GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY : Sunday - June 05, 2022

 

Sunday - June 05, 2022

While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, 

be careful to have it even more fully in your heart.

 

-- St. Francis of Assisi

June 5, 2022

Pentecost Sunday
Lectionary: 63

 

Reading 1                                                     Acts 2:1-11

 

When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled,

they were all in one place together.

And suddenly there came from the sky

a noise like a strong driving wind,

and it filled the entire house in which they were.

Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire,

which parted and came to rest on each one of them.

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit

and began to speak in different tongues,

as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.

 

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven

staying in Jerusalem.

At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd,

but they were confused

because each one heard them speaking in his own language.

They were astounded, and in amazement they asked,

“Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans?

Then how does each of us hear them in his native language?

We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites,

inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia,

Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,

Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene,

as well as travelers from Rome,

both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs,

yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues

of the mighty acts of God.”

 

Responsorial Psalm                                              Ps 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34

 

R (cf. 30) Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.

 

Bless the LORD, O my soul!

            O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!

How manifold are your works, O LORD!

            the earth is full of your creatures;

R Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.

 

May the glory of the LORD endure forever;

            may the LORD be glad in his works!

Pleasing to him be my theme;

            I will be glad in the LORD.

R Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.

 

If you take away their breath, they perish

            and return to their dust.

When you send forth your spirit, they are created,

            and you renew the face of the earth.

R Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.

 

Reading 2                                                     1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13

 

Brothers and sisters:

No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

 

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit;

there are different forms of service but the same Lord;

there are different workings but the same God

who produces all of them in everyone.

To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit

is given for some benefit.

 

As a body is one though it has many parts,

and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body,

so also Christ.

For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body,

whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons,

and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.

 

OR:

 

Rom 8:8-17

 

Brothers and sisters:

Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

But you are not in the flesh;

on the contrary, you are in the spirit,

if only the Spirit of God dwells in you.

Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

But if Christ is in you,

although the body is dead because of sin,

the spirit is alive because of righteousness.

If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,

the one who raised Christ from the dead

will give life to your mortal bodies also,

through his Spirit that dwells in you.

Consequently, brothers and sisters,

we are not debtors to the flesh,

to live according to the flesh.

For if you live according to the flesh, you will die,

but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body,

you will live.

 

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,

but you received a Spirit of adoption,

through whom we cry, “Abba, Father!”

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit

that we are children of God,

and if children, then heirs,

heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ,

if only we suffer with him

so that we may also be glorified with him.

 

Sequence                                                                 Veni, Sancte Spiritus

Come, Holy Spirit, come!

And from your celestial home

            Shed a ray of light divine!

Come, Father of the poor!

Come, source of all our store!

            Come, within our bosoms shine.

You, of comforters the best;

You, the soul’s most welcome guest;

            Sweet refreshment here below;

In our labor, rest most sweet;

Grateful coolness in the heat;

            Solace in the midst of woe.

O most blessed Light divine,

Shine within these hearts of yours,

            And our inmost being fill!

Where you are not, we have naught,

Nothing good in deed or thought,

            Nothing free from taint of ill.

Heal our wounds, our strength renew;

On our dryness pour your dew;

            Wash the stains of guilt away:

Bend the stubborn heart and will;

Melt the frozen, warm the chill;

            Guide the steps that go astray.

On the faithful, who adore

And confess you, evermore

            In your sevenfold gift descend;

Give them virtue’s sure reward;

Give them your salvation, Lord;

            Give them joys that never end. Amen.

            Alleluia.

 

Alleluia                                                                     

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful

and kindle in them the fire of your love.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel                                                                       Jn 20:19-23

On the evening of that first day of the week,

when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,

for fear of the Jews,

Jesus came and stood in their midst

and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.

The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.

As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”

And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,

“Receive the Holy Spirit.

Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,

and whose sins you retain are retained.”

 

OR:

 

Jn 14:15-16, 23b-26

 

Jesus said to his disciples:

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

And I will ask the Father,

and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always.

 

“Whoever loves me will keep my word,

and my Father will love him,

and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.

Those who do not love me do not keep my words;

yet the word you hear is not mine

but that of the Father who sent me.

 

“I have told you this while I am with you.

The Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name,

will teach you everything

and remind you of all that I told you.”

 

*****************

Dealing with the Den of Thieves 

And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.  Acts 2:2-4

 

Do you think there was really a “noise like a strong driving wind” at this first outpouring of the Holy Spirit?  And do you think there really were “tongues as of fire” that came and rested on everyone?  Well, there most likely was!  Why else would have it been recorded that way in the Scriptures?

 

These physical manifestations of the coming of the Holy Spirit were made present for numerous reasons.  One reason was so that these first recipients of the full outpouring of the Holy Spirit would have concretely understood that something amazing was happening.  By seeing and hearing these physical manifestations of the Holy Spirit they were more properly disposed to understand that God was doing something awesome.  And then, upon seeing and hearing these manifestations, they were touched by the Holy Spirit, consumed, filled and set on fire.  They suddenly discovered within themselves the promise Jesus made and they finally began to understand.  Pentecost changed their lives!

 

We most likely have not seen and heard these physical manifestations of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, but we should rely upon the witness of those in the Scriptures to allow ourselves to arrive at a deep and transforming faith that the Holy Spirit is real and wants to enter our lives in the same way.  God wants to set our hearts on fire with His love, strength and grace so as to effectively live lives that effect change in the world.  Pentecost is not only about us becoming holy, it’s also about us being given all we need to go forth and bring the holiness of God to all those we encounter.  Pentecost enables us to be powerful instruments of the transforming grace of God.  And there is no doubt that the world around us needs this grace.

 

As we celebrate Pentecost it would be helpful to ponder the primary effects of the Holy Spirit in a prayerful way.  Below are the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit.  These Gifts are the primary effects of Pentecost for each and every one of us.  Use them as an examination of your life and let God show you where you need to grow more deeply in the strength of the Holy Spirit.

 

Today's Prayer

 

Lord, send forth Your Spirit in my life and set me on fire with the Gifts of Your Spirit.  Holy Spirit, I invite You to take possession of my soul.  Come Holy Spirit, come and transform my life.  Holy Spirit, I trust in You.

 

 

God Bless You.....

Rosary Family

The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”