Pentecost Sunday
My dear parishioners,
God is Good!!! All the time!!! And all the time!!! God is Good!!!
The apostles received instructions from the Risen Lord over the course of 40 days. This experience has changed them. While awaiting the gift of the Holy Spirit they turned to the Scriptures for inspiration. They also turned to the Lord in prayer to guide them in replacing Judas. Now the time is ripe for them to receive the promised gift of the Holy Spirit.
This Gospel selected for Pentecost Sunday comes from John and is often referred to as the “Johannine Pentecost.” It is quite different from the familiar Pentecost story of Acts 2:1-13. The passage falls neatly into two sections. First there is the actual appearance of the Risen Lord to the disciples (Jn 20:19-20). Second is the commissioning of the disciples confirmed by the gift of the Holy Spirit (Jn 20:21-23).
The appearance. After Jesus’ crucifixion his followers feared that their lives were also in mortal danger from the Jewish authorities and so they locked themselves in a room hoping to avoid the worst. Suddenly Jesus is standing right in their midst. No explanation is given as to how he got into the room. His first words to his followers convey to them his peace but this must not have been overly convincing. Thus, he confirms the reality that even in his risen form Jesus is still the Jesus who was crucified. As evidence he shows them his hands and his side, and this convinces them that it is really Jesus standing before them but now very much alive. Once again, he gives them his gift of peace and this time they accept it with joy.
The commissioning. Without any further conversation Jesus moves from his gift of peace to his commissioning the disciples to carry on his work. The work of Jesus has been to reveal the identity of God. Jesus has done this mostly through signs. Now he will return to the Father and the disciples must carry on this same work of revealing the identity of God as manifested in and through the words and deeds of Jesus. The disciples are confirmed in this new work through the gift of the Holy Spirit which Jesus breathes upon them. This reminds the reader of Genesis 2:7, where God breathed the breath of life into the first human, Adam, and this person became a living being. The disciples have now been given a new life through the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The forgiveness of sin. The disciples are also commissioned to forgive sin or retain sins. Sin according to the Gospel of John is not a moral transgression. For this author sin is to be blind to the revelation of God manifested in Jesus. It is a theological transgression. The disciples will encounter this in their new mission of carrying on the work of Jesus in the world.
Excerpts from “Sunday Homily Helps”, is used by permission of Franciscan Media. www.FranciscanMedia.org. All rights reserved
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Aloysius