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Home  / News & Publications /  Michigan Catholic News / 2009 /  The Spirit is God's precence and power still working among us

by Father Richard C. Macey special to The Michigan Catholic
Published May 22, 2009

Pentecost is the Greek term for the Jewish feast of Shavuoth, the Feast of Weeks. It originally was a harvest festival. It became the memorial for Moses receiving the commandments of God on Mount Sinai. Evidence that Christians observed this feast comes from the fourth-century diary of Egeria, an early pilgrim to the sacred sites in the Holy Land.

First Reading: Acts 2:1-11

Just as the Gospel of Luke begins the maternity of Mary with the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit, so this work, possibly by the same author or school of writers, began the public preaching of the disciples with the coming of the Holy Spirit. Mary became fruitful and gave birth to Jesus. The disciples successfully brought forth new followers of Jesus.

There are several allusions to Old Testament stories. The presence of the wind echoes the beginning of the Bible with the story of creation in Genesis 1:2. The story is a reversal of the events at the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11:9. Just as the incident of languages at Babel scattered people, this one brings them together. Rather than men building a tower with its top "in the sky," God repeated the creative wind of Genesis and sent a noise "from the sky." The wind and fire also are indicative of a theophany, an appearance of the Lord, as at Sinai in Exodus 19:18. As the events at Sinai gave birth to the nation of Israel, so this event initiated the era of the Church, a new stage in salvation history. It is clear that the author wanted to connect this event with the earlier biblical accounts.

Scholars have been unable to agree on the meaning of the list of nations and peoples who gathered to hear the disciples. As a whole, they demonstrate the universal mission of the Church. Also, the inspired preaching could be understood by people of different languages and cultures. They did not have to give them up in order to accept the Gospel, which they heard. The reference to "travelers from Rome" also points to the end of this biblical book. Rome is the final destination for Paul in Acts 28:14.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13 (also Galatians 5:16-25)

Paul emphasizes the unity of "the body" of believers. He also stresses the importance of the "different kinds of spiritual gifts" which are received by the members of that body. No one has them all. Everyone has something. Everyone together brings about the completion of the gifts, which come from "the same Spirit" of God.

The emphasis is on "the Spirit" (of God), which appears five times in these few verses. The demonstration of the presence of the Spirit in the life of each member of the community is the "spiritual gifts," literally, "charism," which characterizes their activity. The common source for the practical service of each individual guarantees that they work together for the common good. Paul uses the imagery of a living body.

Baptism enters each person into the community, which provides life-giving nourishment. The body includes both a shared life in each part and a diversity of elements, which work together to provide that life. Thus, no single spiritual gift is esteemed apart from whatever others have to offer. Everything has value in relationship to the common life, which they share. The reference to "drink" may also be an allusion to the Eucharist (see 1 Corinthians 11:25-27).

Gospel: John 15:26-27; 16:12-15 (or John 20:19-23)

These verses indicate the intention of Jesus that His mission continue in the Church. There is a new phase with His return to the Father. But there is also a continuity. The source of the teaching comes from the Father through "the Spirit of truth." There is a promise that the guidance of God is not ended with the death of Jesus. "He (the Spirit) will guide you to all truth." Jesus acknowledges that there is a future.

In the Catholic Church, we have seen tradition as a source of God's guidance through every age. It does not add to the formal treasure of revelation in the Bible, but it is firmly grounded in it and has a normative value in our doctrine and practice.

There has been a variety of interpretations about the reference to "things that are coming." Some scholars see this as a reference to the death of Jesus. Others interpret it to mean the end of time and the final judgment over creation by God. A more inclusive reference may be to everything that occurs after the death of Jesus until the final judgment. The Spirit fills in the gap by offering the immediate presence of God and access to the Father.

When I was in the seminary college, our rector and some of the students went across the street to an evangelical church. Before the worship service began, the minister explained that they were a church, which was guided by the Bible. Everything that they did could be found literally in the Bible. The Bible became a manual for the Church and a predictor of future events. We talked about that experience later and thought that it left little room for the work of the Holy Spirit to guide us into the future and a transformation of life, rather than constantly looking backward and simply repeating the same life.

In every assignment, I have met people who have been renewed by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Their enthusiasm renews and excites me. God continues to transform lives through His presence. It is a language which is clearly understood by those who are open to the workings of His Spirit.

Fr. Richard C. Macey is pastor of Our Lady of the Woods Parish, Woodhaven.