The Word Alive

Letting the Pentecost Spirit lead you

Pentecost Sunday, however, is one of those rare times when the first reading (Acts 2:1–11) is the point of the whole solemnity. It’s where all the action is. As this is a solemnity, this is an occasion to do something special. The problem is, a special first reading can make the proclamation of the Gospel anticlimactic.

Further complicating things is that in Year C at Mass During the Day there are two choices each for the second reading and the Gospel. The choices for the second reading are 1 Corinthians 12:3b–7, 12–13 (many gifts, one Spirit) and Romans 8:8–17 (we live in the Spirit as children of God, with the Spirit interceding for us). The choices for the Gospel are John 20:19–23 (Jesus breathes on the disciples to receive the Holy Spirit) and John 14:15–16,23b–26 (Jesus will send us the Advocate — the Spirit). Ideally, the liturgy committee will choose which readings will be done well in advance, after much prayerful thought and discussion and more prayer. In the real world, all too often, the lectors pick the second reading the night before without knowing which of the two Gospels will be proclaimed. This will often mean that the second reading will be 1 Corinthians because it’s short and straightforward while the Romans reading is very long and extraordinarily meaty, with at least three different themes.

Do consider Romans. It is a beautiful reading that talks about what the gift of the Holy Spirit means to us — that we become children of God, so intimately connected with God that we call him “Daddy.” Because Abba means “Daddy,” not “Father.” I used to work for an Israeli whose kids called him “Abba.” You really get a sense of how intimate that term is when you hear a teenager whining, “Abba, we gotta leave now!” Keeping that sense of intimacy and immediacy across all of the readings will keep things balanced appropriately.

If you are going to do something special, it will be for the first reading. If you do it well, it can help fire up the deacon or presider to proclaim whichever Gospel text has been chosen. There is so much you can do, whether a choral reading, multiple proclamations in different languages, both, or neither. Keep in mind there are two parts, and both have a sense of “What the heck is going on here?” In the first part, the apostles are praying and the Spirit suddenly descends with rushing wind and tongues of fire, and boom, these people who were in the upper room hiding are now out on the streets actively proclaiming. Wow. And then, the people on the streets are amazed. They can understand what is being said even though the apostles are not speaking in their many languages.

If you’ve ever been in a foreign country where you didn’t understand the language very well at first, and then you started getting it, that’s an exciting feeling. That sense of amazement and wonder is what you’re after. It can be done chorally, with various lectors placed in the assembly and suddenly reading their parts from there, and then standing as the apostles move out onto the streets. It can be done with the first part being read multiple times in different languages and then the second part read all together with the lector reading in the primary language over them with the microphone. Go wherever your prayerful imagination takes you, but remember there are strong feelings in this reading of amazement and awe, and you want to take advantage of them so that they can fuel the readings that follow.

If you’re in a parish with more than one language community, this is an excellent time to celebrate those languages, even if you’re not celebrating Pentecost with a multilingual liturgy. Take advantage of the opportunity and do one or more of the readings in both English and Spanish, even at the English-language Mass or the Spanish-language Mass. ML

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