Gospel Reflections for May 20 2018
Breaking news!
The disciples are huddled together in a room shortly after the crucifixion of Jesus and they are scared and afraid of the crowd outside. Perhaps that crowd will crucify them as they did Jesus! You can understand their fear. But then something remarkable happens.
The Holy Spirit descends upon them as a flame of love and they are transformed into courageous evangelizers of the person of Jesus. That is what the power of true and authentic love can do.
An old man walks into the confessional and says, “I am 80 years old, and I just got married to a wonderful woman half my age …and I’m Jewish.” The priest says, “You are 80 years old, you just married a woman half your age …but you are Jewish! …Why are you telling me?” The old man says, “Telling you? …I’m telling everybody!”
When you have good news about love in your heart you want everyone to know. The disciples had gone from a state of fear to tremendous love, and they want everyone to know.
They burst out of the room where they were once locked in out of fear and tell everyone of the love they now experience from the Holy Spirit.
This weekend you might hear people also shout out their joy at winning a prize in a game booth, or winning a lottery ticket, or just enjoying an exciting Carnival ride. When you are having a good time, or have received good news like a winning ticket, you let everyone know.
The Carnival here at St. Bruno’s will come to a close Sunday night, but the kind of good news we receive from the Holy Spirit can last every day of your life afterwards.
We treasure things that last, and the kind of love that lasts is especially what we treasure most. We can be sure that true and lasting love is what God promises you when your heart is open to receive the Holy Spirit, as those disciples were in Jerusalem 2000 years ago. What they experienced then is available to you now …at this Pentecost Mass.
I hope you will enjoy your parish Carnival this year, and I especially hope you are a winner at the game booths and enjoy all the rides and delicious food booths as well.
This Pentecost Sunday offers the lasting love of God and the chance to be a winner every day of your life. Let everyone know!
God Bless!
Fr. Dave
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!!!
That’s the good news!
God Bless
Well said!
Loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee our precious Holy Spirit living in us and in my family and in everyone I loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeee for He is loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!Beautiful Holy Spirit, Beautiful Faith, beautiful Life !!! We are sooooooooooooooooooooo blessed in love!!! Thank you Jesus for sending your Holy Spirit to live in us so that we might touch the world with your love and make it beautiful!!! Loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee it!!
Loveeeeee, franca and Dick
Yes, the Holy Spirit makes all things beautiful!
What an enthusiastic beginning in the life of the church, Fr. Dave!
Oh, that we had those numbers embracing the faith today!
The things that last are the things we treasure most. Who better than the Holy Spirit
can give us that, who has promised He will be with us until the end of the age..
Well said!
Dear Father Dave,
A wonderful, uplifting message. I will tuck it into my memory to recall over and over again.
Happy Days!
God bless you.
Kathleen
You are most welcome!
When reading and listening to this scripture it is exciting that the Holy Spirit is available to all of us. All we have to do is be quiet (a miracle for me) and listen and allow direction. Of course there are times when you think He is telling you to do something and you have a better idea and suggest it. Then you get this awful silence and then say “OK OK” I’ll do it your way and of course there is a blessing … Yea I know, God is always right. I just can’t help trying to give Him a “better suggestion”. One thing I know that when I get to heaven I won’t be telling God how to do it. I will be too busy on my face before Him.
By the way … why red on Pentecost? The Holy Spirit came down like a dove. I haven’t seen any red doves lately???? Just curious.. 🙂
Thanks for your question about why we wear red on Pentecost. Red is the color of fire, and so it has come to represent the fire of passion and strong emotions. We use red to remember the martyrs, whose love for Our Lord was strong enough to face even death. We wear red on Pentecost to remember the fire of faith in the disciples who burst out of the room where they had been hiding to go into the whole world to tell people about Our Lord. Red is the fire of faith that makes good things happen!
Dear Father Dave,
A most enlightening answer to Rebecca’s comment. I read all the comments to you and your subsequent responses.
Best wishes!
God’s blessings on you as well!