With one heart the disciples continued in steadfast prayer
with Mary, the mother of Jesus.
After Jesus had been taken up into heaven,
the apostles returned to Jerusalem
from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem,
a sabbath day's journey away.
When the apostles entered the city
they went to the upper room where they were staying,
Peter and John and James and Andrew,
Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew,
James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot,
and Judas son of James.
All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer,
together with some women,
and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled,
the apostles were all in one place together.
And suddenly there came from the sky
a noise like a strong driving wind,
and it filled the entire house in which they were.
Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire,
which parted and came to rest on each one of them.
And they were all filled with the holy Spirit
and began to speak in different tongues,
as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.
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Commentary on Acts 1:12-14; 2:1-4
This passage provides part of the introductory comments of St. Luke as he begins the Acts of the Apostles. Like any well written story, he connects the events that have just taken place in his first volume- The Gospel of Luke, with what will follow. In the first verses Jesus ascended and told them to expect the gift of the Holy Spirit – in this selection the disciples with Mary the Mother of Jesus and his extended family return to Jerusalem and enter the locked room. Important to recognize is the presence not just of the apostles but of Mary, ever faithful to her son.
"Here we see Mary as the spiritual center round which Jesus' intimate friends gather: tradition has meditated on this 'tableau', and found it to depict our Lady's motherhood over the whole Church, both at its beginning and over the course of the centuries."[1]
The selection next takes up the Pentecost. “When the Time for Pentecost was fulfilled” – the word in its Greek form means “fifty” so we understand this phrase to mean – fifty days after Christ’s resurrection (Easter). An interesting coincidence is the Jewish Festival of Weeks (Harvest Festival “Shavuoth”) was also called Pentecost. Whether it was taken first by the Christians and later adopted by the Hellenistic Jews we do not know.
Those present (not just the disciples) heard a loud noise like the rushing of the wind. This signified a new action by God. Indeed we see the symbol of the Holy Spirit, a flame, descend upon the Apostles launching them into prayers of ecstasy that were heard by all present in their own language. This event can be interpreted as a representation of the universal mission of the Church to all peoples of all nations.
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RESPONSORIAL PSALM
R. (3) Glorious things are told of you, O city of God.
The LORD loves the city
Glorious things are said of you,
The Most High confirms this;
This post-exilic song was probably sung by pilgrims from around the known world returning to Jerusalem to celebrate in God’s holy city the joys of his bounty. The psalm proclaims the centrality of Jerusalem (Zion) as the source of holiness. The psalmist sings of how Jerusalem is the mother of faith and that, by implication, all are joined to her in faith.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
R. (3) Glorious things are told of you, O city of God.
The LORD loves the city
founded on holy mountains,
Loves the gates of Zion
more than any dwelling in Jacob.
R. Glorious things are told of you, O city of God.
Glorious things are said of you,
O city of God!
But of Zion it must be said:
"They all were born right here."
R. Glorious things are told of you, O city of God.
The Most High confirms this;
the LORD notes in the register of the peoples:
"This one was born here."
So all sing in their festive dance:
"Within you is my true home."
R. Glorious things are told of you, O city of God.
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Commentary on Ps 87:1-2, 3 and 5, 6-7
This post-exilic song was probably sung by pilgrims from around the known world returning to Jerusalem to celebrate in God’s holy city the joys of his bounty. The psalm proclaims the centrality of Jerusalem (Zion) as the source of holiness. The psalmist sings of how Jerusalem is the mother of faith and that, by implication, all are joined to her in faith.
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GOSPEL
Woman, this is your son. This is your mother.
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother
and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,
and Mary Magdalene.
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved
he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son."
Then he said to the disciple,
"Behold, your mother."
And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
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Commentary on Jn 19:25-27
Here is Jesus’ last address to his mother. Although the address sounds unnecessarily formal ("Woman, behold, your son.") this would have been considered a polite address in biblical times. The reference, “Woman”, is possibly to Genesis 3:15 which describes the mother of the Messiah as the “woman” whose offspring conquers the devil (CCC 726, 2618) [2]. The Lord, nearing the end of his life, commends the care of his mother to the disciple whom he loved. It is presumed this is done because Jesus has no brothers or sisters, and his adoptive father, Joseph, has already died.
In this instance, while it can be assumed that the disciple referred to is St. John, the author of the Gospel, the tender consignment of the care of the Lord’s mother is seen as iconic. That is, she is given into the care of all of the disciples, whom Jesus loves. Seeing her son dying upon the cross is one of the seven sorrows the Blessed Mother endured in faith.
CCC: Jn 19:25-27 726, 2618; Jn 19:25 495; Jn 19:26-27 501, 964, 2605; Jn 19:27 2677, 2679
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Reflection:
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| "Queen of Apostles" by Fredrich Overbeck, c. 1813 |
Mother Mary rightly wears the title Queen of Apostles. It was her example and guidance that led those first Apostles following the crucifixion of Jesus. When they were lost and afraid, she was there with them, a magnificent example of grace and strength. Did not the Lord himself give her as “Mother” to St. John at the cross, a gift to the whole Church as he told his beloved disciple “Behold your mother”? (John 9:25ff) It was the Blessed Virgin Mary, seated among the Apostles at Pentecost, as reported in the reading from the Acts of the Apostles above, that lent calm assurance as the gift of the Holy Spirt was imparted to them that their sending would transform the world through the power given. And was she too not sent into the world, before all of the Lord’s friends gathered about him? She, through her example, was first in faith and “Full of Grace,” leading many to faith by her example while those early disciples still cowered in fear.
Today we give thanks to Jesus for giving us his Mother, Queen of Apostles, that we might also be given the strength to bring news of the Kingdom of God into the world by our words and example. We pray for the zeal to be what the Lord has called us to be and what the Queen of Apostles has shown us, examples of faith to inspire and attract the whole world to the King of Kings.
[1] The Navarre Bible, Gospels and Acts, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002, pp 722
[2] Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, © 2010, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA. pp. 198
[2] Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, © 2010, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA. pp. 198
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