Gospel Lectio Divina for The Pentecost Sunday - May 28, 2023
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
READ
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”
MEDITATE
When the doors were locked.
Have I locked the doors to my own heart and soul out of fear? Have I closed my heart out of fear of what God may think of me, what others may think of me? God already knows everything I have done. As for other people, why might I fear their impression of me? If I receive some form of social comfort from being accepted by them, I am dependent on them in an unhealthy way. Who would want that? Why not unlock the door then, and let God in? Why not let other people in? I have nothing to hide. We all have nothing to hide. We are all broken, and we all need God.
Sometimes I lock the door to my heart and soul while hoping that God will break in. When God appeared to the disciples in this passage, he probably passed right through the doors to help prove that he was God. In a similar way, sometimes I want God to prove he is God by breaking down my barriers. I will play devil’s advocate and put everything I believe aside, hoping that God proves himself beyond a reasonable doubt so I no longer need faith. But there is fear in this decision too. I’m afraid of what would happen if I did take a leap of faith. I’m afraid that, whatever I see as evidence of God would just be seen as such because I’m seeing everything through the lens of faith. So I even fear my own judgment of reality. When I lock the door, I’m not only distrusting the outside world. I’m also not trusting myself. What will it take for us to trust in not only God but also ourselves, so we can have confidence in God’s genuine outreach to us and not doubt its authenticity?
Peace be with you.
When Jesus speaks of peace, he is talking about inner peace. He wants us to be free of burdens and to live the life we truly want to live. I have heard some faithful people, and even saints, say they are willing to be slaves to his will, but I don’t think that is what he wants. We ought to live our lives in a disciplined manner, following all of his commandments, but ultimately God wants us to be free. His commandments are designed to give us the freedom and peace he created us to have. He does not want life in him to prevent us from doing what we want. God wants us to live life abundantly.
I know many Christians who have experienced the abundant life Christ mentions. They are all doing things they are passionate about, and the Church is supporting them. Similarly, when I was younger my friends and I started a Catholic magazine for young adults. Our most generous donors were parishes, and we were just doing what we love to do. The parishes wanted to give us money to support our mission. They wanted to help prove that we can be at peace in doing God’s will, making a living doing what we love to promote God’s kingdom on earth. Every main job I’ve had since college has been within the Church’s mission to evangelize, and they’ve all been jobs that let me do what I love for a living: write and edit written content. When I found out the Church could help me in my endeavors, and help me accomplish the things I wanted to accomplish in my life anyway, I thought “Why not devote my passions to the Church?” If we follow him, God is willing to give us everything we need so we can be at peace doing his will. We don’t need to worry. He’s got us covered. We just need to follow him.
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
He said ‘Peace be with you’ and then showed them his hands and his side, as if to say, ‘There is no need to fear. There is no need to doubt. It’s me. I have conquered death. Everything I said is true.’ The disciples were about to endure great tribulation for their beliefs. They needed this reassurance. God delivered. He showed them why it is worth devoting their lives to him. He alone is the way to eternal life. Everything he taught them will soon make perfect sense, once they receive the Holy Spirit.
“Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”
Jesus could have left us to figure things out on our own, and just refer back to his life and teachings for guidance, but he didn’t. He gave us the Magisterium, and gave these priests the gift of the Holy Spirit to serve as his vicars in the world. The pope is the vicar of Christ, but every priest is also a vicar. God lives vicariously through them. He did it this way because this is the most effective way to reach as many people as possible. With the sacrament of Confirmation, every baptized believer also receives the gift of the Holy Spirit. Every baptized Christian is not just a temple to the Holy Spirit, but a temple of the Holy Spirit, because the Spirit dwells within us.
The Holy Spirit living through the Body of Christ is not the only way God stays with us, though. He also gave us the Eucharist, so that not only His Spirit but also His Body can live in us. He also desires to stay in relationship with us through Scripture. He wants to stay in open communication with us through the Bible. That is why lectio divina is an important element for any prayer life.
PRAY
Dear Heavenly Father,
Anoint me with your Holy Spirit, so that as I read your eternal word, your word may penetrate my whole being and transform me. Grant me the blessing to be a faithful disciple in believing the Word of God and that I may be a light shining upon all who are in darkness. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen
LISTEN
A person’s spiritual story can be like a game of hide and seek with God. It is natural for us to hide from God, but we may not expect God to hide from us. Don’t get discouraged if he does hide. He wants us to build a deeper relationship with him when he does this. He wants to keep the search for truth, goodness, and beauty intriguing. That leads us to the listening part. If we do lectio divina correctly, we won’t cut corners on the last part, the contemplative part, where we remain quiet for a while to just listen for God to find out where he may be hiding. Sometimes, when we do this, we meet him as he walks right through the locked doors of our hearts. Deep inside though, we should remain open to him even in the midst of our fears.
Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report. He received his undergrad degree in humanities and Catholic culture from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. In addition to working with the Knights of the Holy Eucharist (knights.org), he has served as a journalist for Princeton Packet Publications, and the Trenton Monitor, the magazine for the Diocese of Trenton. Some of his published work can also be found in St. Anthony Messenger, Catholic Herald (UK), and Catholic World Report. For the latter he is managing editor. Find more of his writing at ramblingspirit.com
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