During Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, C4SO celebrates artist He Qi, who reinterprets sacred art within an ancient Chinese art idiom. His work is a blend of Chinese folk art and traditional painting technique with the iconography of the Western Middle Ages and Modern Art. On each Sunday during May, we have licensed one of He’s paintings to illuminate one of the lectionary readings. We will provide prompts for you to do Visio Divina, or “sacred seeing,” an ancient form of Christian prayer in which we allow our hearts and imaginations to enter into a sacred image to see what God might have to show us.
Painting The Holy Spirit by He Qi
Lectionary Reading | Sunday, May 23: John 14:8-17 and Acts 2:1-21
John 14:8-17
Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”
Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
Acts 2:1-21
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them.
Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”
Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”
Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
“‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”
Visio Divina | Prompt
Recall when you first experienced the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Gradually become aware of that same Spirit with you and in you right now. Thank God for the gift of his Spirit in your life.
Now think of the different names for the Spirit: Advocate, Comforter, Counselor, Guide, etc. Do any of them describe the ways you’ve experienced the Spirit in your life? Recalling those experiences, express gratitude for all the ways in which God has revealed himself to you.
As you look at today’s image, what do you notice? Is your eye drawn to the candle’s flames and the fiery doves? What else in this image stirs your imagination and engages you in that first Pentecost moment? Place yourself in the image, knowing that Jesus has also promised you that he “will give you another helper, to be with you forever” and that this helper will “dwell with you and will be in you” (John 14:16-17). In what moments of your life has this Spirit been a helper to you?
As you look at the image, notice the different locations represented. In Acts, the Spirit fills people from “every nation under heaven” and astonishes them as they hear each other in their native languages. Are there people you have a hard time hearing, understanding and connecting with? Are there people or groups you struggle to love and serve? Ask the Spirit to do His Pentecost work in your life to help you really hear others’ native experiences and find ways to love, serve and advocate for those God brings to mind.
After pondering this for a few minutes, think about places where you’ve seen a lack of love and compassion—systems fractured by issues of racism and inequality. Pray that this same Spirit would break down walls of hostility and enable voices and experiences to truly be heard, especially those of the poor and marginalized.
Finally, still your heart, notice your breath, remember that the Spirit is known in that breath, and then ask the Spirit to blow you toward opportunities of love and reconciliation. Ask him to use you as an instrument of His peace and unity.