What is Monday in Whitsun Week in the 1928 BCP?

Monday in Whitsun Week is the second day of the Pentecost festival, continuing the celebration of the Holy Spirit's coming with its own appointed Epistle and Gospel while the Whitsunday Collect is said throughout the week.

What does the Epistle from Acts 10 teach about the Spirit?

Saint Peter stands before the household of Cornelius and witnesses the Holy Ghost falling on Gentiles — before any water baptism — to the astonishment of the Jewish believers. The Spirit of Pentecost is not confined to one people but is poured out on all nations.

Why is John 3:16 appointed for this day?

The verse — For God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son — grounds the Spirit's universal outpouring in the universal love of the Father. The descent of the Spirit on all nations at Pentecost is the fruit of the love that sent the Son.

Monday in Whitsun Week – 1928 Book of Common Prayer - Saint Paul's Anglican Church

Theological Note

Monday in Whitsun Week continues the festival of the Spirit's coming with its own appointed Epistle and Gospel, while the Whitsunday Collect — praying for right judgment in all things and joy in the Spirit's comfort — binds the days together as a sustained celebration. The 1928 Book of Common Prayer treats the octave of Pentecost as it treats the octave of Easter: not as a single day's feast to be quickly set aside, but as a week of dwelling within the mystery that has been given.

The appointed Epistle from Acts 10 brings the worshipper to Caesarea, where Saint Peter stands before the household of Cornelius and receives the divine lesson that God is no respecter of persons: in every nation, he that feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted with him. As Peter preaches, the Holy Ghost falls upon all them that heard the word — Gentiles — before any baptism with water, and the Jewish believers who had accompanied Peter are astonished that the gift of the Holy Ghost is poured out also upon the Gentiles. The Spirit of Pentecost is not the possession of one nation or community but the universal gift of the Father and the Son.

The appointed Gospel from John 3 brings the worshipper to the great declaration: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. The descent of the Spirit on Whitsunday is the fruit of that love — given not to condemn the world but that the world through the Son might be saved. Monday in Whitsun Week unfolds the universal scope of what the Spirit's coming has accomplished.

Collect

O GOD, who as at this time didst teach the hearts of thy faithful people, by sending to them the light of thy Holy Spirit; Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through the merits of Christ Jesus our Saviour, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the same Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.

Epistle

Acts 10:34

Gospel

John 3:16

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Monday in Whitsun Week in the 1928 BCP?: Monday in Whitsun Week is the second day of the Pentecost festival, continuing the celebration of the Holy Spirit's coming with its own appointed Epistle and Gospel while the Whitsunday Collect is said throughout the week.
What does the Epistle from Acts 10 teach about the Spirit?: Saint Peter stands before the household of Cornelius and witnesses the Holy Ghost falling on Gentiles — before any water baptism — to the astonishment of the Jewish believers. The Spirit of Pentecost is not confined to one people but is poured out on all nations.
Why is John 3:16 appointed for this day?: The verse — For God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son — grounds the Spirit's universal outpouring in the universal love of the Father. The descent of the Spirit on all nations at Pentecost is the fruit of the love that sent the Son.