Homily for Pentecost Sunday (Cycle A)
Based on Jn
20:19-23 (Gospel), Ac 2:1-11 (First Reading) and 1 Co 12:3b-7, 12-13
(Second Reading)
From the Series: “Reflections and Teachings of the
Desert”
PENTECOST
“Receive the Holy
Spirit…” (Jn 20:22)
What
is the Holy Spirit?
I have read an online article on the Holy Spirit of
God from the Restored Church of God website that reads: “
Most professing Christians have their own differing ideas about the
Holy Spirit. Some people believe it is a “phantom-like” being. Others believe
that it is a part of a “trinity,” along with God and Jesus Christ. Some even
believe that the Holy Spirit is some type of spiritual dove, flying around,
“spreading love.” However, we have seen that the Bible teaches otherwise!
Recall the phrase “…the Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the POWER of the
Highest shall overshadow you…” (Luke 1:35)….The POWER of God is the Holy
Spirit….God’s Holy Spirit is the most powerful force in the universe (From:
www.rcg.org, “
Exercise God’s Spirit!”,
by David C. Pack, pp. 1 and 5).
Another article on the same topic from the same
website says:
“I repeat:
the Holy Spirit is the power of God. When the term “power” is used today (for
instance: “By the power vested in me…”), it never implies that such power does
something of its own accord (like a
person does). It is understood that
someone is using that power, wielding it—exercising it—distributing it—to
accomplish something. Does electricity have a mind of its own (like a person does)? Does nuclear energy? Does solar power? All sources of power are used
to do various kinds of work and must be replenished. The same is true of God’s
Spirit…. We have shown that the Holy Spirit is not a
person—but rather the power by which God works.
(From: www.rcg.org, “
The
Trinity - Is God Three-In-One?” by David C. Pack,
p. 76 and 97 “Exactly What Is the Holy Spirit?”).
Having said this, we now proceed and go verse by
verse to the three readings for this Pentecost Sunday and see whether the above
assertion that the Holy Spirit is indeed merely the power by which God works or
performs is true or not. Later, we shall make our own conclusion.
We start with the gospel for this Sunday, the one
taken from Jn 20:19-23, regarding the appearance
of Jesus Christ to the disciples.
Verse 19 says:
“In the evening of the same day, the
first day of the week, the doors were closed in the room where the disciples
were,i for fear of the Jews. Jesus came and stood among them. He
said to them. ‘Peace be with you’, Footnote
i says: Add.
‘assembled’.
Parallel texts for this verse are:
a.
Jn 16:16- In a short time you will no longer see me, and then a short time later
you will see me again.
b. Jn
14:27 - Peaces I bequeath to
you, my own peace I give you, a peace the world cannot give, this is my gift to
you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. Footnote s for this verse says: “The customary Jewish greeting and farewell, cf. Lk. 10:5p; it means
soundness of body but came to be used of the
perfect happiness and the deliverance which the Messiah would bring. All
this Jesus gives.”
Verse 20 says:
And showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy when
they saw the Lord.
Parallel texts for this verse are:
a. Lk
24:16 - But something prevented them
from recognizing him.d Footnote d says: “In
the apparitions described by Lk and Jn, the disciples do not at first recognize
the Lord: they need a word or a sign, Lk. 24:30f,35,37,39-43; Jn 20:14 and
16,20; 21:4 and 6-7; cf. Mt. 28:17. This is because the risen body, though the
same body that died on the cross, is in a new condition; its outward appearance
is therefore changed, Mk. 16:12, and it is exempt from the usual physical laws,
Jn 20:19. On the condition of glorified bodies, cf. 1 Co. 15:44+.”
b. 1
Jn 1:1 - Something which had existed
since the beginning, that we have heard, and we have seen with our own eyes;
that we have watched and touched with our hands: the Word, who is life - this
is our subject.
c.
Jn 15:11 - I have told you this so that my own joye
may be with you and your joy be complete. Footnote e sates
that: “The perfect happiness of the
messianic era which is communicated by the son of God.”
d.
Jn 16:22 - So it is with you: you are sad now, but I shall see you again, and
your hearts will be full of joy, and that joy no one shall take from you.
Verse 21 says: And
he said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so am I
sending you.
Parallel texts are:
a. Jn
4:38 - I sent you to reap a harvest you
have not worked for. Others worked for it; and you have come into the rewards
of your trouble.’l Footnote l says that: “The reapers are the apostles, the sowers those who have labored before them, especially Jesus.”
b. Jn
17:18 - As you sent me into the world, I
have sent them into the world.
c. Mt
28:19 - Go, therefore, make disciples of
all the nations, baptize them in the name of the father and of the Son and of
the Holy Spirit,g and teach them to observe all the commands I gave
you. Footnote g says that
“It may be that this formula, so far
as the fullness of its expression is concerned, is a reflection of the
liturgical usage established later in the primitive community. It will be
remembered that Ac speaks of baptizing ‘in the name of Jesus’, cf. Ac. 1:5+. But whatever variation is
formula, the underlying reality is the same.”
d. Mk
16:15 - And he said to them, ‘Go out to
the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation…
e. Lk
24:47f - And that, in his name, repentance
for the forgiveness of sins would be preached to all the nations, beginning
from Jerusalem. You are witnesses to this.
Verse 22 is important for this
feast because it mentions the Holy Spirit that was given by Jesus Christ to his
disciples as a breath of his. This verse says: After saying this he breathedj on them and said: ‘Receive
the Holy Spirit. Footnote j states that “The breath of Jesus is the symbol of the
Spirit (‘breath’, in Hebrew); he send forth the Spirit who will make all things
new, Gen. 1:2; 2:7; Ezk. 37:9; Ws 15:11; See Jn 19:30+ and Mt. 3:16+.”
Let us see the parallel texts of this verse: to
wit:
a.
Jn 1:33 - I did not know him myself, but he who sent me to baptize with water had
said to me, “The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and rest in the one
who is going to baptize with the Holy Spirit”.y Footnote
y - This phrase sums up the whole purpose of the Messiah’s
coming, cf. Jn 1:1+, namely, that mankind might be born again in the spirit:
the O.T. had already foretold it,cf. Ac. 2:33+. The Spirit rests on him, Is.
11:12, 42:1, Jn 1:33, and so he can confer it on others baptism on the Spirit,
cf. here and Ac 1:5+), but only after his resurrection, Jn 7:39,16:7,8,20:22;
Ac.2. For Jesus came in the flesh, 1 Jn. 4:2, 2 Jn 7, flesh that was
corruptible, Jn 1:14+, and it is only when he is ‘lifted up; and has gone to
the Father that his body, glorified now, is fully endowed with divine,
life-giving power. Thenceforward the Spirit flows to the world from his body as
from an inexhaustible spring, Jn 7:37-39, 19:34, cf. Rm. 5:5+. For the water
symbolism, cf. Jn 4:1+.
b.
Ac 1:8 - But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.i and
then you will be my witnessesj not only in Jerusalem but throughout
Judaea and Samaria, and indeed to the ends of the earth’.k Footnotes
i
– The Holy Spirit is a favorite theme of Luke (Lk 4:1+); he talks mostly about
the Holy Spirit as a Power, Lk 1:35; 24:49;Ac 1:8;10:38; Rm 15:13,19; 1 Co
2:4,5; 1 Th 1:5; Heb 2:4, sent from God
by Christ, Ac 2:38, to broadcast the Good News. 1. The Spirit gives the
charismata, 1 Co 12:4f, that guarantee the message; the gift of tongues, Ac
2:4+, of miracles, 10:38, of prophecy, 11:27+; 20:23; 21:11, of wisdom,
6:3,5,10:2, the Spirit fives strength to proclaim Jesus as Messiah in spite of
persecution 4:8,31; 5:32; 6:10;cf. Ph 1;19 and to bear witness to him, Mt.
10;20p; Jn 15:26; Ac 1:8; 2 Tm 1:7f,cf. following note; 3. The Spirit guides
the Church in her major decisions: the
admission of pagans, Ac 8:29,40; 10:19,44-47; 11;12-16; 15:8, without
obligation to observe the Law, 15:28;
Paul’s mission to the pagan worlds, 13:2f; 16:6-7; 19:1 (Western Text) cf. Mt.
3:16+,Ac also mentions the Spirit as
received in baptism and forgiving sins, 2:38, cf. Rm 5:5+. j – The primary
functions of the apostles is to bear witness: not only to Christ’s
resurrection, Lk. 24:48, Ac 2:32, 3:15, 4:33, 3:32, 24:48,13;31, 22:15, but
also to the whole of is public life, Lk 1:21, Jn 15:27, Ac. 1:22, 10:39f. k-
nothing can limit the apostolic mission.
c.
Ac 2:2 - Men of Israel, listen to what I am going to
say;n Jesus of Nazareth was a man commended to you by God by the
miracles and portents and signs that God worked through him when he was among
you, as you all know. Footnote n – The content of the
earliest apostolic preaching (the ‘kerygma’) is here summarized for the first
time; cf. the five discourses of Peter, Ac. 2:14-39, 3:12-26; 4:8-12, 5:29-32,
10:34-43, and the discourse of Paul. 13:16-41. The kerygma is 1. a witness, 1:8+,
to Christ’s death and resurrection, 2:24+, and to his exaltation, 2:33+; 2:36+,
2. It also provides certain details of Christ’s ministry; how it was heralded
by John the Baptist, 10:37, 13:24, inaugurated by teaching and miracle, 2:22,
10:38, completed by the appearances of the risen Christ, 10:40,41, 13:31, and
by the gift of the Spirit, 2:33, 5:32. 3. It places this story in its wider
setting: it appeals to the past, adducing the OT prophecies, 2:23+; 2:35+, and
it surveys the future, the advent of the messianic era, inviting Jews and
pagans to repentance, 2:38+, so that Christ’s glorious return may come the
sooner, 3:20-21. The gospels, which are development of the primitive preaching,
adopt the same theme.
The First Reading is from Ac 2:1-11, which is the
story about the first Christian Pentecost.
Verse 1 says: When
Pentecost day came round, theya had all met in one room,
Parallel text for this verse is Ex 23:14, which
says “The great feastsd.
Three times a year you are to celebrate a feast in my honor”. Footnote d states that: “The four Pentateuchal traditions have each a
calendar of the great religious feasts: Ex 23:14-17 ‘Elohistic’; Ex. 34:18-23
‘Yahwistic’; Dt 16:1-16 ‘Deuteronomic’; and the ‘Priestly tradition of Lv
23 with which the liturgical regulations
of Nb 28-29 correspond. In the various texts appear further details of ritual
but the three principal feasts remain those laid down by Ex 23. 1. In Spring
the feast of Unleavened Bread, including the Passover, see notes to 12:1 and
11.2. The feast of Harvest, called ‘feast of Weeks’ in Ex 34:22; it was
held seven weeks, Dt 16:9, or fifty
days, Lv 23:16, after the Passover (hence its Greek name ‘Pentecost’, Tb 2:1)
and marked the end of the wheat harvest; at a later date it also commemorated
the giving Law on Sinai. 3. The feast of Ingathering of grapes and olives in
the autumn; it was called The feast of tabernacles (or Shelters), Dt 16:13; Lv
23:34, because during the week’s festivities the people lived in huts made in
the vineyard; these shelters reminded the Israelites of their ancestors’ tents
in the wilderness, Lv 23:43. Of these three feast the most popular seems to
have been Ingathering or Tabernacles, which is called simply the
‘feast’ in 1 K 8:2,65; Ezk 45:25. Later, other feast were added: the religious
New Year, Lv 23:24; the Day of Expiation, Lv 16 and 23:27-32; and after the
Exile: Purim, Est 9:24; Dedication, 1 M 4:59; the Day of Nikanor, 1 M 7:49.”
Verse 2 says: When
suddenly they heard what sounded like a powerful wind from heaven,b
the noise of which filled the entire house in which they were sitting…
Footnote b says that “The Spirit is like the wind, and the same
word is used for both ‘spirit’ and ‘breath’.
Parallel texts for this second verse
a.
Ac 4:31 - As they prayed, the house where
they were assembled rocked; they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began
to proclaim the word of God boldly.l
Footnote l says “A
miniature Pentecost, cf. the earlier one, 2:1f.”
b.
Ps 33:6 - By the word of Yahweh the heavens
were made, their whole array by the breath of his mouth…
c. Ps
104:30 - You give breath, fresh life begins,f you keep renewing the
world. Footnote f - says The spirit of God is the source of all being
and life.
d.
Jn 3:8 - The wind blowsd
wherever it pleases; you hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes
from or where it is going. That is how it is with all who are born of the
Spirit. Footnote d – In
Greek, as in Hebr., one word serves for both ‘wind’ and ‘spirit’.
e. Jn
20:22 - After saying this he breathedj on them and said…Footnote j
says: “The breath of Jesus is the symbol
of the Spirit (‘breath’, in Hebrew); he sends forth the Spirit who will make
all things new, Gen. 1:2; 2:7; Ezk. 37:9; Ws 15:11; See Jn 19:30+ and Mt. 3:16+.”
Verses 3 and 4 say:
And something appeared to them
that seemed like tongues of fire;c these separated and came to rest
on the head of each of each of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit,d
and began to speak foreign languages as the Spirit gave them the gift of
speech.
Footnotes c and d says: c - The shape of
the flames (Is. 5:24; cf. Is 6:6-7) is here associated with the gift of
tongues. d - One element, vv. 4.11,13, of the Pentecost
Miracle is the gift of glossolalia common in the early Church: see 10:46, 11:15
19:6, 1 Co. 12-14; cf. Mk 16:17, cf early prophecy in Israel, Nb. 11:25-59, 1S.
10:5-6,10-13, 19:20-24, ik.22:10,cf. the promise of Joel, 3:1-5, quoted by
Peter, vv. 17f.
Parallel texts are:
a.
Ac 1:5 - John baptized with water but you, not many
days from now, will be baptized e with the Holy Spirit. Footnote e – states that: “The baptism of the Spirit foretold by John
the Baptist, Mt. 3:11 p. and here promised by Jesus, will be initiated by the
outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost, Ac. 2:1-4. Subsequently, the apostles,
obedient to Christ’s command, Mt 28:19, will continue to make use of baptism in
water, Ac. 2:41, 8:12, 38, 9:18, 10:48, 16:15, 33, 18:8, 19:5, as the ritual
initiation into the messianic kingdom, cf. Mt. 3:6+, but it will be ‘in the
names of Jesus’, Ac. 2:38+, and through belief in Christ as savior, cf. Rm 6:4+, will be able to absolve from sins
and to give the Spirit, Ac. 2;38.
Connected with this Christian baptism by water, there is the companion rite of
the ‘imposition, 1 Tm. 4:14+, the
purpose of which is to give the gifts of the spirit in as manifest a way as
they had been given at Pentecost, Ac. 8:16-19, 9:17-18, 19:5-6 (but cf.
10:1-48); this is the origin of the sacrament of confirmation. Side by side
with these Christian sacraments the baptism of John was for a time still being
administered by certain of the less instructed early Christians, Ac. 19:3.”
b.
Ac 19:6 - And the moment Paul had laid hands on them the Holy Spirit came down on
them, and they began to speak with tongues and to prophesy.
d.
Ac 1:8 - But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.i and
then you will be my witnessesj not only in Jerusalem but throughout
Judaea and Samaria, and indeed to the ends of the earth’.k Footnotes
i
– The Holy Spirit is a favorite theme of Luke (Lk 4:1+); he talks mostly about
the Holy Spirit as a Power, Lk 1:35; 24:49;Ac 1:8;10:38; Rm 15:13,19; 1 Co
2:4,5; 1 Th 1:5; Heb 2:4, sent from God
by Christ, Ac 2:38, to broadcast the Good News. 1. The Spirit gives the charismata,
1 Co 12:4f, that guarantee the message; the gift of tongues, Ac 2:4+, of
miracles, 10:38, of prophecy, 11:27+; 20:23; 21:11, of wisdom, 6:3,5,10:2, the
Spirit fives strength to proclaim Jesus as Messiah in spite of persecution
4:8,31; 5:32; 6:10;cf. Ph 1;19 and to bear witness to him, Mt. 10;20p; Jn
15:26; Ac 1:8; 2 Tm 1:7f,cf. following note; 3. The Spirit guides the Church in
her major decisions: the admission of
pagans, Ac 8:29,40; 10:19,44-47; 11;12-16; 15:8, without obligation to observe
the Law, 15:28; Paul’s mission to the
pagan worlds, 13:2f; 16:6-7; 19:1 (Western Text) cf. Mt. 3:16+,Ac also mentions
the Spirit as received in baptism and
forgiving sins, 2:38, cf. Rm 5:5+. j – The primary functions of the
apostles is to bear witness: not only to Christ’s resurrection, Lk. 24:48, Ac
2:32, 3:15, 4:33, 3:32, 24:48,13;31, 22:15, but also to the whole of is public
life, Lk 1:21, Jn 15:27, Ac. 1:22, 10:39f. k- nothing can limit the
apostolic mission.
c. Ws
1:7 - The spirit of the Lord, indeed,
fills the whole world, and that which holds all things togetheri
knows every word that is said.j Footnotes i states that “A phrase from the Stoic vocabulary,
emphasizing the function of the spirit of the Lord which maintains the cosmos
in unity (cf. the part ascribed to Christ, Col. 1:17;Heb 1:3). The notion is
new; the OT knew God as sole creator, Gn 1+; Is 42:8+, but had considered his
activity in the universe only from the point of view of omniscience and
ubiquity, Am 4:13; 9:2-3; Jr 23:24; 1 K 8:27; Jb 34:21-23; Ps 139:7-12; Si 42:
18-20” and j states taht “Lit. ‘has knowledge of sounds’. The liturgy
of Pentecost applies this text to the ‘gift of tongues’, Ac 2:2-4.”
Verse 5 says: Now
there were devout mene living in Jerusalem from every nation under
heaven…Footnote e - ‘devout men’ Sin. Western Text ‘ Now the
Jews who were living in Jerusalem were men of every nation under heaven’. The
other texts have both ‘devout men’ and
‘Jews’.
Parallel text for this verse is Lk 24:47 that says:
“And that, in his name,
repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached to all the nations,
beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses to this.”
Verse 6 says: And
at this sound they all assembled, each one bewildered to hear these men
speaking his own language.f Footnote f states
that “A second characteristic of the
Pentecost miracle: the apostles speak a universal language; the unity lost at
Babel is restored. This symbolizes and anticipates the apostles’ worldwide
mission.”
Parallel texts are:
a.
Mt 28:19 - Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations, baptize them in the
name of the father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,g and teach
them to observe all the commands I gave you. Footnote g
states that “It may be that this formula,
so far as the fullness of its expression is concerned, is a reflection of the
liturgical usage established later in the primitive community. It will be
remembered that Ac speaks of baptizing ‘in the name of Jesus’, cf. Ac. 1:5+. But whatever variation is
formula, the underlying reality is the same.”
b.
Col 1:23 - As
long as you persevere and stand firm on the solid base of your faith, never letting
yourselves drift away from the hope promised by the Good News, which you have
heard, which has been preached to the whole human race,l and of
which I, Paul, have become the servant. Footnote l states
that “Lit ‘to all creation under the sky’.
Verses 7 up to
11 say: They were amazed and astonished. ‘Surely’ they said ‘all these men
speaking are Galileans? How does it happen that each of us hears them in his
own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; people from Mesopotamia,
Judaea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the
parts of Libya round Cyrene; as well as visitors from Rome - Jews and
proselytesg alike-
Cretans and Arabs; we hear them preaching in our own language about the marvels
of God. Footnote g
- Pagan converts to Judaism who joined
the chosen race by being circumcised. These proselytes are not the same as the
God-fearers, 10:2+, who admire the Jewish religion and attend the synagogue but
do not accept circumcision or the ritual prescribed by the Law. Jews and
proselytes are not here additional classes of people: the terms qualify the
nations just enumerated.
Parallel texts for these verses are the following:
a.
For verse 7 - Gn 11:1-9 - The tower of Babela Throughout the earth, men spoke the same
language, with the same vocabulary. Now as they moved eastwards they found a
plain in the land of Shinarb where they settled. They said to one
another, ‘Come, let us make bricks and bake them in the fire’. - For stone they
used bricks and for mortar they used bitumen. - ‘Come,’ they said ‘let us build
ourselves a town and a tower with its top reaching heaven. Let us make a name
for ourselves, so that we may not ne scattered about the whole earth.’ Now
Yahweh came down to see the town and the tower that the sons of man had built.
’So they are all a single people with a single language!’ said Yahweh. ‘This is
but the start of their undertakings!’ There will be nothing too hard for them
to do. Come, let us go down and confuse their language on the spot so that they
can no longer understand one another.’ Yahweh scattered them thence over the
whole face of the earth, and they stopped building the town. It was named
Babel, therefore, because there Yahweh confusedc the language of the
whole earth. It was from there that Yahweh scattered them over the whole face
of the earth. Footnotes a - This
‘Yahwistic’ narrative gives a different explanation of the diversity of peoples
and tongues: mankind sinned and this was its punishment; it was a sin of
overweening pride (v. 4) like that of our first parents, ch. 3. Unity will be
restored only in Christ the savior, cf. the Pentecostal gift of tongues, Ac
2:5-12, and the gathering of all nations in heaven, Rv 7:9-10; b
- Babilonia, see 10:10; Is. 11:11; Dn 1:2
and c - ‘Babel’ is here explained by the root bll ‘to confuse’; the name actually means ‘gate of the
gods’.
b.
For verse 11 - Ac 10:2 - He and the whole of his
household were devout and God-fearing,b and he gave generously to
Jewish causes and prayed constantly to God. Footnote b says “The
expressions ‘fearing God’, 10:2,22, 35, 13:16, and ‘worshipping God’ 13:43, 50,
16:14, 17:4,17,18:7, are technical terms for admirers and followers of the
Jewish religion who stop short of circumcision, cf. 2:11+.”
c.
For verse 11 - Ac 10:46 - Since they could hear
them speaking strange languages and proclaiming the greatness of God. Peter
himself then said…
d.
For verse 11 - 1 Co 14:23 - So that any uninitiated people or
unbelievers, coming into the meeting of the whole church where everybody was
speaking in tongues, would say you were all mad…
The Second Reading is from 1 Co 12:3b-7, 12-13.
First verse of this scripture is Verse 3b which
says “And on the other hand, no one can
say, ‘Jesus is Lord’ unless he is under the influence of the Holy Spirit.”
Parallel texts are:
a.
Ac 2:21+,36- All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.m For
this reason the whole House of Israel can be certain that God has made this
Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ.v Footnotes m
- The Christians style themselves ‘those who invoke on the name of the Lord’,
9:14,21; 22:16; 1 Co 1:2; 2 Tm 2:22; the title ‘Lord’ no longer indicates
Yahweh but Jesus, cf. Ph 2:11; Ac 3:16. On Judgment day people will be received
or rejected according as they have or have not invoked this name, i.e.
acknowledged Jesus as Lord; see Ac 4:12 and Rm 10:9; and v-
Conclusion of the argument from scripture. It is by his resurrection that Jesus
has been constituted the ‘Lord’ of whom Ps 110 speaks, and the ‘Messiah”
(Christ) to whom Ps 16 refers. From Ps. 2:7 (Son of God), Ac 13:33+; Heb. 1:5;
5:5; Rom. 1:4+ develop a similar argument. Cf. also Ac 5:31 (leader and
savior); 10:42 and Rom 14:9 (Judge and Lord of the living and dead); Ph. 2:9-11
(glorified Lord).
b. Rm 10:9 - If your lips confess that Jesus is
Lord and if you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,e
ten you will be saved. Footnote e says: e
- Profession of faith, such as is made at baptism, is the outward expression of
the inward commitment of the ‘heart’.
c. Ph 2:11 - And that every tongue should acclaim
o Jesus Christ as Lord, p to the glory of God the Father.
q Footnotes o
– Var. ‘and every tongue shall acclaim’.
p – Om. ‘Christ’. This proclamation is the essence of the Christian
creed, Rm. 10:9, 1 Co. 12:3, cf. Col. 2:6. The use of Is. 45:23 (in which this
homage is addressed to Yahweh himself) is a clear indication of the divine
character that is meant to be understood by the title Kyrios, cf. Jn. 20:28,
Ac. 2:36. q - Vulg.
Interpretation is ‘proclaim that Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the
Father’.
Second, third and fourth verses are verse 4, 5, and 6 that say: There is a variety of gifts but always the
same Spirit; there are all sorts of service to be done, but always to the same
Lord; working in all sorts of different ways in different people, it is the
same God who is working in all of them.c Footnote c
of verse 6 says: “Note again the
Trinitarian formulation, cf. 6:11; 2 Co 13:13+.”
Parallel texts are:
a.
Ep 4:5 - There is one Lord, one faith, one Baptism.
b. 1
P 4:10 - Each one of you has received a
special grace, so, like good rewards responsible for all these different graces
of God, put yourselves at the service of others.
The fifth verse is verse 7 that says: The
particular way in which the Spirit is given to each person is for a good purpose.
There are three parallel texts for this verse 7,
viz.:
a.
1 Co 12:28-30 - In the Church, God has given the first place to apostles, the second to
prophets, the third to teachers;l after them, miracles, and after
them the gift of healing; helpers,m good leaders,n those
with many languages. Are all of them apostles, or all of them prophets, or all
of them teachers? Do they all have the gift of miracles, or all have the gift
of healing? Do all speak strange languages, and all interpret them? Footnotes
are: l - The regular teachers
appointed for each separate church, cf. Ac 13:1+; m- Lit. ‘helpings’; voluntary gifts to works of
charity; and n - Administrators
and guides of the churches.
b.
Ac 1:8 - But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.i and
then you will be my witnessesj not only in Jerusalem but throughout
Judaea and Samaria, and indeed to the ends of the earth’.k Footnotes
i
– The Holy Spirit is a favorite theme of
Luke (Lk 4:1+); he talks mostly about the Holy Spirit as a Power, Lk 1:35;
24:49;Ac 1:8;10:38; Rm 15:13,19; 1 Co 2:4,5; 1 Th 1:5; Heb 2:4, sent from God by Christ, Ac 2:38, to broadcast the
Good News. 1. The Spirit gives the charismata, 1 Co 12:4f, that guarantee the
message; the gift of tongues, Ac 2:4+, of miracles, 10:38, of prophecy, 11:27+;
20:23; 21:11, of wisdom, 6:3,5,10:2, the Spirit fives strength to proclaim
Jesus as Messiah in spite of persecution 4:8,31; 5:32; 6:10;cf. Ph 1;19 and to
bear witness to him, Mt. 10;20p; Jn 15:26; Ac 1:8; 2 Tm 1:7f,cf. following
note; 3. The Spirit guides the Church in her major decisions: the admission of pagans, Ac 8:29,40; 10:19,44-47;
11;12-16; 15:8, without obligation to observe the Law, 15:28; Paul’s mission to the pagan
worlds, 13:2f; 16:6-7; 19:1 (Western Text) cf. Mt. 3:16+,Ac also mentions the
Spirit as received in baptism and
forgiving sins, 2:38, cf. Rm 5:5+; j – The primary functions of the apostles is to bear witness: not only to
Christ’s resurrection, Lk. 24:48, Ac 2:32, 3:15, 4:33, 3:32, 24:48,13;31,
22:15, but also to the whole of is public life, Lk 1:21, Jn 15:27, Ac. 1:22,
10:39f.; and k- nothing
can limit the apostolic mission.
c. Rm
12:6-8 - Our gifts differ according to the grace given us. If your gift is
prophecy, then use it as your faith suggests; if administration, then use it
for administration; if teaching, then use it for teaching. Let the preachers deliver
sermons, the almsgiver give freely, the officials be diligent, and those who do
works of mercy do them cheerfully.
The sixth verse is verse 12 that says: Just
as a human body, it is made up of many parts, is a single unit because all
these parts, though many, make one body, so it is with Christ.k
Footnote k - The way a human body gives unity to all its component parts is the
way Christ, as a unifying principle of the Church, gives unity to all
Christians in his Body.
Parallel texts are:
a.
1 Co 6:15 - You know, surely that your
bodies are members making up the body of Christ, do you think I can take part
in Christ’s body and join them to the body of a prostitute? Never!
b.
1 Co 10:17 - The fact that there is only
one loaf means that, though there are many of us, we form a single body because
we all have a share in this one loaf.
c.
Rm 12:4- - Just
as each of our bodies has several parts and each part has a separate function,
so all of us, in union with Christ, form one body, and as parts of it we belong
to each other. c Footnote c says “The sentence emphasizes not so much the
identification of Christians with Christ, 1 Co 12:27 as their dependence on one
another.”
d.
Ep 4:25 -
So from now on, there must be no more lies: You must speak the
truth to one another, since we are all parts of one body.
e. Col
3:15 - And may the peace of Christ reign in your hearts, because it is for this
that you were called together as part of one body. Always be thankful.
The seventh and last verse of this scripture is
verse 13 that says: In the one Spirit we
were all baptized, Jews as well as Greeks, slaves as well as citizens, and one
Spirit was given to us all to drink.
Parallel texts are:
a.
Ga 3:28 - And there are no more distinctions between Jew and Greek, slave and
free, male and female, but all of you are one in Christ Jesus. p
- Footnote p
says “Var.
‘you are all of Christ Jesus’.”
b. Ep 4:4-6 - There is one Body, one spirit,
just as you were called into one and the same hope when you were called. There is one Lord, one faith, one
baptism, and one God who is Father of all, over all, though all and within all.b
Footnote b says: Var. (Vulg.) ‘within all of us’.
c.
Col 3:11 - And in that image there is no room for
distinction between Greek and Jew, between the circumcised or the
uncircumcised, or between barbarian and Scythian, slave and free men. There is
only Christ: he is everything and he is in everything.f Footnote
f
- The new creation will not be divided
into races and religions and cultures and social classes in the way the present
creation has been since the Fall: the whole world will be reunited in Christ.
In conclusion, indeed, the Holy Spirit is not a
person just as the Trinitarians believe because, otherwise, the Apostle Paul
would not say in verse 13 of the seventh and last verse for this Sunday’s
Second Reading that the “one Spirit was given to us all to drink.” A
person is never drunk, but a power is. Therefore, the Holy Spirit is not a
person but a power of God that he uses to work.
