Episode Transcript
[00:00:04] Speaker A: Welcome to Sundays with Bishop Ken, a weekly podcast brought to you by the publishers of little books of the Diocese of Saginaw.
Each Sunday of ordinary time, the gospel and Bishop Ken's homily are proclaimed by members of our faith community.
During the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter, our Sunday prayer time will.
[00:00:39] Speaker B: Be taken from the little book's reflections for that season.
[00:00:43] Speaker A: We are pleased to spend this quiet time with you today.
[00:01:03] Speaker B: Hello and welcome. It's May 19, Pentecost Sunday.
We begin today reflecting on our images of the Holy Spirit.
How does one describe the Holy Spirit?
The third person of the Trinity is pure spirit and did not take flesh to become one of us, so one has to use images.
Matthew, in his account of Jesus baptism in the Jordan, uses the image of a dove descending from the heavens and coming upon Jesus.
This is the only time in scripture that this image is used.
In John's gospel, Jesus uses the image of an advocate. In Greek, paraclete, which means someone called to be at our side, on our side.
Paul uses the image of pledge or earnest in the sense of money paid in advance with the assurance of more to come.
Thus the spirit experienced by christians in this life is already a sharing in and guarantee of the fullness of life which comes after death.
Luke at Pentecost makes the spirit perceptible by sound like a strong driving wind and sight like flames of fire.
For Pentecost we continue with our scripture from Corinthians.
For if the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain, you are still in your sins.
Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
If for this life only we have hoped, in Christ we are the most pitiable people of all.
But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
First Corinthians chapter 15, verses 16 to 20.
[00:03:58] Speaker A: If our hope is only in.
[00:03:59] Speaker B: This life on earth, then we are pitiable people, for we've buried our heads in the sand and missed so much.
The progress of human history within the span of one lifetime is very small.
If that is all we hope for, then there isn't much to be happy about.
Some may even live in a time when things seem to move backwards.
But if we believe that we and all creation are moving toward a destiny that stretches into eternity, a destiny that is achieved by God's power and not simply our own efforts, then we have hope.
Paul refers to Christ as the firstfruits.
In the jewish tradition, the first part of the harvest was burned as an offering to God. This was the cream of the crop, and giving it to God symbolized lifting up the entire harvest to God.
Christ is the first of us to go through death to risen life.
He is the cream of the crop, and his death and resurrection express the lifting up of all of us to God at every Eucharist. This lifting up is made present to us so that we can become a part of it.
Take some time now to think through how you will lift up your life to God today in the eucharistic prayer.
[00:05:56] Speaker A: Thank you for sharing some quiet time.
[00:05:59] Speaker B: With the Lord today.
[00:06:05] Speaker A: Please consider supporting this podcast by clicking the donate link.
For more information and other prayer resources, go to littlebooks.org dot.
May your day be blessed.
