These readings are from the New Jerusalem Bible, other translations can be reached though the hyperlinked citations to the individual scriptures. Commentary is in blue.
When Pentecost day came round, they had all met together, 2when suddenly there came from heaven a sound as of a violent wind which filled the entire house in which they were sitting; 3and there appeared to them tongues as of fire; these separated and came to rest on the head of each of them. 4They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak different languages as the Spirit gave them power to express themselves.
5Now there were devout men living in Jerusalem from every nation under heaven, 6and at this sound they all assembled, and each one was bewildered to hear these men speaking his own language. 7They were amazed and astonished. 'Surely,' they said, 'all these men speaking are Galileans? 8How does it happen that each of us hears them in his own native language? 9Parthians, Medes and Elamites; people from Mesopotamia, Judaea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya round Cyrene; residents of Rome-11Jews and proselytes alike -- Cretans and Arabs, we hear them preaching in our own language about the marvels of God.'
The disciples are faithfully continuing in what God had called them to, even though they were not sure where He was going to take them.
Pentecost was a regular Jewish festival, so the disciples’ faithful adherence to that ordinary devotion set up a supernatural manifestation of God
The disciples’ faithful adherence to that regular observance greatly blessed them and others
And most of those blessings flowed to others, and the disciples did not know the full extent of those blessings while they were still in this life.
The disciples are together, supporting and being supported by each other.
God came to them, giving them what they needed to fulfill His plan/purposes.
God came in ways they had not experienced before.
to fulfill, to complete, carry out to the full; what wholly takes possession of the mind; to complete, fill up
How countless are your works, Yahweh, all of them made so wisely! The earth is full of your creatures.
25Then there is the sea, with its vast expanses teeming with countless creatures, creatures both great and small; 26there ships pass to and fro, and Leviathan whom you made to sport with.
27They all depend upon you, to feed them when they need it.
28You provide the food they gather, your open hand gives them their fill.
29Turn away your face and they panic; take back their breath and they die and revert to dust.
30Send out your breath and life begins; you renew the face of the earth.
31Glory to Yahweh for ever! May Yahweh find joy in his creatures!
32At his glance the earth trembles, at his touch the mountains pour forth smoke.
33I shall sing to Yahweh all my life, make music for my God as long as I live.
34May my musings be pleasing to him, for Yahweh gives me joy.
We are dependent upon God
But that is good because God is faithful, the epitome/source of goodness, and powerful to provide what we need.
Because of that, I want to make it quite clear to you that no one who says 'A curse on Jesus' can be speaking in the Spirit of God, and nobody is able to say, 'Jesus is Lord' except in the Holy Spirit.
4There are many different gifts, but it is always the same Spirit; 5there are many different ways of serving, but it is always the same Lord. 6There are many different forms of activity, but in everybody it is the same God who is at work in them all. 7The particular manifestation of the Spirit granted to each one is to be used for the general good. 8To one is given from the Spirit the gift of utterance expressing wisdom; to another the gift of utterance expressing knowledge, in accordance with the same Spirit; 9to another, faith, from the same Spirit; and to another, the gifts of healing, through this one Spirit; 10to another, the working of miracles; to another, prophecy; to another, the power of distinguishing spirits; to one, the gift of different tongues and to another, the interpretation of tongues. 11But at work in all these is one and the same Spirit, distributing them at will to each individual.
12For as with the human body which is a unity although it has many parts -- all the parts of the body, though many, still making up one single body -- so it is with Christ.13We were baptised into one body in a single Spirit, Jews as well as Greeks, slaves as well as free men, and we were all given the same Spirit to drink.
“The particular manifestation of the Spirit granted to each one is to be used for the general good”
“For as with the human body which is a unity although it has many parts -- all the parts of the body, though many, still making up one single body -- so it is with Christ.”
In the evening of that same day, the first day of the week, the doors were closed in the room where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews. Jesus came and stood among them. He said to them, 'Peace be with you,' 20and, after saying this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy at seeing the Lord, 21and he said to them again, 'Peacebe with you. 'As the Father sent me, so am I sending you.' 22After saying this he breathed on them and said: Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven; if you retain anyone's sins, they are retained.
The disciples are continuing to do what God had tasked them to: gathering together around Jesus, one way or another.
The disciples are supporting and receiving support from each other.
The disciples had to go through frightening things to get here.
“Jesus came and stood among them”—He came to them in the midst of their fearful perseverance/continuance in what He had called them to.
harmonious relationships between men; freedom from molestation; the harmonized relationships between God and man; security, safety, prosperity, felicity, (because peace and harmony make and keep things safe and prosperous); quietness, rest; where harmony prevails.
to accept, by a deliberate and ready reception of what is offered; it sometimes means "to receive as merely a self-prompted action," without necessarily signifying a favorable reception; to take with the hand, lay hold of, any person or thing in order to use it; to take to one's self, lay hold upon, take possession of, i.e. to appropriate to one's self; catch at, reach after, strive to obtain; to admit, receive; to receive a person, give him access to one's self;to take in order to wear, i. e. to put on; that which when taken is not let go; to admit or receive into the mind
Insights on the readings as a whole:
Fear hinders our “receiving,” being “filled,” with the Holy Spirit
That might be why Jesus twice acted to calm the disciples in today’s gospel
That is consistent with scripture consistent teaching against fear. See the scriptures collected in Wisdom Principles--Fortitude.
Maybe that’s why fear is such a common emotion when we are being called to God and his work, especially significant works—it’s the Devil trying to keep us from them
Mary was afraid at the annunciation; Moses, Gideon, Isaiah & Jeremiah were afraid at their callings.
Getting busy with what God has called us to do—what is right in front of us—is a good way to overcome that kind of fear
Maybe that’s why both the gospel and first reading follow the announcement & actual arrival of the Spirit with either directions to action or actual action on the disciples’ part.
That is also consistent with human experience: guys in battle getting past fear by the act of intensely doing what they have been trained to do, athletes getting over initial jitters/nerves by actually doing the tasks involved in competing.
The Holy Spirit is given to us so we can put His gifts to work. That’s why Jesus coupled the delivery of the Spirit with a description of the work the disciples were to do (today’s gospel), why the disciples put the gifts the Spirit gave them to work right away (First Reading), and why the second reading explicitly states that we are to use the Spirit’s gifts for the common good.
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