Pentecost – 2010 – Sermon Thoughts

Pentecost – 2010 – Sermon Thoughts
Pentecost: it is the feast of blessing and Expectation. It is the celebration on the promise of Jesus. 50 days after Passover Feast, we are in the last day of Easter season. From tomorrow onwards we are liturgically on “ordinary weeks”.
This feast has its roots in Jewish tradition. There it is named after “Shavuot” which commemorates the anniversary of the day Yahweh gave the Torah to the entire Israel, assembled at Mount Sinai. The date of Shavuot is directly linked to that of Passover. The Torah mandates the seven-week Counting of the Omer (a verbal Counting and blessing including “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments…“), beginning on the second day of Passover and immediately followed by Shavuot. This counting of days and weeks is understood to express anticipation and desire for the Giving of the Torah. On Passover, the Jewish people were freed from their enslavement to Pharaoh; on Shavuot they were given the Torah and became a nation committed to serving God.
In the Bible, Shavuot is called the Festival of Weeks and Day of the First Fruits. In this way it is also connected to the season of the grain harvest in Israel. In ancient times, the grain harvest lasted seven weeks and was a season of gladness. It began with the harvesting of the barley during Passover and ended with the harvesting of the wheat at Shavuot.
Also ‘7’ symbolizes fullness, in the scriptures. Now 7 times 7 means fullness of fullness.
Some theologians point out that, the institution of Eucharist and the reception of the Holy Spirit occurred in the same ‘upper room’. In that way it has another meaning. The gift, that Jesus handover to us, the Eucharist was blessed by the coming of the Holy Spirit. Eucharist without the presence of the Holy Spirit is meaningless. Because the consecration of bread and vine happens by the power of the Spirit of God.
Once the proclamation of the Apostles was fruitful, as Jesus sent them in order to test them (Mk 6, 13). Now in the absence of Jesus, they were unable to do that. They were not strong enough to proclaim Jesus even though they shared from the Table of Jesus. And now, just like to the bread and vine, there happens another consecration: As they were blessed by the Holy Spirit, they could speak in the Name of God. Moreover they became a divine blessing too.
Pentecost: it is a feast of blessing: It is a feast on renewal. It asks me and you, how fruitful I am? How fruitful you are?
Turn our Words in to blessings? Is it healing someone? Or offending and hurting some one?

The feast hat got a special narration in the book of Acts. As the Apostles spoke, everyone understood them. Each one in his own mother tongue!
It asks me on this day, what kind of language do I speak?
How my word is communicating?
Whether I understand and realize the background of the receivers of my words and comments?
It also asks me, how I understand the language of the Church? How do I understand my Parish priest? How do I understand my brothers and sisters in faith in Jesus?

I, my words, my Church; how much understanding is there?
Are they places of healing? Place of salvation? Place of unity?

The Holy Spirit is in us. Among us! Through Baptism, confirmation & other sacraments we live with him.
As on Pentecost the church was begun, now and every day Church is called to begin anew. She has to bring divine unity, healing and understanding through her proclamation.
Let us pray for the fruits of the Spirit! Let us pray for his help in our faith.
May he lead us all to unity and healing!
May God bless this Pentecost Celebration turn to the celebration of fullness of all the blessings. Amen!
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Fr Thomas Kalathil