to everyone's surprise, the new employee separated the letters so fast that his motions were literally a blur. The supervisor was very pleased and asked the young man to come into his office at the end of the day.

He said, "I just want you to know that we are all very proud of you. You're one of the fastest workers we have ever had."

The humble young man said, "Thank you, sir. And tomorrow, I'll try to do even better."

"Better?" the supervisor asked with astonishment. "How can you possibly do better?"
The young man smiled proudly and said, "Tomorrow, I am going to read the addresses."

Practical applications: 1) Permit the Holy Spirit to take control of our lives: a) By constantly remembering His holy presence and behaving well.  b) By praying for His daily anointing so that we may fight against our temptations and control our evil tendencies, evil habits and addictions.  c) By asking His daily assistance to pray, listening to God through meditative Bible reading and talking to Him.

2) Ask the help of the Holy Spirit to do good to others and to get reconciled to God and others every day.  To be moved along with Holy Spirit.

Introduction: Pentacost Sunday

Message: All of us have been baptized into one and the same Spirit, and live by that same Spirit.  That same Spirit, the Advocate, was given as gift to the disciples to remind them of all that Jesus said and did, and to strengthen them to go forth in the name of the Lord, “to renew the face of the earth”.

Saints and events in this week: 20-Monday-Ordinary time, 7^th week begins; Saint Bernardine of Siena, priest; 21-Tuesday-Saint Christopher Magallanes, priest and companions, martyrs; 22-Wednesday-Saint Rita of Cascia, religious; 25-Saturday-Saint Bede the Venerable, priest, doctor of the Church; Saint Gregory VII, pope; Saint Mary Magdalene de” Pazzi.