Pentecost Sunday (Cycle A) - Mass during the Day
Pentecost (Day)Lectionary: 63
In its Greek origin, the word “Pentecost” means simply “fifty” … and … for Christians … occurs 50 days after the Easter Resurrection of our Lord Jesus and marks the very beginning of the Church by the Grace of the Holy Spirit … which is why we frequently refer to the anniversary of that very first Pentecost and the birthday of the Church.
Lectionary: 63
Reading 1 - Acts 2:1-11
Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-31, 34
Reading 2 - 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13
Alleluia
Gospel - John 20:19-23
Receive the Holy Spirit
LESSON: The Church's Work: Reuniting Mankind
Today our 50 day Easter season concludes with Pentecost Sunday, commemorating that day in the early Church … when the Father and the Son poured out the Holy Spirit in a special way upon the Apostles … who then took up the mission of proclaiming the Gospel throughout the whole world. This makes Pentecost one of the most significant moments in our Christian faith. However, before it was a Catholic feast, it was a Jewish feast … and when we look at Pentecost in that context, we add a deeper and richer understanding of what it all means for us today.In its Greek origin, the word “Pentecost” means simply “fifty” … and … for Christians … occurs 50 days after the Easter Resurrection of our Lord Jesus and marks the very beginning of the Church by the Grace of the Holy Spirit … which is why we frequently refer to the anniversary of that very first Pentecost and the birthday of the Church.
The Jewish “Festival of Weeks,” known as Shavuot, is a Jewish Holy Day that is also celebrated 50 days … or a week of weeks … after Passover ... at the end of the first spring harvest, usually barley, and the start of the second harvest, typically wheat. This was a time where the people would bring to God the first fruits of their harvest and flocks, as a way of thanking God for his providence and blessings. These first fruits would be offered at the Temple … so a feast day often meant “going somewhere” … So it seems fitting that after receiving the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, the first fruits of the Resurrection, the Disciples would dedicate these gifts in the Service of God and His Church. By the time Jesus, the Sages and Scribes had also used there traditions and scripture to determine that this was also a time to commemorate when the Ten Commandments were given to Moses on Mount Sinai after the Israelites had escaped from physical slavery in Egypt … and to acknowledge that God’s covenant enabled them to escape spiritual slavery as well (after preparing to received it for 50 days) Of course, there are a few differences to consider:
At Sinai, God wrote the His law, Ten Commandments, on stone tablets;
At Pentecost, God, with the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, wrote His law on our hearts.
At Sinai, three thousand died because of the golden calf.
At Pentecost, three thousand were added to the church.
Additionally, Pentecost has also always been closely associated with the concept of the Jubilee … which is celebrated by counting seven weeks of years (forty-nine years) and then observing the fiftieth year as the forgiveness of debts and the restoration of families to their land. In the Jubilee, debts were forgiven so that Israelites were released from debt servitude and could return to live with their families. So forgiveness had the goal of family reconciliation. We see this also in Pentecost, when Jews and converts are gathered from all the nations of the world and experience the forgiveness of sins through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, forming a new, reconciled family. This reconciliation of the human family is established in principle, acknowledging that it is sin which alienates, and its removal that reconciles. We see an echo of this reconciliation in today’s Gospel message from St John.
On Pentecost, the people of Jerusalem marveled that they heard the voices of the disciples speaking in their own native tongues. The whole world was listening, and the whole world could hear! What is happening over time is a reversal of the Tower of Babel.
At Babel, Scripture describes a world that is socially united—“one language and the same words”—and then used that unity for self-glorification. The people decide, “Come, let us make bricks… and let us build… a tower… and let us make a name for ourselves.”
Notice what drives the plan: not truth, not service, not worship—rather, the instinct to secure power and identity. They even justify their project with fear: “otherwise we shall be scattered”—as if safety were achieved by human conquest of the heavens.
So God “comes down,” not to envy them, but to confront what the tower represents. Then comes the judgment: their language is confused. The goal is exposed. Their unity was not ordered toward God and neighbor; it was ordered toward themselves. Therefore God frustrates that self-enclosed project by confusing communication.
Consider a modern “tower” that doesn’t look like stone and mortar. It might be a life organized around status, a community organized around winning, a family organized around being right, a workplace organized around control. Often these are built from good materials—talent, ambition, discipline—but the finishing touch is hidden: “let us make a name for ourselves.” Babel tells us what happens when unity is built on pride: the human heart fractures, communication collapses, and the tower becomes a symbol of spiritual confusion.
At Pentecost, the Lord has undone the confusion of Babel. At Pentecost, the Spirit fills the apostles and the result is outward, mission-driven speech: “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages.” And the crowd interprets the miracle theologically: each hears “in our own native language… about God’s deeds of power.”
One of the greatest miracles of Pentecost isn't that everyone suddenly spoke the same language—it’s that everyone heard the Gospel in their own language. The Holy Spirit doesn't want us to be carbon copies of one another. St Paul tells is in1 Corinthians: “There are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit … To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” This is one of the most important truths in the entire Church’s teaching on Pentecost. The Spirit does not make everyone identical; he makes everyone necessary. He does not flatten the Church into sameness; he creates a living body in which many members serve one another.
But as members, we are also responsible for carrying this work forward.
One way to do so is by breaking down barriers. Barriers are things like fear, misunderstanding, prejudice, jealously, envy, resentment, grudges. These are at the root of all the conflicts that threaten world peace. But all those large scale conflicts can always be traced back to conflicts in individual hearts. If we learn to break down barriers in our own hearts, we will become more effective builders of unity in the world around us.
One of the barriers that come up most frequently in our daily lives is that of misunderstanding. This is also known as "lack of communication" or "miscommunication". An international business consulting firm did a study a few years ago about the most common obstacles to productivity. They concluded that over 85% of problems in the business world stem from miscommunication. In family relationships, I would imagine that the percentage is even higher.
Jesus has given us the method for breaking down this common barrier. Before allowing ourselves to pass judgment on someone, we should make an effort to see things from their perspective. Until we can express the other person's point of view even better than they can, we should probably refrain from passing judgment on it.
At Sinai, God wrote the His law, Ten Commandments, on stone tablets;
At Pentecost, God, with the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, wrote His law on our hearts.
At Sinai, three thousand died because of the golden calf.
At Pentecost, three thousand were added to the church.
Additionally, Pentecost has also always been closely associated with the concept of the Jubilee … which is celebrated by counting seven weeks of years (forty-nine years) and then observing the fiftieth year as the forgiveness of debts and the restoration of families to their land. In the Jubilee, debts were forgiven so that Israelites were released from debt servitude and could return to live with their families. So forgiveness had the goal of family reconciliation. We see this also in Pentecost, when Jews and converts are gathered from all the nations of the world and experience the forgiveness of sins through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, forming a new, reconciled family. This reconciliation of the human family is established in principle, acknowledging that it is sin which alienates, and its removal that reconciles. We see an echo of this reconciliation in today’s Gospel message from St John.
ILLUSTRATION: A Mission to Humanity
Alongside Passover and Sukkot, Pentecost is one of the three pilgrimage festivals, marked in ancient times by the gathering of the entire Israelite people at the Temple in Jerusalem ... So Pentecost unfolds in a setting already rich with cultural diversity. Pilgrims from “every nation under heaven” gathered in one place, bringing with them different languages, customs, and worldviews.On Pentecost, the people of Jerusalem marveled that they heard the voices of the disciples speaking in their own native tongues. The whole world was listening, and the whole world could hear! What is happening over time is a reversal of the Tower of Babel.
At Babel, Scripture describes a world that is socially united—“one language and the same words”—and then used that unity for self-glorification. The people decide, “Come, let us make bricks… and let us build… a tower… and let us make a name for ourselves.”
Notice what drives the plan: not truth, not service, not worship—rather, the instinct to secure power and identity. They even justify their project with fear: “otherwise we shall be scattered”—as if safety were achieved by human conquest of the heavens.
So God “comes down,” not to envy them, but to confront what the tower represents. Then comes the judgment: their language is confused. The goal is exposed. Their unity was not ordered toward God and neighbor; it was ordered toward themselves. Therefore God frustrates that self-enclosed project by confusing communication.
Consider a modern “tower” that doesn’t look like stone and mortar. It might be a life organized around status, a community organized around winning, a family organized around being right, a workplace organized around control. Often these are built from good materials—talent, ambition, discipline—but the finishing touch is hidden: “let us make a name for ourselves.” Babel tells us what happens when unity is built on pride: the human heart fractures, communication collapses, and the tower becomes a symbol of spiritual confusion.
At Pentecost, the Lord has undone the confusion of Babel. At Pentecost, the Spirit fills the apostles and the result is outward, mission-driven speech: “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages.” And the crowd interprets the miracle theologically: each hears “in our own native language… about God’s deeds of power.”
One of the greatest miracles of Pentecost isn't that everyone suddenly spoke the same language—it’s that everyone heard the Gospel in their own language. The Holy Spirit doesn't want us to be carbon copies of one another. St Paul tells is in1 Corinthians: “There are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit … To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” This is one of the most important truths in the entire Church’s teaching on Pentecost. The Spirit does not make everyone identical; he makes everyone necessary. He does not flatten the Church into sameness; he creates a living body in which many members serve one another.
APPLICATION: Breaking Down Barriers
We are members of this Church, and so we have all benefited from its mission of unity - the Church has reached out to each of us and brought us into God's family.But as members, we are also responsible for carrying this work forward.
One way to do so is by breaking down barriers. Barriers are things like fear, misunderstanding, prejudice, jealously, envy, resentment, grudges. These are at the root of all the conflicts that threaten world peace. But all those large scale conflicts can always be traced back to conflicts in individual hearts. If we learn to break down barriers in our own hearts, we will become more effective builders of unity in the world around us.
One of the barriers that come up most frequently in our daily lives is that of misunderstanding. This is also known as "lack of communication" or "miscommunication". An international business consulting firm did a study a few years ago about the most common obstacles to productivity. They concluded that over 85% of problems in the business world stem from miscommunication. In family relationships, I would imagine that the percentage is even higher.
Jesus has given us the method for breaking down this common barrier. Before allowing ourselves to pass judgment on someone, we should make an effort to see things from their perspective. Until we can express the other person's point of view even better than they can, we should probably refrain from passing judgment on it.
That's what Jesus did.
Instead of passing judgment on sinful humanity, he came down from heaven and lived among us. He showed that he knew our perspective. And so he was able to break down mankind's misunderstanding of God and open the way for a renewed relationship of trust.
Today we will receive Jesus in Holy Communion. When we do, we should promise that this week we will follow in his footsteps, doing our part in this great Pentecostal mission of uniting a divided world.
Today we will receive Jesus in Holy Communion. When we do, we should promise that this week we will follow in his footsteps, doing our part in this great Pentecostal mission of uniting a divided world.
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