The Gospel — Option 2 of 2
John 7:37-39
On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’” Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
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This Gospel for Pentecost makes more sense to me when I recall my wife's Orthodox Christian tradition. In the Christian West, red fills the day. Everything centers on the flame of the Spirit. But in the Christian East, the color of the day and indeed of the Holy Spirit is green. The theme is not so much fire and flame as it is growth and life. And what is necessary for things to grow and live? Chief among these is water. In this Gospel, Jesus promises to give an abundance of water that will sustain life. What a beautiful promise that is on any day, but certainly on the Feast of Pentecost, the commemoration of the coming of the life-giving Spirit of God who builds us up, completes what is lacking in us, and brings forth growth in the Kingdom of God, fruits of the Gospel of Christ.
Father Tim+
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