Key:
What these passages tell us about God
What these passages tell us to do
What these passages tell us to avoid
Commentary
Reading 1 ACTS 2:1-11
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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
GAL 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.
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!
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 refreshmenthere 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.
Healour wounds, ourstrength 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.
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 refreshmenthere 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.
Healour wounds, ourstrength 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.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
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."
"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."
1. God is exceedingly, exceedingly, good. He is goodness itself and the source of all goodness we experience and are. He is truth. (psalm, second reading, sequence, gospel)
2. God wants us to get His goodness, in the sense of understanding it, in the sense of receiving it, and in the sense of living it out, in the sense of delivering it to others. That is why He affirmatively and extraordinarily reaches out to communicate Himself to us. (first reading, gospel)
3. So how do we respond to that great, wonderful, goodness?
A. Enjoy it, revel in it! (psalm)
B. Be infused with it, be marinated in, be transformed by it, let your life be guided and powered by it. (second reading)
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C. Accept no substitutes! The world, the flesh, and the devil offer lesser things that, while superficially attractive/enjoyable, are far less that what God wants for and from us. Those substitutes distract us from the far greater good that God is/offers. Don’t be distracted by or accept those shoddy things. (second reading)
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