"He took bread and gave it to them; He likewise took a cup and passed it to them."

Liturgical readings

Exodus 24:3-8
Psalm 116
Hebrews 9:11-15
Mark 14:12-16, 22-26

"He took bread and gave it to them; He likewise took a cup and passed it to them."

The scripture passage from the book of Exodus shows how the person of Moses offers sacrifices to Yahweh in behalf of Israel. Moses used an animal as a sacrifice and splashed its blood on an altar. This is the Old Testament. Now in the New Testament, in a passage from Mark, it is the Person of Jesus who offers the sacrifice. But He sacrificed His very Self for the redemption of the new Israel. Jesus used bread to signify His Body, and wine to signify His Blood. The sacrifices offered by Moses and the Old Testament priests sealed the covenant between Yahweh and the 12 tribes of Israel. In the New Testament, it is the Lord's very Body and Blood that sealed the covenant between  God and the Church - originally formed from a community of disciples led by the 12 apostles.

Both events described above tell us of two covenants: the Old one based on the Law, and a New one based on the love of God in Christ. The new covenant was sealed by a meal in the Last Supper account. The meal of bread and wine in the Last Supper and its continuation in the Eucharist is an act of the Lord's mercy toward us. The Father provides us not only with physical food from all the good He created in the world, but He provides us also with spiritual food - His very Son - to give life to our souls and revitalize our spirit. The Eucharist calls us to look to Christ and elevate our minds and hearts to what is above, and to leave behind for awhile all secular concerns. It seems apropos that the gospel passage on the Last Supper speaks of an "upstairs room" - symbolic of what God wants us to do: to move upwards and to lift our sights to a level from which we can "see God".

So when we attend the Sunday Eucharist, let us always remember the sacrifice the Father had done for us to save us from our earthly bondage to sin. Let us remember how God in Jesus frees us from the many "knots" which our own sinfulness has led us to. So when the priest elevates the bread and the wine during the consecration, it is a call for us to be free from these "knots" of sin which tie us down to the earth. It is ultimately God's grace in the Sacrament of the Eucharist that frees us and lifts our souls to what is already noble in us: the potential to do what is good and right through the image and likeness of Christ in our souls since our Baptism.

"In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

Jesus said: "Receive the Holy Spirit."

John 20:19-23

Jesus said: "Receive the Holy Spirit."

In the first reading, the book of Acts tells the story of Pentecost. In the gospel of John, there is no Pentecost story, but there is reference to the Holy Spirit given by the Risen Christ, when He "breathed" the Spirit on the disciples and said: "Receive the Holy Spirit". Common to both the Pentecost story in Acts, and the gospel passage in John, is the image of life-giving air, in the form of wind or breath. Both these images, especially "Breath of God", is ascribed to the person of the Holy Spirit. Integrating both the image of wind and breath, from the gospel of John and the passage in Acts of the Apostles, gives us a sense of "life in motion" - one with a powerful presence in the form of a "strong, driving wind", and the other with a gentle presence in the form of the breath of the Risen Jesus". 

The presence of God is not only felt in the reading of the Scriptures, but in the other prayers of the Sunday Eucharist. The Eucharistic celebration for the Solemnity of Pentecost also contains the Sequence on the Holy Spirit. It is a prayer recited, chanted, or sang in prose or poetic text - depending on local cultural traditions. This Sequence tells us who the Holy Spirit is for us through the titles given to Him: "Father of the poor", "Giver of God's gifts", "Light of men's hearts", and "Solace in the midst of woe". Not only does the Sequence tell us who the Spirit is but also tells us what He can do for us who place our faith and trust in Him. He can "heal wounds", "renew strength", "wash the stains of guilt", "bend the stubborn heart and will", and "guide steps that go astray".

The Solemnity of Pentecost every year reminds us of the birth of the Church. The Holy Spirit dwells in the Church as a whole, and individually through His members - all given different gifts and charisms to make the gospel known throughout the world. This gospel is made effective by real human or supernatural experiences of healing, strength, forgiveness of sins, guidance and direction. Beginning from the apostles, until all baptized of our present generation, the Holy Spirit continues the mission of Jesus. The ordained ministers, religious of various orders or congregations, and the lay faithful make Jesus come alive today in the Word and in the Sacraments. It is by faith, hope and love that we know that the Holy Spirit will continue to make effective the saving ministry of Christ until the end of time.