Sunday, June 4, 2017

Project BLACK MAMBA: Pentecost Sunday

'Tis the Solemnity of Pentecost Sunday: Pentecost-link & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine.

Scripture of the Week
Mass Readings—Solemnity of Pentecost Sunday: Mass during the Day
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter two, verses one thru eleven;
Psalm One Hundred Four, verses one, twenty-four, twenty-nine & thirty, thirty-one, & thirty-four;
The First Letter to the Corinthians, chapter twelve, verses three(b) thru seven, twelve, & thirteen;
The Gospel according to John, chapter twenty, verses nineteen thru twenty-three.

Commentary: Video Pentecost Gospel reflection by Jeff Cavins: Encountering the Word.

Pentecost Gospel reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, In our Gospel for today, drawn from St. John’s account, Jesus shows his disciples the wounds of his crucifixion, and then he offers them Shalom (peace). It is the juxtaposition of the wounds and the Shalom that carries power. The wounds alone would leave us afraid, convinced of our sin but not of a way out. The Shalom alone would leave us with cheap grace, a too easy way out.

And this is precisely why, immediately after uttering that word and showing those wounds, Jesus sends the disciples on a mission of forgiveness: “Then he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive men’s sins they are forgiven them; if you hold them bound, they are held bound.’”

The Church receives its essential mission and identity as the bearer of the divine forgiveness. We have been entrusted with speaking the Shalom of Jesus to a fallen and hopeless world. But it’s not cheap grace that we share. We participate in Jesus’ mission of showing his wounds as well. The Church refuses to explain sin away or make excuses for it or call it by another name. But when those wounds are revealed, it offers peace.
Mass Journal: Week 23
Reflection by Matthew Kelly, founder of the Dynamic Catholic Institute:
As Catholics, the one thing we do more than anything else is celebrate. Everything the Church does is centered around a celebration. We celebrate life. We celebrate the changing seasons with the richness of the Church's calendar. We celebrate excellence by honoring the saints, the heroes of our faith. We celebrate birth & eternal life with baptism & burial. We celebrate truth, beauty, & goodness by seeking them out wherever they are to be found & honoring them in our everyday lives. We celebrate Christmas & Easter. We celebrate pilgrimage—our common journey & our own individual journeys. We celebrate salvation. We celebrate forgiveness with reconciliation. We celebrate total dedication to the service of God's people with Holy Orders. We celebrate education. We celebrate communion with God & community with the Mass. We celebrate unity by seeking to bridge the gap. We celebrate love with marriage. We celebrate…

Otherwise, 4 June would be the festival of Saint Metrophanes of Byzantium, Bishop (died circa 325): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

'Twould also be the festival of Saint Francis Caracciolo, Priest, C.R.M. (1563-1608), co-founder of the Adorno Fathers, formally the Clerks Regular Minor: Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link C.R.M.

Commentary: Wayback Machine.

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