Cycle C – PENTECOST SUNDAY – May 15, 2016

“The crowd gathered and was bewildered …”

OPENING PRAYER (Psalm 104):

Leader:Bless the Lord, O my soul.

O Lord my God, you are very great.

All:O Lord, how manifold are your works!

The earth is full of your creatures.

Leader:When you take away their breath,

they die and return to their dust.

All:When you send forth your spirit, they are created;

and you renew the face of the earth.

Amen.

First Reading – Acts 2:1-11

For John, the Holy Spirit comes in the person of the risen Jesus when the disciples are huddled in the upper room, but for Luke the Holy Spirit comes on the Jewish feast of Pentecost commemorating the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai, an event also accompanied by wind and fire. Luke demonstrates again his concern to show that this new Pentecost event is the continuation and fulfillment of the ancient prophecies. The nationalities he names in vs. 9-11 reflect the diverse origins of the Jews living in exile.

  1. How does this reading speak to you today?
  2. Has the Holy Spirit ever surprised you? How?

Second Reading – 1Corinthians 12.3B-7, 12-23

At this time in Church history many were debating who the Holy Spirit dwells in. Paul answers this question be saying it is but one Spirit that all are part of. Paul uses the analogy of the body, each part bringing different gifts, yet the body is still one.

  1. What gift do you bring into the living body of Christ?
  2. How do we dismiss the gifts of others when we don’t really understand what they are?
  3. What gift is God asking you to develop for the sake of further unifying the body of Christ?

Gospel Reading – John 14:15-16, 23B-26

Reading these words from Jesus now in the light of his resurrection adds clarity, meaning and insight. His emphasis on loving makes love the hallmark of the Christian life. And love manifests itself in deeds. Love given is love received. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would deepen our understanding of this radical commandment to love.

  1. Pentecost inspires us to see ourselves and others the way God sees us, differently yet always as one. In an often relativistic society, where not all differences build up the body of Christ, how can we love the sinner, yet hate the sin?
  2. How well does our parish community really love, who do we find difficult to love and why?
  3. How open are we to the promptings of the Holy Spirit regarding a renewal of our lives and why do we sometimes smother, or ignore these promptings?

LIVING THE WORD

What is God’s challenge to me/us this coming week?

PRAYING THE WORD

Intercession: For those who are to distracted to love in difficult situations and for all of us who have given up hope in true love.

We pray to the Lord.

(Invite personal intentions, ending with “Our Father…”)

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Leader:Spirit of God,

on this the birthday of the Church

enlarge our hearts and minds

and extend our horizons

All:with the awareness that your Body the church

includes all denominations: Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox and Anglican, that we all may one day be one.

Leader:Spirit of God, free us from prejudice and lead us to right judgment,

All:deepen our appreciation of all people

in whom God’s truth can be found.

Leader:Breathe on us as you breathed on those present at that first Pentecost

All:empower and humble us, challenge and affirm us.

We make this prayer in the name of the One

who is risen, Jesus the Christ – risen indeed.

Alleluia. Amen

Let us offer each other the peace of Christ, the peace the world can not give.