May 28, 2023, Pentecost (Year A)
We hear two passages about the coming of the Holy Spirit this weekend. In the Gospel (Jn 20: 19-23) we hear a passage about Jesus breathing the Holy Spirit on the disciples. This seems to conflict with the First Reading (Acts 2: 1-11) and the sending of the Spirit on the day Pentecost.
In this Gospel passage from John, it is the first day of the week (Easter) and the disciples are locked in a room for fear of the Jews. Suddenly, Jesus comes to stand in their midst. He greets them with “Peace be to you” (Jn.20:19b) and after he says this he shows them the wounds in his hands and feet to prove that it is really him. They disciples are elated to see the Lord. Once again he gives them peace and he commissions them “As the Father has sent me, I also send you.” (Jn 20- 21b). When he says this he breathes his Spirit on them. He then gives them the power to forgive or retain the peoples’ sins.
In the First Reading the disciples are again locked in the room. It is the Feast of Pentecost, a holiday of the Jews which commemorates the reception of the Torah by the Israelites. It occurs fifty days after the feast of Passover when they were in the desert with Moses after the escape from Egypt. On this day the Jews also saw the fire and heard the thunder surrounding Moses on Mount Sinai. In a similar fashion, on this day of Pentecost there is a loud sound which comes like a mighty wind and fills the whole house where they were staying. It appears as tongues of fire parted on each of heir heads. They are filled with the Holy Spirit and, although they are only Galileans, they begin to speak to the crowds in every language. The people are shocked and amazed that they can understand the speech of the disciples each in their own languages.
This story leads one to wonder why there are what appears to be two “Pentecosts,” or two receptions of the Spirit by the disciples. Well, the Spirit could not have come on the disciples before the official Jewish holiday of Pentecost for it reinforces the covenant made with them through Moses years earlier. The Law was given to Israel at Mt. Sinai fifty days after the first Passover and Israel’s exodus from Egypt. Likewise, the law of God is written on the hearts of believers fifty days after the sacrifice of Christ, our Passover lamb. Also, Jesus did not give the apostles a permanent indwelling of the Spirit at this moment, otherwise the Spirit would not have come again to them in Acts 2. In all likelihood, Jesus was giving His disciples a symbolic and memorable introduction to the Spirit, a promise of Who was to come upon them later.
Remember, Thomas was not present at the moment, so had the Spirit been given as some might argue, how then would we explain Thomas’ absence? Did he not receive the Spirit? This dilemma is solved by concluding the Spirit was not involved in this moment, except as symbolized by Jesus’ breath. It also explains why this event had no permanent impact on the disciples comparable to that of Pentecost. Evidently there was only one coming of the Spirit on these disciples, and that happened on Pentecost.
For now, the breadth on them from Jesus would give them the braveness to contemplate the power they were about to receive on the true Pentecost. This moment was a demonstration of what Jesus would do at Pentecost after He returned to the Father. Jesus was standing with them in His physical presence to indicate what He was preparing to do later by the Spirit. Therefore, Jesus was not imparting the Spirit to them in John 20 in any real sense. It explains why this event had no permanent impact on the disciples compared to that of Pentecost. They did not immediately begin their mission. They performed no baptisms nor miracles. In fact, they stayed locked in the same room until the true holiday of Pentecost which came fifty days later. They were still fearful of the Jews and only went out secretly to obtain food and supplies.
On the actual Feast of Pentecost is when the Spirit is truly imparted on the disciples. This is when we see the wind and hear the rumble, the actual presence of the Spirit and its power. It is a theophany (a revelation of God) like Moses experienced on Mount Sinai. This is when they actually receive the Spirit that gives them the power of Jesus to spread the Gospel to all of the world.
This is also why they are able to speak in multiple languages. They must be able to reach beyond the borders of Israel to continue the mission of the Lord. That the giving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost took place in the presence of Jews from all over the world already is the fulfillment of the promise that Jews from the Diaspora (surrounding nations) are included in the Lord’s plan. The apostles represent the nucleus of the people that is being restored, and the audience represent all the lands to which the Jews had been dispersed. It marks the beginning of the mission of the Christian Church, it is the birth of the Church.
The Holy Spirit remains active in the world, in the Church, still today. We receive the Holy Spirit at Baptism and further spiritual gifts at Confirmation. Because these occasions leave an indelible mark they can happen only once in a person’s lifetime. Regardless of what church or denomination where a Christian is baptized it can not be repeated later at a different church. We might say that confirmation is the completion of Baptism.
The anointing with oil during these sacramental rituals conforms us more fully to Christ. The Holy Spirit bestows seven gifts which are wisdom, understanding, knowledge, fortitude, counsel, piety, and fear of the Lord. These are used to assist us in our mission and witness as Christians. In the book of Galatians (5:22-23) St. Paul also mentions nine fruits of the Spirit. These fruits are the evidence, the outward display, of the Holy Spirit’s work within a Christian. They are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Like any gifts we might receive we have options on how to use them. We might just leave the fruits and gifts to remain idle in our hearts or we might use them for the sake of building up the Church. It’s up to us to decide.
