This past Sunday the Church celebrated Pentecost. We asked our National Chaplain Mgr. John Marsland if he would share his reflection on this:
Like many others during this lock-down period I have discovered “Zoom”. For those who haven’t, this is a technology that enables you to have a meeting on the screen of your computer with several other people from anywhere in the world. You can see them and talk with them as if they were in the room. I had a meeting yesterday with ten people from different countries. What an amazing possibility – a miracle of communication – that has made this time of isolating and distancing a new opportunity to be in touch with family, friends, colleagues near and far. One of the facilities of this zooming programme is the “shared screen” which means the host of the get together can share a document or a picture or video or music with everyone.
The first Pentecost was a miracle of communication. The disciples of Jesus found themselves speaking and being understood by people from all over the known world. The Acts of the Apostles gives us an impressive list and tells us that what they spoke about was the marvels and wonders of God. The “host” of the gathering was the Holy Spirit and the “shared screen” was the amazing love of God made known in the person of Jesus.
The name Pentecost comes from the name of a Jewish harvest festival called “Shavuot” meaning "week" or "seven," and alludes to the fact that this festival happens exactly seven weeks (i.e. "a week of weeks") after Passover. It is a day on which Jewish people celebrate the giving of the “Torah”, the law of God for his people, to Moses.
At Pentecost the followers of Christ celebrate a new gift, the Holy Spirit. God’s law of love is seen in person, in His beloved Son, Jesus, who teaches us and shows us by example faithful obedience to his Father’s will, forgiveness, even of enemies, the dignity of the poorest, care and healing for the sick, justice for the badly treated and reward for the peacemakers.
The Holy Spirit opens our hearts and minds to the person of Jesus, helps us understand the meaning of his teaching for our lives and enables us to put it into practice with enthusiasm. In the words of James Blunt’s song, on my sister’s playlist, the Holy Spirit “starts the spark in our bonfire hearts” and makes our faith more than just words on a page or good intentions in our brain.
On this great feast of the Church we feel the pain of not being able to celebrate together at Mass and the spiritual hunger of not being able to receive the Lord in Holy Communion. We ask the Holy Spirit to make up for it in some way. The readings for today include the ancient hymn written in the 9th century, “Veni CreatorSpiritus” Come Holy Spirit, a prayer of healing, refreshment and enlivenment, physical, mental and social. Pray it all if you can. These words stood out for me:
Come, thou Father of the poor,
Come with treasures which endure
Come, thou light of all that live!
Let us be conscious that though apart we are gathered together in Christ. Our invitation is our baptism, our host is the Holy Spirit and the shared screen says: “Peace be with you”.
Fr John
