Lets start with our Prayer Any special intentions

Let’s start with our Prayer. Any special intentions?

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created and You shall renew the face of the earth. O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit, we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, through Christ Our Lord. Amen

May 23 rd 2021 Pentecost Sunday John 15: 26 -27; 16: 12 -15

Gospel, John 15: 26 -27; 16: 12 -15 26 Jesus said to his disciples: “When the Advocate comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who issues from the Father, he will be my witness. 27 And you too will be my witnesses, because you have been with me from the outset. 16: 12 I still have many things to say to you but they would be too much for you now. 13 But when the Spirit of truth comes he will lead you to the complete truth, since he will not be speaking as from himself; but will say only what he has learnt; and he will tell you of the things to come. 14 He will glorify me; since all he tells you will be taken from what is mine. 15 Everything the Father has is mine; that is why I said: All he tells you will be taken from what is mine. The Gospel of The Lord. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

Sunday’s Gospel is an extract from John’s account of the Last Supper, the discourse, teaching section, comes after the meal, the washing of the feet, the questions on betrayal and Jesus’ prediction of Peter’s denial. This section of John’s Gospel is full of teachings about God, the Trinity, the future without Jesus and the coming of the Holy Spirit.

v 26 What do you associate with the word “advocate”? Most people think of lawyers, who plead your case in court, and court rooms when they hear the word, advocate.

The Spirit will bear witness for Jesus. The Spirit will show that Jesus is God and will share this message with others. The Holy Spirit is described as “the Spirit of truth” – sent by the Father and Jesus. What will the Spirit do according to v 26?

v 27 Jesus expects the disciples to be his witnesses – witnesses state publicly They will be his witnesses because what they saw and give they have been with their versions of an event. The disciples will him from the very beginning and they do this in public and in know what he said Jewish and Roman and did and believe courts in the years he is the Messiah. following.

v 26 -27 It is interesting that John has Jesus talking about the Spirit witnessing for him, followed by the disciples’ testimony – Jewish law required two witnesses in order to argue a case. Think of the Jesus being tried and “false witnesses” being called.

16: 12 It should be no surprise that Jesus does not think the disciples could handle everything which will happen, as it is clear that they did not understand some of Jesus’ early teachings.

v 12 Some expected a warrior, who would overthrow the Romans – not a Suffering Servant. An example of this is the widespread baptising of Gentiles, something which did not happen originally. In Acts 10, Peter has a dream and only understands his dream after some period of discernment, when he met Cornelius, a Roman.

Later, Paul, with Peter’s backing, will go back to the Early Church community and argue successfully that the Good News is for everyone and not simply an elite form of Judaism - you don’t have to be Jewish, circumsised, to be a Christian. The Holy Spirit still influences followers in their decision making – look at the discussions taking place in the Church today – climate change, LGBTI+ issues, women’s role in the Church.

v 13 The Spirit will bring a Why is the Spirit message from God for called “the Spirit of the disciples, to help truth” in v 13? them prepare for what The Spirit will not is to come when Jesus be talking for itself, is no longer on this earth. but will be saying Just as the Spirit of what it has learned truth prepared the from the Father. disciples for the changes to live their lives, so today, the Holy Spirit, through discernment, helps to keep God’s word alive and fresh through life’s challenges – refugees, inequality.

v 14 -15 The Spirit’s role is to glorify Jesus and God, spreading the Good News taught by The success of the Jesus. This Spirit can be seen in reinforces the actions and prayers teaching of the Apostles and the Trinity, as everything Early Church. Think of which the Spirit gives the Apostles after the comes from Jesus, crucifixion, hiding away who received it from the public eye, the Father scared for themselves, in case they are next for arrest.

Suddenly, they were transformed into people who were willing to tackle the social inequality in their society, stand up in public professing their faith that Jesus was the Messiah. They were willing to stand up in court, be locked up and ultimately die for their beliefs.

v 15 It’s statements like these, throughout John’s Gospel, that sets John’s portrait of Jesus apart from the other Gospels. John stresses the divinity of Jesus, more than the other more human portraits. This statement links with John’s Prologue, 1: 1 -18, where John describes “Logos”, the Word, as God becoming human. Jesus and the Father are one and the same.

Jerusalem was packed Luke describes the events of Pentecost in with Jewish pilgrims Acts Ch 2. It is very for Shavuot – a harvest festival, 50 clear that “all the believers” are present, days after Passover, which commemorated not just the 12 the giving of the 10 Apostles and Mary, Commandments. the mother Jesus.

Shavuot is a harvest festival, however over the years the focus has moved to remembering the receiving of the Mitzvah, commandments. A key offering at Shavuot is the fruits of the harvest – there were seven of them, barley; dates; grapes; olives; pomegranates and wheat.

As for all feasts and festivals, Jewish people will try to go and celebrate in Jerusalem itself – this is why there were so many people from different places and countries in Jerusalem when the disciples received the Holy Spirit. Peter baptised 3, 000 people that day – Acts 2: 41 PENTECOST

When the disciples spoke to the crowd, they understood what the disciples were saying – “How is it, then, that all of us hear them speaking in our own language? ” Acts 2: 8

As in much of the Bible, this event is open to interpretation. Some people believe it is a miracle – somehow the crowd could hear in their own language. Other people take a figurative meaning of the words – the crowd could understand the emotions of what was being said to them. We can communicate by gesture and facial expression. There is no definitive answer, what is more important is the transformation of the From that day disciples and how they are willing to bear witnessonwards, to Jesus in public rather Christianity spread over the world. than hide away.

Catholics see the It will be a slow, teaching and power of learning process the Holy Spirit being which takes a life- passed on through the time to achieve a Sacrament of Christian life. The Confirmation – however it gifts of the Holy is not a Damascus Spirit and the experience which happens fruits of the Holy suddenly. Spirit take time through periods of development and discernment.

“The Gifts of the Holy Spirit”

If we use our gifts, this will be the result.