Published on 18 May 2015
The Church exists not to be a club of the saved, but to be the herald of the Gospel. Our first concern must always be with those who are outside, for the men and women who have not yet come to know Christ.
READINGS
FIRST READING
The second letter of the apostle John
Whoever is faithful to the teaching of Christ possesses both the Father and the Son
The elder to a Lady who is elect and to her children.
In truth I love each of you—and not only I but also all those who have come to know the truth. This love is based on the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever. In truth and love, then, we shall have grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son.
It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the path of truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. But now, my Lady, I would make this request of you (not as if I were writing you some new commandment; rather, it is a commandment we have had from the start): let us love one another. This love involves our walking according to the commandments, and as you have heard from the beginning, the commandment is the way in which you should walk.
Many deceitful men have gone out into the world, men who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. Such is the deceitful one! This is the antichrist! Look out that you yourselves do not lose what you have worked for; you must receive your reward in full.
Anyone who is so “progressive” that he does not remain rooted in the teaching of Christ does not possess God, while anyone who remains rooted in the teaching possesses both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you who does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house; do not even greet him, for whoever greets him shares in the evil he does.
While there is much more that I could write you, I do not intend to put it down on paper; instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be full.
The children of your elect sister send you their greetings.
RESPONSORY
See 2 John 5, 3; Deuteronomy 5:33
The Father has given us this commandment—
it is not a new commandment
but one that we have received from the beginning—
– walk in truth and love, alleluia.
Follow the path the Lord has taught you
and you shall live.
– Walk in truth and love, alleluia.
FIRST READING
The second letter of the apostle John
Whoever is faithful to the teaching of Christ possesses both the Father and the Son
The elder to a Lady who is elect and to her children.
In truth I love each of you—and not only I but also all those who have come to know the truth. This love is based on the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever. In truth and love, then, we shall have grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son.
It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the path of truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. But now, my Lady, I would make this request of you (not as if I were writing you some new commandment; rather, it is a commandment we have had from the start): let us love one another. This love involves our walking according to the commandments, and as you have heard from the beginning, the commandment is the way in which you should walk.
Many deceitful men have gone out into the world, men who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. Such is the deceitful one! This is the antichrist! Look out that you yourselves do not lose what you have worked for; you must receive your reward in full.
Anyone who is so “progressive” that he does not remain rooted in the teaching of Christ does not possess God, while anyone who remains rooted in the teaching possesses both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you who does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house; do not even greet him, for whoever greets him shares in the evil he does.
While there is much more that I could write you, I do not intend to put it down on paper; instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be full.
The children of your elect sister send you their greetings.
RESPONSORY
See 2 John 5, 3; Deuteronomy 5:33
The Father has given us this commandment—
it is not a new commandment
but one that we have received from the beginning—
– walk in truth and love, alleluia.
Follow the path the Lord has taught you
and you shall live.
– Walk in truth and love, alleluia.
SECOND READING
From the treatise On the Trinity by Saint Hilary, bishop
(Lib. 2, 1, 33. 35: PL 10, 50-51. 73-75)
The Father’s gift in Christ
Our Lord commanded us to baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. In baptism, then, we profess faith in the Creator, in the only-begotten Son and in the gift which is the Spirit. There is one Creator of all things, for in God there is one Father from whom all things have their being. And there is one only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom all things exist. And there is one Spirit, the gift who is in all. So all follow their due order, according to the proper operation of each: one power, which brings all things into being, one Son, through whom all things come to be, and one gift of perfect hope. Nothing is wanting to this flawless union: in Father, Son and Holy Spirit, there is infinity of endless being, perfect reflection of the divine image, and mutual enjoyment of the gift.
Our Lord has described the purpose of the Spirit’s presence in us. Let us listen to his words: I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. It is to your advantage that I go away; if I go, I will send you the Advocate. And also: I will ask the Father and he will give you another Counselor to be with you for ever, the Spirit of truth. He will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine.
From among many of our Lord’s sayings, these have been chosen to guide our understanding, for they reveal to us the intention of the giver, the nature of the gift and the condition for its reception. Since our weak minds cannot comprehend the Father or the Son, we have been given the Holy Spirit as our intermediary and advocate, to shed light on that hard doctrine of our faith, the incarnation of God.
We receive the Spirit of truth so that we can know the things of God. In order to grasp this, consider how useless the faculties of the human body would become if they were denied their exercise. Our eyes cannot fulfill their task without light, either natural or artificial; our ears cannot react without sound vibrations, and in the absence of any odor our nostrils are ignorant of their function. Not that these senses would lose their own nature if they were not used; rather, they demand objects of experience in order to function. It is the same with the human soul. Unless it absorbs the gift of the Spirit through faith, the mind has the ability to know God but lacks the light necessary for that knowledge.
This unique gift which is in Christ is offered in its fullness to everyone. It is everywhere available, but it is given to each man in proportion to his readiness to receive it. Its presence is the fuller, the greater a man’s desire to be worthy of it. This gift will remain with us until the end of the world, and will be our comfort in the time of waiting. By the favors it bestows, it is the pledge of our hope for the future, the light of our minds, and the splendor that irradiates our understanding.
RESPONSORY
The time has come for me to return to him who sent me,
says the Lord,
do not be sad or let your hearts be troubled.
– I will ask the Father to watch over you, alleluia.
If I do not go, the Paraclete will not come.
When I am taken up, I will send him to you.
– I will ask the Father to watch over you, alleluia.
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Let us pray.
Father,
in glorifying Christ and sending us your Spirit,
you open the way to eternal life.
May our sharing in this gift increase our love
and make our faith grow stronger.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
– Amen.
From the treatise On the Trinity by Saint Hilary, bishop
(Lib. 2, 1, 33. 35: PL 10, 50-51. 73-75)
The Father’s gift in Christ
Our Lord commanded us to baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. In baptism, then, we profess faith in the Creator, in the only-begotten Son and in the gift which is the Spirit. There is one Creator of all things, for in God there is one Father from whom all things have their being. And there is one only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom all things exist. And there is one Spirit, the gift who is in all. So all follow their due order, according to the proper operation of each: one power, which brings all things into being, one Son, through whom all things come to be, and one gift of perfect hope. Nothing is wanting to this flawless union: in Father, Son and Holy Spirit, there is infinity of endless being, perfect reflection of the divine image, and mutual enjoyment of the gift.
Our Lord has described the purpose of the Spirit’s presence in us. Let us listen to his words: I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. It is to your advantage that I go away; if I go, I will send you the Advocate. And also: I will ask the Father and he will give you another Counselor to be with you for ever, the Spirit of truth. He will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine.
From among many of our Lord’s sayings, these have been chosen to guide our understanding, for they reveal to us the intention of the giver, the nature of the gift and the condition for its reception. Since our weak minds cannot comprehend the Father or the Son, we have been given the Holy Spirit as our intermediary and advocate, to shed light on that hard doctrine of our faith, the incarnation of God.
We receive the Spirit of truth so that we can know the things of God. In order to grasp this, consider how useless the faculties of the human body would become if they were denied their exercise. Our eyes cannot fulfill their task without light, either natural or artificial; our ears cannot react without sound vibrations, and in the absence of any odor our nostrils are ignorant of their function. Not that these senses would lose their own nature if they were not used; rather, they demand objects of experience in order to function. It is the same with the human soul. Unless it absorbs the gift of the Spirit through faith, the mind has the ability to know God but lacks the light necessary for that knowledge.
This unique gift which is in Christ is offered in its fullness to everyone. It is everywhere available, but it is given to each man in proportion to his readiness to receive it. Its presence is the fuller, the greater a man’s desire to be worthy of it. This gift will remain with us until the end of the world, and will be our comfort in the time of waiting. By the favors it bestows, it is the pledge of our hope for the future, the light of our minds, and the splendor that irradiates our understanding.
RESPONSORY
The time has come for me to return to him who sent me,
says the Lord,
do not be sad or let your hearts be troubled.
– I will ask the Father to watch over you, alleluia.
If I do not go, the Paraclete will not come.
When I am taken up, I will send him to you.
– I will ask the Father to watch over you, alleluia.
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Let us pray.
Father,
in glorifying Christ and sending us your Spirit,
you open the way to eternal life.
May our sharing in this gift increase our love
and make our faith grow stronger.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
– Amen.
Pentecost
The Glory of the Church
_______ Pierre-Marie Dumont _
Artwork - Commentary
This
miniature from a book of hours illustrates the conclusion of the
Hours of the Holy Spirit. Painted on velum in Paris around the year 1500, the manuscript begins with the
prologue: "In these present Hours is briefly proclaimed the Old as well as the
New Testament; and, with a view to the salvation of every soul, in
the calendar is noted the form and manner
of living in this world, during the little time
God grants us, to grow in goodness
and in virtue." Here already is what was to
become the mission of our own monthly book
of hours, our MAGNIFICAT: at every hour of the day, to inspire our prayer through the word of God, and to spiritually accompany us throughout
our pilgrimage on this
earth, that each day we may grow in the
imitation of Christ.
Central to
this illustration of the descent of the
Holy Spirit upon the disciples is the Blessed Virgin Mary dressed
in widow's garb: the Mother of God, she is also the Mother of the Church. Shown at prayer, Mary intercedes for her "daughter"
at the moment of her birth
at Pentecost, just as she will constantly intercede for her to the end of time. Kneeling
in the right foreground is Saint Peter, the first pope, wearing the mozetta in cloth of
gold. Opposite him is Saint John, a handsome reddish-blond young man. In the middle ground, between Mary and Peter, stands Saint James. The first bishop of the
Church, in the see of Jerusalem, he is recognisable
by his ermine rnozetta. symbol of the episcopacy. In a most stunning way, all
are clad in white. For, at Pentecost, the Apostles
underwent a kind of baptism. Like catechumens, they have cast off their old clothes to be robed anew in
white. Through this divestiture and reclothing,
the artist seeks to express a radical change in function and vocation: to
receive this immaculate uniform is a royal, priestly, and prophetic investiture.
But, further, the
artist represents a gathering in the Upper Room where
all are clothed in white "brilliant as lightning" (Lk 9:29), just as Christ at the Transfiguration. Taking inspiration from the Evangelist, who continues, they "saw [Jesus'] glory" (Lk 9:32), the miniaturist here offers us
a vision of the glory of the Church, encapsulating
at the same time both its divine origin as well as its fulfilment as the Body of Christ. •
www.magnificat.com, June 2014-06-29 Front
cover:Pentecost illumination fromHours of
the Usage of Rome, French School. 16 c. Fol. 48r, ...
