PENTECOST SUNDAY - MASS DURING THE DAY - Gospel (John 20:19-23) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
- NHA CHUA CHA
- Jun 9
- 5 min read
FIRST READING - Acts 2:1-11
A reading from the book of the Acts of the Apostles
When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled,
they were all in one place together.
And suddenly there came from the sky
a noise like a strong driving wind,
and it filled the entire house in which they were.
Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire,
which parted and came to rest on each one of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak in different tongues,
as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.
Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven
staying in Jerusalem.
At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd,
but they were confused
because each one heard them speaking in his own language.
They were astounded, and in amazement they asked,
"Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans?
Then how does each of us hear them in his native language?
We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites,
inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia,
Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,
Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene,
as well as travelers from Rome,
both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs,
yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues
of the mighty acts of God."
SECOND READING: 1 Cr 12,3b-7.12-13
Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.
7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by[c] one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Jn 20:19-23
From the Gospel according to John
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
PENTECOST SUNDAY - MASS DURING THE DAY - Gospel (John 20:19-23)
THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
Dear People of God,
In today’s Word of God, the Lord announces to humanity the power and authority of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is God, the Third Person of the Holy Trinity, who is always united with the Father and the Son, Jesus Christ. In God’s work of salvation, neither the Father nor the Son are ever absent. The Three Persons of the Holy Trinity are always united as one in carrying out the salvific mission of God the Father. Anyone who desires to come to God the Father and God the Son also needs the strength, power, and guidance of the Holy Spirit to lead and inspire them.
Today, many people often forget the power, strength, and activity of the Holy Spirit. He is the Spirit, the breath, and the life. He is invisible, so people cannot see Him with their physical eyes. But without His presence within and beside each person, there would be no breath, no life—humanity would not even exist.
The Holy Spirit has not only become active in the present day. Since the creation of heaven and earth—when God created all things, all creatures, and human beings—the Holy Spirit has been present in humanity. However, in today’s era, the Holy Spirit is revealed more clearly and officially so that people may come to recognize His power and strength. As Jesus Christ declared, after He returned to God the Father, He would send the Holy Spirit to dwell among humanity in a clear, official, and visible way so that people may know. As the apostles of old proclaimed: Without the guidance of the Holy Spirit, people cannot recognize the power of God the Father; they cannot do what God the Father teaches, and they cannot be united as one.
Therefore, today’s Word of God calls upon all humanity:
Run to the Holy Trinity. Ask God to grant you strength, a courageous spirit, and wisdom so that you may boldly listen to and live out the Word of God.
Whoever possesses the power of the Holy Spirit will experience the joy of the Kingdom of Heaven, and the Holy Trinity will reign within their soul. But this comes with a condition: one must live and act according to the words of the Only Begotten Son of God which is love: to love God the Father above all things, and to love others as oneself.
The Word of God today also calls all humanity to turn to the Holy Trinity and ask for strength—especially for the power and presence of the Holy Spirit to descend into your soul and mind, so that all your words, thoughts, and actions may be guided by the Spirit of the Holy Spirit. In this way, you may follow the path of righteousness to which God the Father has called you.
Be righteous. Live according to the calling that God has engraved in every human heart which are charity, forgiveness, uprightness, justice, and integrity.
Today’s Word of God also declares to humanity that the sacrifice, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ are real. He appeared to the apostles to prove to humanity that He is both truly human and truly God. He is now seated at the right hand of God the Father.
God the Father invites all people to place absolute faith in the teachings and proclamations of Jesus Christ. In addition, believe in the testimony that the apostles preached in the past—a testimony that will be preserved and handed down until the end of the world.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
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