Like the readings for Holy Saturday (the day before Easter
Sunday), the readings for the Pentecost Vigil are different from those of
Pentecost Sunday, and each set has a slightly different way of presenting the
role of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
For the Vigil, there are four possible Old Testament readings in all,
one from Genesis, one from Exodus, one from Ezekiel, and a last one from Joel –
all of which present moments of theophany, that is, manifestations of God’s
presence among humankind. Our parish
will be hearing the reading from Genesis this year.
And Genesis provides us with a point of departure. Unlike the people settling in Shinar, who are
invested in created a structure (the so-called Tower of Babel) celebrating
their arrogance and independence from God and Other, we are called to reconnect with the
world – indeed, that is the miracle of Pentecost. How does this reconnection happen? First and foremost, through the Spirit that
we share in every dimension of our lives. Psalm 104 tells us that God sends his
life-giving breath upon us: we are thus
re-created and renewed, called upon to bless God with every breath we take – as thanksgiving in common is a
fundmental source of unity among all peoples.
The reading from Romans reminds us that the Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness, interceding for us and
helping us to open ourselves in prayer to God’s presence in our lives. And in John’s Gospel, Jesus equates
the Spirit with living water that we
are called to come… and drink. The totality of our lives is fed by Jesus, by
the love that he came to reveal to the world.
If we drink of this living water
that is the Holy Spirit, then our lives can be a source of life for others, as
we go forth from Mass, commissioned to be vehicles of God’s love revealed to
the world, (re)connecting, as Pentecost calls us to do.
This post is based on Fr. Pat's Scripture class.
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