Pentecost Sunday - Cycle B
1st Reading: Acts 2:1-11
The Coming of the Holy Spirit
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[1] When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.
[2] And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind,
and it filled all the house where they were sitting. [3] And there appeared to
them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. [4] And
they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues,
as the Spirit gave them utterance.
[5] Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation
under heaven. [6] And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were
bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. [7]
And they were amazed and wondered, saying, "Are not all these who are
speaking Galileans? [8] And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native
language? [9] Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia,
Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, [10] Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt
and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews
and proselytes, [11] Cretans and Arabians, we hear them telling in our own
tongues the mighty works of God."
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Commentary:
1-13. This account of the Holy Spirit visibly coming down on the disciples who,
in keeping with Jesus' instructions, had stayed together in Jerusalem, gives
limited information as to the time and place of the event, yet it is full of content.
Pentecost was one of the three great Jewish feasts for which many Israelites
went on pilgrimage to the Holy City to worship God in the temple. It originated
as a harvest thanksgiving, with an offering of first-fruits. Later it was given the
additional dimension of commemorating the promulgation of the Law given by
God to Moses on Sinai. The Pentecost celebration was held fifty days after the
Passover, that is, after seven weeks had passed. The material harvest which
the Jews celebrated so joyously became, through God's providence, the symbol
of the spiritual harvest which the Apostles began to reap on this day.
2-3. Wind and fire were elements which typically accompanied manifestations
of God in the Old Testament (cf. Ex 3:2; l 3 :21-22; 2 Kings5:24; Ps 104:3). In
this instance, as Chrysostom explains, it would seem that separate tongues of
fire came down on each of them: they were "separated, which means they came
from one and the same source, to show that the Power all comes from the
Paraclete" ("Hom. on Acts", 4). The wind and the noise must have been so in-
tense that they caused people to flock to the place. The fire symbolizes the
action of the Holy Spirit who, by enlightening the minds of the disciples, enables
them to understand Jesus' teachings--as Jesus promised at the Last Supper (cf.
Jn 16:4-14); by inflaming their hearts with love he dispels their fear and moves
them to preach boldly. Fire also has a purifying effect, God's action cleansing
the soul of all trace of sin.
4. Pentecost was not an isolated event in the life of the Church, something over
and done with. "We have the right, the duty and the joy to tell you that Pentecost
is still happening. We can legitimately speak of the 'lasting value' of Pentecost.
We know that fifty days after Easter, the Apostles, gathered together in the same
Cenacle as had been used for the first Eucharist and from which they had gone
out to meet the Risen One for the first time, "discover" in themselves the power
of the Holy Spirit who descended upon them, the strength of Him whom the Lord
had promised so often as the outcome of his suffering on the Cross; and streng-
thened in this way, they began to act, that is, to perform their role. [. . .] Thus
is born the "apostolic Church". But even today--and herein the continuity lies--the
Basilica of St Peter in Rome and every Temple, every Oratory, every place where
the disciples of the Lord gather, is an extension of that original Cenacle" (John
Paul II, "Homily", 25 May 1980).
Vatican II (cf. Ad gentes, 4) quotes St Augustine's description of the Holy Spirit
as the soul, the source of life, of the Church, which was born on the Cross on
Good Friday and whose birth was announced publicly on the day of Pentecost:
"Today, as you know, the Church was fully born, through the breath of Christ,
the Holy Spirit; and in the Church was born the Word, the witness to and promul-
gation of salvation in the risen Jesus; and in him who listens to this promulgation
is born faith, and with faith a new life, an awareness of the Christian vocation and
the ability to hear that calling and to follow it by living a genuinely human life,
indeed a life which is not only human but holy. And to make this divine inter-
vention effective, today was born the apostolate, the priesthood, the ministry of
the Spirit, the calling to unity, fraternity and peace" (Paul VI, "Address", 25
May 1969).
"Mary, who conceived Christ by the work of the Holy Spirit, the Love of the living
God, presides over the birth of the Church, on the day of Pentecost, when the
same Holy Spirit comes down on the disciples and gives life to the mystical body
of Christians in unity and charity" (Paul VI, "Address", 25 October 1969).
5-11. In his account of the events of Pentecost St Luke distinguishes "devout
men" (v. 5), Jews and proselytes (v. 11). The first-mentioned were people who
were residing in Jerusalem for reasons of study or piety, to be near the only
temple the Jews had. They were Jews--not to be confused with "God-fearing
men", that is, pagans sympathetic to Judaism, who worshipped the God of the
Bible and who, if they became converts and members of the Jewish religion by
being circumcised and by observing the Mosaic Law, were what were called
"proselytes", whom Luke distinguishes from the "Jews", that is, those of Jewish
race.
People of different races and tongues understand Peter, each in his or her own
language. They can do so thanks to a special grace from the Holy Spirit given
them for the occasion; this is not the same as the gift of "speaking with tongues"
which some of the early Christians had (cf. 1 Cor 14), which allowed them to
praise God and speak to him in a language which they themselves did not
understand.
11. When the Fathers of the Church comment on this passage they frequently
point to the contrast between the confusion of languages that came about at
Babel (cf. Gen 11:1-9)--God's punishment for man's pride and infidelity--and the
reversal of this confusion on the day of Pentecost, thanks to the grace of the
Holy Spirit. The Second Vatican Council stresses the same idea: "Without
doubt, the Holy Spirit was at work in the world before Christ was glorified. On the
day of Pentecost, however, he came down on the disciples that he might remain
with them forever (cf. Jn 14;16); on that day the Church was openly displayed to
the crowds and the spread of the Gospel among the nations, through preaching,
was begun. Finally, on that day was foreshadowed the union of all peoples in the
catholicity of the faith by means of the Church of the New Alliance, a Church
which speaks every language, understands and embraces all tongues in charity,
and thus overcomes the dispersionof Babel" ("Ad Gentes", 4).
Christians need this gift for their apostolic activity and should ask the Holy Spirit
to give it to them to help them express themselves in such a way that others can
understand their message; to be able so to adapt what they say to suit the
outlook and capacity of their hearers, that they pass Christ's truth on: "Every
generation of Christians needs to redeem, to sanctify, its own time. To do this,
it must understand and share the desires of other men--their equals--in order to
make known to them, with a 'gift of tongues', how they are to respond to the
action of the Holy Spirit, to that permanent outflow of rich treasures that comes
from our Lord's heart. We Christians are called upon to announce, in our own
time, to this world to which we belong and in which we live, the message--old
and at the same time new--of the Gospel" (St. J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing
By", 132).
2nd Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13
Kinds of Spiritual Gifts
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[3] Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God
ever says "Jesus be cursed!" and no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the
Holy Spirit.
[4] Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; [5] and there are varieties
of service, but the same Lord; [6] and there are varieties of working, but it is the
same God who inspires them all in every one. [7] To each is given the manifes-
tation of the Spirit for the common good.
Unity and Variety in the Mystical Body of Christ
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[12] For just as the body is one and has many member, and all the members of
the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. [13] For by one Spirit
we were all baptized into one body Jews or Greeks, slaves or free and all were
made to drink of one Spirit.
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Commentary:
3. This provides a general principle for discerning signs of the Holy Spirit--recog-
nition of Christ as Lord. It follows that the gifts of the Holy Spirit can never go
against the teaching of the Church. "Those who have charge over the Church
hould judge the genuineness and proper use of these gifts [...], not indeed to
extinguish the Spirit, but to test all things and hold fast to what is good (cf.
Thess 5:12 and 19-21)" ("Lumen Gentium", 12).
4-7. God is the origin of spiritual gifts. Probably when St Paul speaks of gifts,
service (ministries), "varieties of working", he is not referring to graces which
are essentially distinct from one another, but to different perspectives from which
these gifts can be viewed, and to their attribution to the Three Divine Persons.
Insofar as they are gratuitously bestowed they are attributed to the Holy Spirit,
as he confirms in v. 11; insofar as they are granted for the benefit and service
of the other members of the Church, they are attributed to Christ the Lord, who
came "not to be served but to serve" (Mk 10:45); and insofar as they are operative
and produce a good effect, they are attributed to God the Father. In this way the
various graces which the members of the Church receive are a living reflection of
God who, being essentially one, in so is a trinity of persons. "The whole Church
has the appearance of a people gathered together by virtue of the unity of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (St Cyprian, "De Dominica Ora-
tione", 23). Therefore, diversity of gifts and graces is as important as their basic
unity, because all have the same divine origin and the same purpose--the com-
mon good (v. 7): "It is the Holy Spirit, dwelling in those who believe and pervading
and ruling over the entire Church, who brings about that wonderful communion of
the faithful and joins them together so intimately in Christ that he is the principle
of the Church's unity. By distributing various kinds of spiritual gifts and ministries
he enriches the Church of Jesus Christ with different functions 'in order to equip
the saints for the work of service, so as to build up the body of Christ' (Eph 4:12)"
(Vatican II, Unitatis Redintegratio", 2).
12-13. In Greek and Latin literature, society is often compared to a body; even
today we talk of "corporations", a term which conveys the idea that all the citi-
zens of a particular city are responsible for the common good. St Paul, starting
with this metaphor, adds two important features: 1) he identifies the Church with
Christ: "so it is with Christ" (v. 12); and 2) he says that the Holy Spirit is its life-
principle: "by one Spirit we were all baptized..., and all made to drink of the Spirit"
(v. 13). The Magisterium summarizes this teaching by defining the Church as the
"mystical body of Christ", an expression which "is derived from and is, as it were,
the fair flower of the repeated teaching of Sacred Scripture and the holy Fathers"
(Pius XII, "Mystici Corporis").
"So it is with Christ": "One would have expected him to say, so it is with the
Church, but he does not say that [...]. For, just as the body and the head are
one man, so too Christ and the Church are one, and therefore instead of 'the
Church' he says 'Christ"' (Chrysostom, "Hom. on 1 Cor", 30, "ad loc".). This iden-
tifiction of the Church with Christ is much more then a mere metaphor; it makes
the Church a society which is radically different from any other society: "The
complete Christ is made up of the head and the body, as I am sure you know
well. The head is our Savior himself, who suffered under Pontius Pilate and now,
after rising from the dead, is seated at the right hand of the Father. And his body
is the Church. Not this or that church, but the Church which is to be found all ove
the world. Nor is it only that which exists among us today, for also belonging to
it are those who lived before us and those who will live in the future, right up to the
end of the world. All this Church, made up of the assembly of the faithful--for all
the faithful are members of Christ--has Christ as its head, governing his body from
heaven. And although this head is located out of sight of the body, he is, however,
joined to it by love" (St Augustine, "Enarrationes in Psalmos", 56, 1).
The Church's remarkable unity derives from the Holy Spirit who not only assem-
bles the faithful into a society but also imbues and vivifies its members, exercising
the same function as the soul does in a physical body: "In order that we might be
unceasingly renewed in him (cf. Eph 4:23), he has shared with us his Spirit who,
being one and the same in head and members, gives life to, unifies and moves
the whole body. Consequently, his work could be compared by the Fathers to the
function that the principle of life, the soul, fulfils in the human body" (Vatican II,
"Lumen Gentium", 7).
"All were made to drink of one Spirit": given that the Apostle says this imme-
diately after mentioning Baptism, he seems to be referring to a further outpouring
of the Holy Spirit, possibly in the sacrament of Confirmation. It is not uncommon
for Sacred Scripture to compare the outpouring of the Spirit to drink, indicating
that the effects of his presence are to revive the parched soul; in the Old Testa-
ment the coming of the Holy Spirit is already compared to dew, rain, etc.; and
St. John repeats what our Lord said about "living water" (Jn 7:38; cf. 4:13-14).
Together with the sacraments of Christian initiation, the Eucharist plays a special
role in building up the unity of the body of Christ. "Really sharing in the body of
the Lord in the breaking of the eucharistic bread, we are taken up into communion
with him and with one another. 'Because the bread is one, we, who are many,
are one body, for we all partake of one bread' (1 Cor 10:17). In this way all of us
are made members of his body (cf. 1 Cor 12;27), 'and individual members of one
another' (Rom 12:5)" ("Lumen Gentium", 7).
Alternate 2nd Reading: Galatians 5:16-25
The Fruits of the Spirit and the Works of the Flesh (Continuation)
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[16] But I say, walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh.
[17] For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the
Spirit are against the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you
from doing what you would. [18] But if you are led by the Spirit you are not un-
der the law. [19] Now the works of the flesh are plain: immorality, impurity, li-
centiousness, [20] idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness,
dissension, party spirit, [21] envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn
you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit the
kingdom of God. [22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kind-
ness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness, self-control; against such there is
no law. [24] And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with
its passions and desires. [25] If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the
Spirit.
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Commentary:
17-21. The fall of Adam and Eve left us with a tendency to seek created things
for our own pleasure, instead of using them to lead us to God. The desires of
the flesh make their appearance, urges which are at odds with God and with all
that is noble in our personality. But when grace enters our soul and justifies us,
we share in the fruits of the Redemption wrought by Christ and we are enabled
to conquer our concupiscence and life according to the flesh.
The vices referred to in vv. 19-21 have their roots in something much deeper--life
"of the flesh". And, St Augustine asserts, "it is said that someone lives according
to the flesh when he lives for himself. Therefore, in this case, by 'flesh' is meant
the whole person. For everything which stems from a disordered love of oneself
is called work of the flesh" ("The City of God", 14, 2).
This is why we find included in the "works of the flesh" not only sins of impurity
(v. 19) and faults of temperance (v. 21 ) but also sins against the virtues of reli-
gion and fraternal charity (v. 20).
"Significantly, when speaking of 'the works of the flesh' Paul mentions not only
'immorality [fornication], impurity, licentiousness [...], drunkenness, carousing'--
all of which objectively speaking are connected with the flesh; he also names
other sins which we do not usually put in the 'carnal' or 'sexual' category --
'idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, envy' [...]. All these sins are
the outcome of 'life according to the flesh', which is the opposite to 'life accor-
ding to the spirit"' (John Paul 11, "Address", 7 January 1981).
Therefore, as the Apostle says, anyone who in one way or other obstinately per-
sists in his sin will not be able to enter the Kingdom of heaven (cf. 1 Cor 6:9-10;
Eph 5:5).
22-25. When someone lets himself be led by his instincts he is said to be lea-
ding an "animal life"; whereas, if he acts as his reason advises, he is leading a
rational, human, life. Similarly, when one allows the Holy Spirit to act, one's life
becomes life according to the Spirit--a supernatural life, a life which is no longer
simply human but divine. This is what happens when a person is in the state of
grace and is mindful of the treasure he bears within.
"Alone! You are not alone. We are keeping you close company from afar. Be-
sides..., the Holy Spirit, living in your soul in grace--God with you--is giving a
supernatural tone to all your thoughts, desires and actions" (St. J. Escriva,
"The Way", 273).
The soul then becomes a good tree which is known by its fruits. Its actions re-
veal the presence of the Paraclete, and because of the spiritual delight they give
the soul, these actions are called fruits of the Holy Spirit (cf. St Thomas Aquinas,
Summa theologiae, I-II, q. 70, a. 1).
"Those blessed fruits enumerated by the Apostle (Gal 5:22) the Spirit produces
and shows forth in the just, even in this mortal life--fruits replete with all sweet-
ness and joy. Such must, indeed, be from the Spirit 'who in the Trinity is the love
of the Father and the Son, filling all creatures with immeasurable sweetness' (St
Augustine, "De Trinitate", 6, 9)" (Leo XIII, "Divinum illud munus", 12).
Gospel Reading: John 20:19-23
Jesus Appears to the Disciples
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[19] On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors shut where
the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and
said to them, "Peace be with you." [20] When He had said this, He showed
them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the
Lord. [21] Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has
sent Me, even so I send you." [22] And when He had said this, He breathed on
them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. [23] If you forgive the sins of
any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."
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Commentary:
19-20. Jesus appears to the Apostles on the evening of the day of which He rose.
He presents Himself in their midst without any need for the doors to be opened,
by using the qualities of His glorified body; but in order to dispel any impression
that He is only a spirit He shows them His hands and His side: there is no longer
any doubt about its being Jesus Himself, about His being truly risen from the
dead. He greets them twice using the words of greeting customary among the
Jews, with the same tenderness as He previously used put into this salutation.
These friendly words dispel the fear and shame the Apostles must have been
feeling at behaving so disloyally during His passion: He has created the normal
atmosphere of intimacy, and now He will endow them with transcendental powers.
21. Pope Leo XIII explained how Christ transferred His own mission to the Apos-
tles: "What did He wish in regard to the Church founded, or about to be founded?
This: to transmit to it the same mission and the same mandate which He had
received from the Father, that they should be perpetuated. This He clearly
resolved to do: this He actually did. 'As the Father hath sent Me, even so I send
you' (John 20:21). 'As Thou didst send Me into the world, so I have sent them
into the world' (John 17:18). [...] When about to ascend into Heaven, He sends
His Apostles in virtue of the same power by which He had been sent from the
Father; and He charges them to spread abroad and propagate His teachings (cf.
Matthew 28:18), so that those obeying the Apostles might be saved, and those
disobeying should perish (cf. Mark 16:16). [...] Hence He commands that the
teaching of the Apostles should be religiously accepted and piously kept as if it
were His own: 'He who hears you hears Me, and he who rejects you rejects Me'
(Luke 10:16). Wherefore the Apostles are ambassadors of Christ as He is the
ambassador of the Father" ([Pope] Leo XIII, "Satis Cognitum"). In this mission
the bishops are the successors of the Apostles: "Christ sent the Apostles as He
Himself had been sent by the Father, and then through the Apostles made their
successors, the bishops, sharers in His consecration and mission. The function
of the bishops' ministry was handed over in a subordinate degree to priests so that
they might be appointed in the order of the priesthood and be co-workers of the
episcopal order for the proper fulfillment of the apostolic mission that had been
entrusted to it by Christ" (Vatican II, "Presbyterorum Ordinis", 2).
22-23. The Church has always understood--and has in fact defined--that Jesus
Christ here conferred on the Apostles authority to forgive sins, a power which is
exercised in the Sacrament of Penance. "The Lord then especially instituted the
Sacrament of Penance when, after being risen from the dead, He breathed upon
His disciples and said: "Receive the Holy Spirit...' The consensus of all the
Fathers has always acknowledged that by this action so sublime and words so
clear the power of forgiving and retaining sins was given to the Apostles and their
lawful successors for reconciling the faithful who have fallen after Baptism"
(Council of Trent, "De Paenitentia", Chapter 1).
The Sacrament of Penance is the most sublime expression of God's love and
mercy towards men, described so vividly in Jesus' parable of the prodigal son (cf.
Luke 15:11-32). The Lord always awaits us, with His arms wide open, waiting for
us to repent--and then He will forgive us and restore us to the dignity of being His
sons.
The Popes have consistently recommended Christians to have regular recourse
to this Sacrament: "For a constant and speedy advancement in the path of virtue
we highly recommend the pious practice of frequent Confession, introduced by
the Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit; for by this means we grow in
a true knowledge of ourselves and in Christian humility, bad habits are uprooted,
spiritual negligence and apathy are prevented, the conscience is purified and the
will strengthened, salutary spiritual direction is obtained, and grace is increased
by the efficacy of the Sacrament itself" (Pius XII, "Mystici Corporis").
Alternate Gospel Reading: John 15:26-27; 16:12-15
A Hostile World (Continuation)
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(Jesus said to His disciples,) [26] "But when the Counsellor comes, whom I shall
send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father,
He will bear witness to Me; [27] and you also are witnesses, because you have
been with Me from the beginning.
The Action of the Holy Spirit (Continuation)
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(Jesus said to His disciples,) [12] "I have yet many things to say to you, but you
cannot bear them now. [13] When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you
into all the truth; for He will not speak of His own authority, but whatever He hears
He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come. [14] He will
glorify Me, for He will take what is mine and declare it to you. [15] All that the
Father has is Mine; therefore I said that He will take what is Mine and declare it
to you."
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Commentary:
26-27. Just before the Ascension our Lord will again charge the Apostles with the
mission to bear witness to Him (cf. Acts 1:8). They have been witnesses to the
public ministry, death and resurrection of Christ, which is a condition for belonging
to the Apostolic College, as we see when Matthias is elected to take the place of
Judas (cf. Acts 1:21-22). But the public preaching of the Twelve and the life of the
Church will not start until the Holy Spirit comes.
Every Christian should be living witness to Jesus, and the Church as a whole is a
permanent testimony to Him: "The mission of the Church is carried out by means
of that activity through which, in obedience to Christ's command and moved by the
grace and love of the Holy Spirit, the Church makes itself fully present to all men
and peoples in order to lead them to the faith, freedom and peace of Christ by the
example of its life and preaching, by the sacraments and other means of grace"
(Vatican II, "Ad Gentes", 5).
13. It is the Holy Spirit who makes fully understood the truth revealed by Christ.
As Vatican II teaches, our Lord "completed and perfected Revelation and con-
firmed it...finally by sending the Spirit of truth" (Vatican II, "Dei Verbum", 4). Cf.
note on John 14:25-26.
14-15. Jesus Christ here reveals some aspects of the mystery of the Blessed
Trinity. He teaches that the Three Divine Persons have the same nature when
He says that everything that the Father has belongs to the Son, and everything
the Son has belongs to the Father (cf. John 17:10) and that the Spirit also has
what is common to the Father and the Son, that is, the divine essence. The
activity specific to the Holy Spirit is that of glorifying Christ, reminding and
clarifying for the disciples everything the Master taught them (John 16:13). On
being inspired by the Holy Spirit to recognize the Father through the Son, men
render glory to Christ; and glorifying Christ is the same as giving glory to God
(cf. John 17:1, 3-5, 10).
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase
The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.
[참고: 이 파일은 저서명 "가톨릭 교회의 말씀 전례에 따른 성경공부 해설서"(엮은이: 소순태, 출판사: 가톨릭출판사)의 각주의 연장으로 마련되었습니다].