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WORD FOR MISSION Every week EUNTES.NET
offers
to lay, religious people and priests an itinerary of reflections on the
Sunday Liturgy in a missionary prespective. These are elements for a
missionary meditation, individual or in community, on the Word of God ,
which constantly and surprisingly continues to enlighten, strengthen
and sustain the missionary journey of the Church, for the life of the
World
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Spirit of mercy, peace, unity and mission  Pentecost
(Whit) Sunday
Acts
2:1-11 Reflections
The Jewish feast of Pentecost had turned into a remembrance of the great alliances God had made with his people (with Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jeremiah, Ezechiel...). Now at precisely the moment of Pentecost (v.1) there is the gift of the Spirit, given to us as the definitive beginning of a new life; it is the Spirit of unity, of faith, of love, of the plurality of charismata and cultures. The first two Readings join together very effectively unity and diversity, which are two gifts of the same Spirit: diverse peoples that make up the map of the world, understanding a language that is common to them all. St. Paul attributes clearly to the Spirit the ability to make the Church one and many in the plurality of charisms, ministries and activities (vv.4-6). The Spirit wants a Church that is rich in a variety of gifts, but united; a Church that does not cancel differences, but is able to make the best use of all of them. Because they are its wealth!
The Holy Spirit is the greatest fruit of Easter from the death (Jn.10:30) and Resurrection of Jesus (Gospel Reading), who breathes out the Spirit over his disciples: “Receive the Holy Spirit. For those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven. (vv.22-3). It is the Spirit of the Mercy of God for the forgiveness of sins. Therefore it is also the Spirit of peace: with God and with one’s brethren. It is the Spirit of unity in plurality. It is sthe Spirit of the Universal mission – indeed, the leader and main agent of the mission (cf. RMi cap.III: EN 75s) which Jesus entrusts to the Apostles and their successors. “As the Father has sent me, so am I sending you” (v.21). They are words that link forever the mission to the Father, to save the world, with love (Jn.15:9). {longer reflections on these aspects can be found in the comments of Sundays II and VI of Easter}.
The breath of Jesus over the Apostles in the evening of Easter (v.22) is already Pentecost for John, and calls to mind the new creation which is the work of the Spirit. A well-known exegetist explains: “The gesture of breathing on them symbolises the appearance of a new humanity; however, the Apostles who are the object of this gesture are considered by Jesus not as the starting-point of this new creation, but rather as collaborators with Christ and the Holy Spirit in carrying out this grandiose design: it is normally through mediation that men are torn from the power of sin and receive new life.” (A. Feuillet). In a real action, even though by ways not visible to us, the Spirit disposes peoples’ hearts, even those of non-Christians, for the necessary saving encounter with Christ, as the Council teaches us. (*)
Closely linked to the creative and renewing work of the Spirit is His action that can heal and cure the bodies and souls of men and women. It is a real and effective power, to which the missionary world is particularly sensitive, even though it is not always easy to discern. This healing power does reach bodies, but much more often it touches the human spirit, healing its inner wounds and pouring out the balsam of reconciliation and peace. In such a sensitive area, the missionary action of the Church needs to move with greater impulse and creativity. Leaving aside excessive fears and trusting more in the Spirit.
The Pope’s words(*) “All this holds true not only for Christians, but for all men of good will in whose hearts grace works in an unseen way. For, since Christ died for all men, and since the ultimate vocation of man is in fact one, and divine, we ought to believe that the Holy Spirit in a manner known only to God offers to every man the possibility of being associated with this paschal mystery”. Vatican Council II, Gaudium et Spes 22 (Text quoted three times by John Paul II in his Encyclical Redemptoris Missio, n. 6.10.28)
In the steps of Missionaries- 11/5: Bl. Ceferino Namuncurá (1886-1905), born in Argentina, belonging to the Mapuche tribe in Araucania; he died in Rome, as a young aspirant of the Salesians of Don Bosco, “in the odour of sanctity”. - 11/5: Anniversary of Fr. Matteo Ricci (1552-1610), an Italian Jesuit who was a missionary in China. He lived and worked and died in Beijing and was buried there. He was the pioneer of a new form of being a Christian missionary in China. - 13/5: Anniversary of the Apparitions of our Lady at Fatima (Portugal, 1917). - 13/5: The Fifth General Conference of the Episcopate of Latin America was opened in 2007 at Aparecida (Brazil) by Pope Benedict XVI. - 14/5: St. Matthias, Apostle, called to become one of the group of Twelve Apostles after the Ascension (Acts 1:15-26). - 14/5: St. Theodora (Anna Teresa) Guérin (1798-1856), a French missionary nun who worked at home and then in Indianapolis (USA). - 15/5: St. Isidore, farmer (Madrid, circa 1080-1130), husband of Bl. Maria de la Cabeza: he was an example of hard work and trust in Divine Providence. - 15/5: International Day of the Family, instituted by the United Nations in 1944. - 16/5: Bl. Simon Stock (+1265), an English hermit who became a Carmelite, spreading devotion to Our Lady and consolidating the Order. He died in Bordeaux. - 17/5: St. Paschal Baylón (1540-1592), a Spanish Franciscan. Because of his love of the Eucharist and his doctrine regarding the Blessed Sacrament, Pope Leo XIII proclaimed him Patron of Eucharistic Congresses. - 17/5: Bl. Ivan Ziatyk (1899-1952), a Ukrainian Redemptorist priest. He was arrrested and condemned to forced labour in the concentration camp of Oserlag, near Irkutsk (Siberia), where he died.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Translated by Fr. J.M. Troy, mccj Website:
www.euntes.net “The Word
for Mission”
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