· 25 Bede, the Venerable, Priest, and Monk of Jarrow, 735 also
referred to as Saint Bede or the Venerable Bede (Latin:
Bēda Venerābilis), was an English monk at the monastery of Saint Peter at Monkwearmouth
and its companion monastery, Saint Paul's, in modern Jarrow (see Monkwearmouth-Jarrow), Northeast
England, both of which were located in the Kingdom of
Northumbria. He is well known as an author and scholar, and his most famous
work, Historia ecclesiastica gentis
Anglorum (The Ecclesiastical History of the English People)
gained him the title "The Father of English History".
· 26 Augustine, First Archbishop of Canterbury,
605 was a Benedictine monk who became the
first Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 597.
He is considered the "Apostle to the English" and a founder of the English
Church.[1]
FIRST READING: Acts 2: 1 -
21 (RCL)
Acts 2: 1 -
11 (Roman Catholic)
Acts 2:1 (NRSV) When the day of Pentecost had come, they
were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly from heaven there came a sound
like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were
sitting. 3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested
on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to
speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under
heaven living in Jerusalem. 6 And
at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard
them speaking in the native language of each. 7 Amazed and astonished, they
asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that
we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9 Par'thians, Medes,
E'lamites, and residents of Mesopota'mia, Judea and Cappado'cia, Pon'tus and
Asia, 10 Phryg'ia and Pamphyl'ia, Egypt and the parts of Lib'ya belonging to
Cyre'ne, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cre'tans and
A'rabs--in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of
power." 12 All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another,
"What does this mean?" 13 But others sneered and said, "They are
filled with new wine."
14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice
and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem,
let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15 Indeed, these are not
drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine
o'clock in the morning. 16 No, this is what was spoken through the
prophet Jo'el:
17 "In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.
18 Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
and they shall prophesy.
19 And I will show portents in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
20 The sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day.
21 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall
be saved.'
h/t Montreal
Anglican
The day of Pentecost has come; it is now fifty days since Easter. The way
Luke puts it shows that Pentecost is a milestone in the story of salvation:
recall Luke 2:6,
“the time came for her to deliver her child ...” and Luke 9:51,
“When the days drew near for him to be taken up ...” These too are milestones,
and the language is similar. Other translations have had been fulfilled
for “had come” – the coming of the Holy Spirit is fulfilment.Look at the manner in which the Holy Spirit comes: the sound is “like the rush of a violent wind” (v. 2); and then, “divided tongues, as of fire” (v. 3). Luke attempts to describe the event in human terms, but it is never possible to explain a divine mystery: all we can do is say what it is like. The coming of the Holy Spirit is the gift inaugurating the final stage of the salvation story (or history, chronology); this era leads up to the end of time. His arrival is in fulfilment of Christ's promise, recorded in 1:8.
Acts is about mission, about speaking, proclaiming, the good news to people everywhere, in languages (and language) they can understand; Luke tells us that the Holy Spirit is the driving force behind this work, e.g. in the story of the Ethiopian Eunuch, we read “the Spirit said to Philip ...” (8:29). They spoke “in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability” (v. 4). Divided into nations in antiquity, now all humanity is one; now God is in our midst. The Spirit is the launching pad for this mission. The list in vv. 9-11 includes Jews from the whole of the known world.
The mission to Gentiles will begin later. “God's deeds of power” (v. 11), of which all spoke, are explained by Peter in vv. 14-36, based on a quotation from the book of Joel (vv. 17-18): as the end of the era in which we are living approaches, many people will prophesy, and many will “see” things beyond what we call concrete reality. And this will happen because God pours out the Holy Spirit. Prophecy here is probably enthusiastically sharing the faith, “speaking about God's deeds of power” (v. 11). The “portents” (v. 19, events that foreshadow the end of the era) are expressed in terms of primitive science but we need to realize that things will happen which make no sense to our rational minds, things we cannot explain.
.
Ezekiel 37: 1 - 14 (alt. for RCL)
Ezek 37:1 (NRSV) The hand of the LORD came upon me, and he
brought me out by the spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of a
valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me all around them; there were very many
lying in the valley, and they were very dry. 3 He said to me, "Mortal, can
these bones live?" I answered, "O Lord GOD, you know." 4 Then he
said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear
the word of the LORD. 5 Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: I will cause
breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6 I will lay sinews on you, and will
cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you,
and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the LORD."
7 So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I
prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came
together, bone to its bone. 8 I looked, and there were sinews on them, and
flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in
them. 9 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and
say to the breath: Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath,
and breathe upon these slain, that they may live." 10 I prophesied as he
commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their
feet, a vast multitude.
11 Then he said to me, "Mortal, these bones are the
whole house of Israel.
They say, "Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off
completely.' 12 Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: I
am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people;
and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 And you shall know that I
am the LORD, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people.
14 I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on
your own soil; then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken and will
act," says the LORD.
PSALM 104: 24 - 34, 35b
(RCL)
Psalm 104: 1, 24, 29 - 31,
34 (Roman Catholic)
Psal 104:1 (NRSV) Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD my God, you are very great.
You are clothed with honor and majesty,
24 O LORD, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
25 Yonder is the sea, great and wide,
creeping things innumerable are there,
living things both small and great.
26 There go the ships,
and Levi'athan that you formed to sport in it.
27 These all look to you
to give them their food in due season;
28 when you give to them, they gather it up;
when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
29 When you hide your face, they are dismayed;
when you take away their breath, they die
and return to their dust.
30 When you send forth your spirit, they are created;
and you renew the face of the ground.
31 May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
may the LORD rejoice in his works--
32 who looks on the earth and it trembles,
who touches the mountains and they smoke.
33 I will sing to the LORD as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,
for I rejoice in the LORD.
35
Bless the LORD, O my soul.
Praise the LORD!
Note: The
verse numbering in your Psalter may differ from the above.
104 Benedic, anima mea (ECUSA
BCP)
25 O
Lord, how manifold are your works! *
in wisdom
you have made them all;
the earth
is full of your creatures.
26 Yonder
is the great and wide sea
with its living things too many to number, *
creatures
both small and great.
27 There
move the ships,
and there is that Leviathan, *
which you
have made for the sport of it.
28 All of
them look to you *
to give
them their food in due season.
29 You
give it to them; they gather it; *
you open
your hand, and they are filled with good things.
30 You
hide your face, and they are terrified; *
you take
away their breath,
and they
die and return to their dust.
31 You
send forth your Spirit, and they are created; *
and so
you renew the face of the earth.
32 May
the glory of the Lord endure for ever; *
may the
Lord rejoice in all his works.
33 He
looks at the earth and it trembles; *
he
touches the mountains and they smoke.
34 I will
sing to the Lord as long as I live; *
I will
praise my God while I have my being.
35 May
these words of mine please him; *
I will
rejoice in the Lord.
37 Bless
the Lord, O my soul. *
Hallelujah!
SECOND READING: Romans 8: 22
- 27 (RCL)
Roma 8:22 (NRSV) We know that the whole creation has been
groaning in labor pains until now; 23 and not only the creation, but we
ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we
wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in hope we were saved.
Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? 25 But if we
hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do
not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs
too deep for words. 27 And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind
of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the
will of God.
1 Corinthians 12: 3b - 7,
12 - 13 (Roman Catholic)
1Cor 12:3 (NRSV) 3 [N]o one can say "Jesus is
Lord" except by the Holy Spirit.
4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5
and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; 6 and there are
varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in
everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common
good.
.
12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and
all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.
13 For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--Jews or Greeks,
slaves or free--and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
Galatians 5: 16 - 25 (alt. for Roman Catholic)
Gala 5:16
(NRSV) Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh.
17 For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit
desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to
prevent you from doing what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you
are not subject to the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious:
fornication, impurity, licentiousness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife,
jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, 21 envy, drunkenness,
carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before:
those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom
of God.
22 By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and
self-control. There is no law against such things. 24 And those who belong to
Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we
live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.
- V. 4 reports that the disciples were speaking in different languages, without specifying which; v. 8 reports that members of the crowd were hearing in different languages. Perhaps the crowd were given a gift of interpretation of the tongues, and simply reported hearing their own language, so that the message might reach everyone.
- In John 20:22, the Holy Spirit comes to the disciples, but in Acts he/she comes to (or is seen by) many.
This story is reminiscent of Isaiah 66:15-20, especially the Septuagint translation. Isaiah 66:18-20 (NRSV) says, in part: “I am coming to gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and shall see my glory, and I will set a sign among them. ... They shall bring all your kindred from all the nations ... just as the Israelites bring a grain offering ...”
Verse 1: The Feast of Weeks, celebrating the wheat harvest, was fifty days after the Feast of Unleavened Bread and Passover; hence the name Pentecost . Only from the second century AD on (notes JBC) was the giving of the law to Moses also celebrated as part of the Feast of Weeks. Leviticus 23:15-21 commands that this festival be celebrated, and how.
Verse 1: “had come”: NJBC has was fulfilled.
Verse 1: “all together”: These may be the 120 people of 1:15: “In those days Peter stood up among the believers (together the crowd numbered about one hundred twenty persons) ...”.
Verse 1: “in one place”: perhaps the house of 1:13: “When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying ...”. The scene changes to an arena or other public area in v. 5.
Verse 8: Here they speak in foreign tongues (or, in some cases, dialects), but in 1 Corinthians 14:1-33, their form of speech is incomprehensible. [ NOAB]
Verses 9-11: The list is generally from east to west, but Judea is out of place. This list is unlikely to be of Lucan origin, for Luke tells of missionary work in Syria, Cilicia, Macedonia and Achaia. Also, "Cretans and Arabs” (people of Jewish descent, from Arabia) seems to have been tacked on by a later hand. [ JBC]
Verse 11: “God’s deeds of power”: Peter tells of them in vv. 22-36. [ JBC]
Verses 12-13: This prefigures Israel’s general rejection of Jesus’ teaching, later in the book.
Verses 17-21: The citation from Joel 2:28-32 follows the Septuagint translation. A most important guide to Luke’s intentions is the series of alterations he (or his source) has made in the quoted text to produce a pertinent testimony:
- “In the last days”: This phrase replaces afterwards, making the prophecy more plainly the eschatological vision it already is. It is understood in the expanded sense of the time of the Church: see 1:6-8.
- “they shall prophesy” (v. 18): Luke has added this phrase. While Jesus’ status as a prophet is never more than obliquely affirmed in Luke-Acts, and neither is the risen Lord’s status as a prophet like Moses, yet it is an important ingredient of Luke’s theory of the necessity of the Passion and the nature of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Luke brings out that the fact that the apostolic mission is part of the eschatological prophecy of Jesus himself in the Temple sermon ( 3:22-26).
- “portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below” (v. 19): Luke has added “above”, “below” and “signs” for much the same reasons. [ NJBC]
GOSPEL: John 15: 26 - 27, 16: 4b - 15 (RCL)
John 15: 26 - 27, 16: 12 - 15 (alt. for Roman Catholic)
John 15:26
(NRSV) "When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father,
the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. 27
You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning.
16:4 "I did not say these things to you from the
beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I am going to him who sent me; yet
none of you asks me, "Where are you going?' 6 But because I have said
these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. 7 Nevertheless I tell you
the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the
Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when
he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and
judgment: 9 about sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 about
righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer;
11 about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.
12 "I still have many things to say to you, but you
cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into
all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he
hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will
glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All
that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is
mine and declare it to you.
For example, to heal on the Sabbath is not sinful.
Then 16:12-13: the Spirit will tell them things Jesus has not. In his guidance, he will speak what comes to him from God (as Jesus has spoken what the Father has told him.) The Spirit will prophesy about events “to come”. The Spirit will reveal the essential nature of God, and show Christ’s essential nature and power (“glorify”, 16:14). Whether the word comes from the Father, the Son, or the Spirit it is the same.
15:18-27: The believer’s relationship to the world – to be separate from it. [ NOAB]
15:26-27: In Acts 1:21-22, after the Ascension, Peter says to the gathered followers of Jesus: “‘So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us – one of these must become a witness with us to his resurrection’”. In Acts 5:32, Peter and the other apostles tell the high priest: “‘And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him’”. [ NOAB]
15:26: “Advocate”: The Greek word is parakletos. In 1 John it refers to Christ, but in the Gospel to the Holy Spirit. Parakletos is derived from a word that means call to one’s side, so it corresponds exactly to the Latin advocatus. But there is a difference between a Roman advocatus and a Hellenic parakletos: in a Roman court, an advocatus pleaded one’s case for one, but in a Greek court one had to plead one’s own case, but one brought along one’s friends as parakletoi to influence the court by their moral support and testimony to one’s value as a citizen. So Champion is a better translation. Note that the “Advocate” will testify, bear witness. This role is also ascribed to the Spirit in Matthew 10:20 and Mark 13:11. There are also other parallels (in vv. 18-20) to Matthew 10 and Mark 13. [ BlkJn]
15:27: In Acts 1:8, Jesus says: “‘But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth’”.
16:1-33: The Christian’s relationship to the world. [ NOAB]
16:1-4a: Forewarning of conflict. It is to be expected that the world, even the religious world, will persecute the followers of Christ. See Acts 22:3-5 and 26:9-11 for Paul’s description of his persecution of the Church. [ NOAB]
16:1: “these things”: i.e. the hatred by the world and the activity of the Spirit in 15:18-27. [ BlkJn]
16:1: “to keep you from stumbling”: BlkJn offers so that you should not be made to fall away. See also 13:19; 14:28; 15:11.
16:2: “put you out of the synagogues”: This is one word in Greek: aposynagogos. It (and the notion) is also found in 9:22 and 12:42. That Jesus foretold such an event is likely. Note that relations with the synagogue were by no means cordial in the mid first century: for example, Paul seceded from the synagogue at Corinth (see Acts 18:5-7). The synoptic gospels also contain predictions of persecution and of death for the faith: see, for example, Mark 13:9, 12-13, 18-19; Matthew 5:10; 10:17-18, 21-23; 24:9; Luke 12:4, 11; 21:12, 16-17, 23-24. [ BlkJn]
16:3: “they have not known the Father or me”: For failure to know Christ or the Father, see also 1:10; 8:55; 17:25. This involves an inadequate apprehension of the true nature and activity of the Father and of Jesus, coupled with an inability to obey God’s will. [ BlkJn]
16:6-7: “sorrow” at Jesus’ departure is transformed by “the truth” that his death and resurrection make possible the Spirit’s work. [ NOAB]
16:7: “if I do not go away ...”: The Spirit could only be given after Jesus’ death (see 7:39), but is to remain with the disciples for ever (see 14:16) and will teach them things that they cannot grasp before the resurrection (see 16:12). As a result, a richer experience awaits the disciples. Here, as in 15:26, it is Jesus who sends the Spirit, not the Father, as in 14:16, 26. [ BlkJn]
16:8: “prove the world wrong about sin ...”: BlkJn offers convict the world of sin ... . The Greek verb, elegchein , is forceful. It is also used in 3:20 and 8:46.
16:9-11: ”because”: The subordinate clause in each verse is introduced by oti, which can mean either in that or because: it is perhaps more likely that the reasons for the conviction of the world are being given rather than that the terms “sin”, “righteousness” and “judgement” are being defined. [ BlkJn]
16:9: In 3:19-21, part of Jesus’ answer to Nicodemus is: “‘And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God’”.
16:11: “ruler of this world”: See also 12:31 (“the ruler of this world will be driven out”); 14:30 (“I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me”); 1 Corinthians 2:8; Colossians 2:15. [ NOAB]
16:13: “Spirit of truth”: A term also found in 14:17 and 15:26. In 1 John 4:6, the “spirit of truth” is contrasted with the “spirit of error”. Similar contrasts are found in 1QS (Qumran Rule of the Community) 3:13-4:26 and Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs. John uses terminology current at the time he was writing. [ BlkJn]
16:13: “he will guide you into all the truth”: This expression probably comes from Psalms 25:5 (“Lead me in your truth”); 143:10 (“Let your good spirit lead me”) and Isaiah 63:14 – all in the Septuagint translation. [ BlkJn]
16:13: “he will not speak on his own”: Like Jesus, he will not speak on his own authority. In 5:30, Jesus says: “‘I seek to do not my own will but the will of him who sent me’”. See also 7:17; 12:49; 14:10. [ BlkJn]
16:14: “he will take what is mine ...”: The Spirit will continue the work Jesus has begun but will not reveal completely fresh notions – in the light of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. [ BlkJn]
16:15: Further indication of the close relationship that exists between Jesus, the Father, and the Spirit. [ BlkJn]
No comments:
Post a Comment