I Have Come to Set Fire
Pentecost Sunday
“Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.”Ps. 104
“I have come to set fire to the earth; and how I wish it were already lit!”Luke 12:49
It is what Jesus longed for, to fulfill the prophecy of Joel, that the Spirit would fill the earth, that everyone would be filled with the Love of God that is the Holy Spirit.
“…because the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”Romans 5:5
That is what Jesus came to, to fill the earth with faith, hope and love, because by faith we open ourselves to the hope and love of God and we are able to love. The gift of the Spirit is the greatest thing we can have, for with Him we are beloved children of God, with eternal life, who should no longer fear death, for we must not fear in ourselves the One who is Life and Giver of Life. That’s why Jesus said:
“It is true what I say to you: it is in your interest that I go, because as long as I do not leave, the Protector will not come to you. I’m leaving, and it’s to send it to you.”John 16:7
“I still have many things to say to you, but now you cannot bear them. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth.”John 16:12
“But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”John 14:26
This is how Jesus speaks to us of the Holy Spirit, as the one who would continue his work among us, guiding his Church, as he did from the beginning. We see the early apostles prompted by the Spirit, as Acts of the Apostles relates.
Before the coming of the Spirit, they were afraid, locked up, without living what Jesus had taught them. But with the Spirit they will begin to live, to proclaim the Good News with courage, to manifest that Christ was alive, with his words and deeds, as the Church has been doing for centuries. That is why the Spirit is defined as the soul of the Church. The body without a soul is dead. The Spirit is what gives us Life.
It is with the guidance of the Spirit that Christ promises his Church that he began the work of the Church, of evangelization, proclamation and charity. It was also the Spirit who inspired them to write down the divine revelation we have in the New Testament. As well as to discern the errors and heresies that from the beginning wanted to infiltrate the Church. In councils of bishops with the pope they asked for the assistance of the Spirit who continued to guide them. This is how the Sacred Scripture, the Bible, the creed, etc. were also summarized.
Come Holy Spirit, kindle in us the fire of your love.
Readings for the Week
Sunday: Vigil: Gn 11:1-9 or Ex 19:3-8a, 16-20b or Ez 37:1-14 or Jl 3:1-5/Ps 104:1-2, 24, 35, 27-28, 29, 30 (see 30)/Rom 8:22-27/Jn 7:37-39
Extended Vigil: Gn 11:1-9/Ex 19:3-8a, 16-20b/Ez 37:1-14/Jl 3:1-5/Ps 104:1-2, 24, 35, 27-28, 29, 30 (see 30)/Rom 8:22-27/Jn 7:37-39
Day: Acts 2:1-11/Ps 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34 (see 30)/1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13/Jn 20:19-23
Monday: Gn 3:9-15, 20 or Acts 1:12-14/Ps 87:1-2, 3 and 5, 6-7/Jn 19:25-34
Tuesday: Sir 35:1-12/Ps 50:5-6, 7-8, 14 and 23/Mk 10:28-31
Wednesday: Zep 3:14-18a or Rom 12:9-16/Is 12:2-3, 4bcd, 5-6/Lk 1:39-56
Thursday: Sir 42:15-25/Ps 33:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9/Mk 10:46-52
Friday: Sir 44:1, 9-13/Ps 96:10, 11-12, 13/Mk 11:11-26
Saturday: Sir 51:12cd-20/Ps 19:8, 9, 10, 11/Mk 11:27-33
Next Sunday: Ex 34:4b-6, 8-9/Dn 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56 (52b)/2 Cor 13:11-13/Jn 3:16-18
Observances for the Week
Sunday: Pentecost Sunday
Monday: Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church; Memorial Day
Tuesday: World Day of Prayer for Vocations
Wednesday: The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Thursday: St. Justin, Martyr
Friday: Sts. Marcellinus and Peter, Martyrs
Saturday: St. Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs
Next Sunday: The Most Holy Trinity