Pentecost Sunday - At the Vigil Mass
Lectionary: 62
Lectionary: 62
The whole world spoke the same language, using the same words.
While the people were migrating in the east,
they came upon a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there.
They said to one another,
"Come, let us mold bricks and harden them with fire."
They used bricks for stone, and bitumen for mortar.
Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city
and a tower with its top in the sky,
and so make a name for ourselves;
otherwise we shall be scattered all over the earth."
The LORD came down to see the city and the tower
that the people had built.
Then the LORD said: "If now, while they are one people,
all speaking the same language,
they have started to do this,
nothing will later stop them from doing whatever they presume to do.
Let us then go down there and confuse their language,
so that one will not understand what another says."
Thus the LORD scattered them from there all over the earth,
and they stopped building the city.
That is why it was called Babel,
because there the LORD confused the speech of all the world.
It was from that place that he scattered them all over the earth.
or
While the people were migrating in the east,
they came upon a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there.
They said to one another,
"Come, let us mold bricks and harden them with fire."
They used bricks for stone, and bitumen for mortar.
Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city
and a tower with its top in the sky,
and so make a name for ourselves;
otherwise we shall be scattered all over the earth."
The LORD came down to see the city and the tower
that the people had built.
Then the LORD said: "If now, while they are one people,
all speaking the same language,
they have started to do this,
nothing will later stop them from doing whatever they presume to do.
Let us then go down there and confuse their language,
so that one will not understand what another says."
Thus the LORD scattered them from there all over the earth,
and they stopped building the city.
That is why it was called Babel,
because there the LORD confused the speech of all the world.
It was from that place that he scattered them all over the earth.
or
Moses went up the mountain to God.
Then the LORD called to him and said,
"Thus shall you say to the house of Jacob;
tell the Israelites:
You have seen for yourselves how I treated the Egyptians
and how I bore you up on eagle wings
and brought you here to myself.
Therefore, if you hearken to my voice and keep my covenant,
you shall be my special possession,
dearer to me than all other people,
though all the earth is mine.
You shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.
That is what you must tell the Israelites."
So Moses went and summoned the elders of the people.
When he set before them
all that the LORD had ordered him to tell them,
the people all answered together,
"Everything the LORD has said, we will do."
On the morning of the third day
there were peals of thunder and lightning,
and a heavy cloud over the mountain,
and a very loud trumpet blast,
so that all the people in the camp trembled.
But Moses led the people out of the camp to meet God,
and they stationed themselves at the foot of the mountain.
Mount Sinai was all wrapped in smoke,
for the LORD came down upon it in fire.
The smoke rose from it as though from a furnace,
and the whole mountain trembled violently.
The trumpet blast grew louder and louder, while Moses was speaking,
and God answering him with thunder.
When the LORD came down to the top of Mount Sinai,
he summoned Moses to the top of the mountain.
or
The hand of the LORD came upon me,
and he led me out in the spirit of the LORD
and set me in the center of the plain,
which was now filled with bones.
He made me walk among the bones in every direction
so that I saw how many they were on the surface of the plain.
How dry they were!
He asked me:
Son of man, can these bones come to life?
I answered, "Lord GOD, you alone know that."
Then he said to me:
Prophesy over these bones, and say to them:
Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!
Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones:
See! I will bring spirit into you, that you may come to life.
I will put sinews upon you, make flesh grow over you,
cover you with skin, and put spirit in you
so that you may come to life and know that I am the LORD.
I, Ezekiel, prophesied as I had been told,
and even as I was prophesying I heard a noise;
it was a rattling as the bones came together, bone joining bone.
I saw the sinews and the flesh come upon them,
and the skin cover them, but there was no spirit in them.
Then the LORD said to me:
Prophesy to the spirit, prophesy, son of man,
and say to the spirit: Thus says the Lord GOD:
From the four winds come, O spirit,
and breathe into these slain that they may come to life.
I prophesied as he told me, and the spirit came into them;
they came alive and stood upright, a vast army.
Then he said to me:
Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel.
They have been saying,
"Our bones are dried up,
our hope is lost, and we are cut off."
Therefore, prophesy and say to them: Thus says the Lord GOD:
O my people, I will open your graves
and have you rise from them,
and bring you back to the land of Israel.
Then you shall know that I am the LORD,
when I open your graves and have you rise from them,
O my people!
I will put my spirit in you that you may live,
and I will settle you upon your land;
thus you shall know that I am the LORD.
I have promised, and I will do it, says the LORD.
or
Thus says the LORD:
I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh.
Your sons and daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams,
your young men shall see visions;
even upon the servants and the handmaids,
in those days, I will pour out my spirit.
And I will work wonders in the heavens and on the earth,
blood, fire, and columns of smoke;
the sun will be turned to darkness,
and the moon to blood,
at the coming of the day of the LORD,
the great and terrible day.
Then everyone shall be rescued
who calls on the name of the LORD;
for on Mount Zion there shall be a remnant,
as the LORD has said,
and in Jerusalem survivors
whom the LORD shall call.
Responsorial
Psalm PS 104:1-2, 24, 35,
27-28, 29, 30
R. (cf. 30) Lord,
send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
You are clothed with majesty and glory,
robed in light as with a cloak.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
How manifold are your works, O LORD!
In wisdom you have wrought them allC
the earth is full of your creatures;
bless the LORD, O my soul! Alleluia.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Creatures all look to you
to give them food in due time.
When you give it to them, they gather it;
when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
If you take away their breath, they perish
and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
You are clothed with majesty and glory,
robed in light as with a cloak.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
How manifold are your works, O LORD!
In wisdom you have wrought them allC
the earth is full of your creatures;
bless the LORD, O my soul! Alleluia.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Creatures all look to you
to give them food in due time.
When you give it to them, they gather it;
when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
If you take away their breath, they perish
and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Reading 2ROM 8:22-27
Brothers and sisters:
We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now;
and not only that, but we ourselves,
who have the firstfruits of the Spirit,
we also groan within ourselves
as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
For in hope we were saved.
Now hope that sees is not hope.
For who hopes for what one sees?
But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance.
In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness;
for we do not know how to pray as we ought,
but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.
And the one who searches hearts
knows what is the intention of the Spirit,
because he intercedes for the holy ones
according to God's will.
We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now;
and not only that, but we ourselves,
who have the firstfruits of the Spirit,
we also groan within ourselves
as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
For in hope we were saved.
Now hope that sees is not hope.
For who hopes for what one sees?
But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance.
In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness;
for we do not know how to pray as we ought,
but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.
And the one who searches hearts
knows what is the intention of the Spirit,
because he intercedes for the holy ones
according to God's will.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful
and kindle in them the fire of your love.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful
and kindle in them the fire of your love.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelJN 7:37-39
On the last and greatest day of the feast,
Jesus stood up and exclaimed,
"Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink.
As Scripture says:
Rivers of living water will flow from within him who believes in me."
He said this in reference to the Spirit
that those who came to believe in him were to receive.
There was, of course, no Spirit yet,
because Jesus had not yet been glorified.
Jesus stood up and exclaimed,
"Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink.
As Scripture says:
Rivers of living water will flow from within him who believes in me."
He said this in reference to the Spirit
that those who came to believe in him were to receive.
There was, of course, no Spirit yet,
because Jesus had not yet been glorified.
Pentecost Sunday - Mass during the Day
Lectionary: 63
Lectionary: 63
Reading 1ACTS 2:1-11
When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled,
they 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.
Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem.
At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd,
but they were confused
because each one heard them speaking in his own language.
They were astounded, and in amazement they asked,
"Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans?
Then how does each of us hear them in his native language?
We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites,
inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia,
Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,
Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene,
as well as travelers from Rome,
both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs,
yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues
of the mighty acts of God."
they 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.
Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem.
At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd,
but they were confused
because each one heard them speaking in his own language.
They were astounded, and in amazement they asked,
"Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans?
Then how does each of us hear them in his native language?
We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites,
inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia,
Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,
Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene,
as well as travelers from Rome,
both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs,
yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues
of the mighty acts of God."
Responsorial
Psalm PS 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34
R. (cf. 30) Lord,
send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
How manifold are your works, O LORD!
the earth is full of your creatures;
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
may the LORD be glad in his works!
Pleasing to him be my theme;
I will be glad in the LORD.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
If you take away their breath, they perish
and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
How manifold are your works, O LORD!
the earth is full of your creatures;
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
may the LORD be glad in his works!
Pleasing to him be my theme;
I will be glad in the LORD.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
If you take away their breath, they perish
and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Reading 21 COR 12:3B-7, 12-13
Brothers and sisters:
No one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.
There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit;
there are different forms of service but the same Lord;
there are different workings but the same God
who produces all of them in everyone.
To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit
is given for some benefit.
As a body is one though it has many parts,
and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body,
so also Christ.
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body,
whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons,
and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.
or
No one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.
There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit;
there are different forms of service but the same Lord;
there are different workings but the same God
who produces all of them in everyone.
To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit
is given for some benefit.
As a body is one though it has many parts,
and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body,
so also Christ.
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body,
whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons,
and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.
or
Brothers and sisters, live by the Spirit
and you will certainly not gratify the desire of the flesh.
For the flesh has desires against the Spirit,
and the Spirit against the flesh;
these are opposed to each other,
so that you may not do what you want.
But if you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Now the works of the flesh are obvious:
immorality, impurity, lust, idolatry,
sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy,
outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness,
dissensions, factions, occasions of envy,
drinking bouts, orgies, and the like.
I warn you, as I warned you before,
that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, generosity,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Against such there is no law.
Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their flesh
with its passions and desires.
If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit.
Sequence
Veni, Sancte Spiritus
Come, Holy Spirit, come!
And from your celestial home
Shed a ray of light divine!
Come, Father of the poor!
Come, source of all our store!
Come, within our bosoms shine.
You, of comforters the best;
You, the soul's most welcome guest;
Sweet refreshment here below;
In our labor, rest most sweet;
Grateful coolness in the heat;
Solace in the midst of woe.
O most blessed Light divine,
Shine within these hearts of yours,
And our inmost being fill!
Where you are not, we have naught,
Nothing good in deed or thought,
Nothing free from taint of ill.
Heal our wounds, our strength renew;
On our dryness pour your dew;
Wash the stains of guilt away:
Bend the stubborn heart and will;
Melt the frozen, warm the chill;
Guide the steps that go astray.
On the faithful, who adore
And confess you, evermore
In your sevenfold gift descend;
Give them virtue's sure reward;
Give them your salvation, Lord;
Give them joys that never end. Amen.
Alleluia.
Come, Holy Spirit, come!
And from your celestial home
Shed a ray of light divine!
Come, Father of the poor!
Come, source of all our store!
Come, within our bosoms shine.
You, of comforters the best;
You, the soul's most welcome guest;
Sweet refreshment here below;
In our labor, rest most sweet;
Grateful coolness in the heat;
Solace in the midst of woe.
O most blessed Light divine,
Shine within these hearts of yours,
And our inmost being fill!
Where you are not, we have naught,
Nothing good in deed or thought,
Nothing free from taint of ill.
Heal our wounds, our strength renew;
On our dryness pour your dew;
Wash the stains of guilt away:
Bend the stubborn heart and will;
Melt the frozen, warm the chill;
Guide the steps that go astray.
On the faithful, who adore
And confess you, evermore
In your sevenfold gift descend;
Give them virtue's sure reward;
Give them your salvation, Lord;
Give them joys that never end. Amen.
Alleluia.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful
and kindle in them the fire of your love.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful
and kindle in them the fire of your love.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelJN 20:19-23
On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, "Peace be with you."
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you."
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
"Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained."
or
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, "Peace be with you."
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you."
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
"Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained."
or
Jesus said to his disciples:
"When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father,
the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father,
he will testify to me.
And you also testify,
because you have been with me from the beginning.
"I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth.
He will not speak on his own,
but he will speak what he hears,
and will declare to you the things that are coming.
He will glorify me,
because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.
Everything that the Father has is mine;
for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine
and declare it to you."
"When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father,
the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father,
he will testify to me.
And you also testify,
because you have been with me from the beginning.
"I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth.
He will not speak on his own,
but he will speak what he hears,
and will declare to you the things that are coming.
He will glorify me,
because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.
Everything that the Father has is mine;
for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine
and declare it to you."
Meditation: "They were all filled
with the Holy Spirit!"
Do you know and experience in your own life the gift
and power of the Holy Spirit? After his death and resurrection
Jesus promised to give his disciples the gift of the Holy Spirit. He said to
them, Receive the Holy Spirit! (John 20:22) Jesus knew that
his disciples would need the power of the Holy Spirit to carry out the mission
entrusted to them. The gift of the Holy Spirit was conditional upon the
ascension of Jesus to the right hand of the Father. That is why Jesus
instructed the apostles to wait in Jerusalem until you are clothed with
power from on high (Luke 24:49). Why did they need power from
on high? The Gospels tell us that Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit
when he was baptized at the Jordan River:
"And John bore witness, 'I saw the
Spirit descend as a dove from heaven, and it remained on him... this is he
who baptizes with the Holy Spirit'" (John 1:32,33; Mark
1:8; Matthew 3:11).
"And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit,
returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit for forty
days in the wilderness... and Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into
Galilee" (Luke 4:1,14).
Just as Jesus was
anointed with the Spirit at the beginning of his ministry, so the disciples
needed the anointing of the Holy Spirit to carry out the mission entrusted to
them by Jesus. The Holy Spirit is given to all who are baptized into Jesus
Christ to enable us to live a new way of life - a life of love, peace, joy, and
righteousness (Romans 14:17). The Holy Spirit fills our hearts with the love of
God (Romans 5:7), and he gives us the strength and courage we need in order to
live as faith-filled disciples of the Lord Jesus. The Spirit helps us in our
weakness (Romans 8:26), and enables us to grow in spiritual freedom - freedom
from doubt, fear, and from slavery to our unruly desires (2 Corinthians 3:17;
Romans 8:21). The Spirit instructs us in the ways of God, and guides us in
living according to God's will. The Spirit is the source and giver of all
holiness. Isaiah foretold the seven-fold gifts that the Spirit would give:
wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the
Lord (Isaiah 11:2).
The gift of Pentecost - the outpouring of the Holy
Spirit, and the spiritual gifts and blessings of God - are made possible
through the death, resurrection, and ascension of the Lord Jesus. After his
resurrection Jesus "breathed" on his disciples and gave them the Holy
Spirit. Just as God breathed life into Adam, so the gift of the Holy Spirit is
an impartation of "new life" for his people. With the gift of
the Holy Spirit a new creation begins. God recreates us for his glory. Jesus'
gift of peace to his disciples was more than an absence of trouble. His peace
included the forgiveness of sins and the fullness of everything good. Do you
want power to live a faith-filled life as a disciple of Jesus? Ask the Father
to fill you with the power of his Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13).
Basil the Great (329-379 AD), an early church father,
explains the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives:
"The Spirit restores paradise to us
and the way to heaven and adoption as children of God; he instills confidence
that we may call God truly Father and grants us the grace of Christ to be
children of the light and to enjoy eternal glory. In a word, he bestows the
fullness of blessings in this world and the next; for we may contemplate now in
the mirror of faith the promised things we shall someday enjoy. If this
is the foretaste, what must the reality be? If these are the first fruits, what
must be the harvest?" (From the treatise by Basil on The Holy
Spirit)
The Lord Jesus offers
each one of us the gift and power of his Holy Spirit. He wants to make our
faith strong, give us hope that endures, and a love that never grows cold. He
never refuses to give his Spirit to those who ask with expectant faith. Jesus
instructed his disciples to ask confidently for the gift of the Spirit:
"If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask
him!" (Luke 11:13). Do you thirst for God and for the abundant life
he offers through the gift of his Spirit?
"Lord Jesus, I thank you for the gift of
Pentecost and for the new life you offer in the Holy Spirit. Fill me with your
Holy Spirit and set my heart ablaze with the fire of your love that I may serve
you in joy and freedom."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: The Holy Spirit at Pentecost, by Leo the
Great, 400-461 A.D.
"To the Hebrew people, now freed from Egypt, the
law was given on Mount Sinai fifty days after the immolation of the paschal
lamb. Similarly, after the passion of Christ in which the true Lamb of God was
killed, just fifty days after his resurrection, the Holy Spirit fell upon the
apostles and the whole group of believers. Thus the earnest Christian may
easily perceive that the beginnings of the Old Covenant were at the service of
the beginnings of the gospel and that the same Spirit who instituted the first
established the Second Covenant." (excerpt from Sermon 75.1)
Prayer of Intercession for the Feast of Pentecost
O living God, come and make our souls temples of thy
Spirit.
Sanctify us, O Lord!
Baptize thy whole Church with fire, that the divisions soon may cease, and that it may stand before the world as a pillar and buttress of thy truth.
Sanctify us, O Lord!
Grant us all the fruits of thy Holy Spirit: brotherly love, joy, peace, patience, goodwill and faithfulness.
Sanctify us, O Lord!
May the Holy Spirit speak by the voice of thy servants, here and everywhere, as they preach thy word.
Sanctify us, O Lord!
Send thy Holy Spirit, the comforter, to all who face adversity, or who are the victims of men's wickedness.
Sanctify us, O Lord!
Preserve all nations and their leaders from hatred and war, and build up a true community among nations, through the power of thy Spirit.
Sanctify us, O Lord!
Holy Spirit, Lord and source of life, giver of the seven gifts,
Sanctify us, O Comforter.
Spirit of wisdom and understanding, Spirit of counsel and strength,
Sanctify us, O Comforter.
Spirit of knowledge and devotion, Spirit of obedience to the Lord.
Sanctify us, O Comforter.
Sanctify us, O Lord!
Baptize thy whole Church with fire, that the divisions soon may cease, and that it may stand before the world as a pillar and buttress of thy truth.
Sanctify us, O Lord!
Grant us all the fruits of thy Holy Spirit: brotherly love, joy, peace, patience, goodwill and faithfulness.
Sanctify us, O Lord!
May the Holy Spirit speak by the voice of thy servants, here and everywhere, as they preach thy word.
Sanctify us, O Lord!
Send thy Holy Spirit, the comforter, to all who face adversity, or who are the victims of men's wickedness.
Sanctify us, O Lord!
Preserve all nations and their leaders from hatred and war, and build up a true community among nations, through the power of thy Spirit.
Sanctify us, O Lord!
Holy Spirit, Lord and source of life, giver of the seven gifts,
Sanctify us, O Comforter.
Spirit of wisdom and understanding, Spirit of counsel and strength,
Sanctify us, O Comforter.
Spirit of knowledge and devotion, Spirit of obedience to the Lord.
Sanctify us, O Comforter.
(Prayer of Taize Community)
SOLEMNITY OF
PENTECOST SUNDAY
SUNDAY, MAY 20, JOHN 20:19-23 or JOHN 15:26-27, 16:12-15
(Acts 2:1-11, Psalm 104; 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13 or Galatians 5:16-25)
SUNDAY, MAY 20, JOHN 20:19-23 or JOHN 15:26-27, 16:12-15
(Acts 2:1-11, Psalm 104; 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13 or Galatians 5:16-25)
KEY VERSE: He breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit" (v.22).
TO KNOW: The great harvest that Jesus promised (Lk 10:2) had begun at Pentecost, which the Jews dedicated to the gathering and offering of the first fruits (Hb Shavuot, 50 days after Passover). The Christian feast of Pentecost, which occurs 50 days after Easter, marks the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples (Acts 2:1-4). In John's Gospel, the resurrection, ascension and the descent of the Spirit occurred on the same Easter Sunday. It is most likely that the disciples were gathered in the upper room where the Last Supper had been held. But they were fearful that the emissaries of the Sanhedrin would come to arrest them. Upon seeing the Risen Lord, the disciples were overjoyed. Just as the breath of God created Adam, the first human being (Gn 2:7), Jesus breathed forth the Spirit creating the new people of God, the Church. Empowered by the Spirit, Jesus' disciples were sent forth to bring peace through the reconciliation of sinners. The novena in honor of the Holy Spirit is the oldest of all novenas since it was first made at the direction of Our Lord Himself when he sent His apostles back to Jerusalem to await the coming of the Holy Spirit on the first Pentecost. Addressed to the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, it is a powerful plea for the light and strength so sorely needed by every Christian.
TO LOVE: In what ways has the Holy Spirit empowered my life?
TO SERVE: Holy Spirit, help me to bring peace and forgiveness to others.
NOTE: The outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost is called the birthday of the universal Church. Through the Spirit the Church realizes her call to preach the Gospel of Christ to the whole world. The double Alleluia at the end of Mass illustrates that the Easter Season has been brought to a close. The Easter Candle is extinguished and moved to the Baptistery. The 90 Days of Lent (40 days) and Easter (50 days) are over. But our call to Mission is not. What gift of service have you received from the Holy Spirit and how well are you using it right now?
PRAYER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT -- St. Augustine
Breathe into me, Spirit of God, that I may think what is holy.
Drive me, Spirit of God, that I may do what is holy.
Draw me, Spirit of God, that I may love what is holy.
Strengthen me, Spirit of God, that I may preserve what is holy.
Guide me, Spirit of God, that I may never lose what is holy.
INVOCATION TO THE HOLY SPIRIT
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created and you shall renew the face of the earth.
Sunday 20 May
2018
Pentecost Sunday.
Acts 2:1-11. Psalm 103(104):1, 24, 29-31, 34. Galatians
5:16-25. John 15:26-27, 16:12-15.
Lord, send out your Spirit and renew the face of the earth—Psalm
103(104):1, 24, 29-31, 34.
Lord, send out your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.
Acts 2 marks a pivotal point in the New Testament. One hundred
and twenty men and women became members of the church when it was born in the
upper room. After the power of the Holy Spirit fell upon the believers, those
visiting Jerusalem began to wonder how the disciples could speak so many
languages.
Then Peter stood up and began to speak: the same Peter who ran
in fear on the night of Jesus’ trial now spoke boldly. He captivated everyone
with his compelling words. Peter knew where he was going; he didn’t focus on
himself but on others. He exuded warmth and love and gave people practical
answers to their needs.
Let us ask the Spirit to bless us in our everyday lives,
kindling the fire within our hearts so that we may be open and ready for the
mission before us.
Saint Bernardine of Siena
Saint of the Day for May 20
(September 8, 1380 – May 20, 1444)
Saint Bernardine of Siena’s Story
Most of the saints suffer great personal opposition, even
persecution. Bernardine, by contrast, seems more like a human dynamo who simply
took on the needs of the world.
He was the greatest preacher of his time, journeying across
Italy, calming strife-torn cities, attacking the paganism he found rampant,
attracting crowds of 30,000, following St. Francis of Assisi’s admonition to
preach about “vice and virtue, punishment and glory.”
Compared with Saint Paul by the pope, Bernardine had a keen
intuition of the needs of the time, along with solid holiness and boundless
energy and joy. He accomplished all this despite having a very weak and hoarse
voice, miraculously improved later because of his devotion to Mary.
When he was 20, the plague was at its height in his hometown of
Siena. Sometimes as many as 20 people died in one day at the hospital.
Bernardine offered to run the hospital and, with the help of other young men,
nursed patients there for four months. He escaped the plague, but was so
exhausted that a fever confined him for several months. He spent another year
caring for a beloved aunt whose parents had died when he was a child, and at
her death began to fast and pray to know God’s will for him.
At 22, he entered the Franciscan Order and was ordained two
years later. For almost a dozen years he lived in solitude and prayer, but his
gifts ultimately caused him to be sent to preach. He always traveled on foot,
sometimes speaking for hours in one place, then doing the same in another town.
Especially known for his devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus,
Bernardine devised a symbol—IHS, the first three letters of the name of Jesus
in Greek—in Gothic letters on a blazing sun. This was to displace the
superstitious symbols of the day, as well as the insignia of factions: for
example, Guelphs and Ghibellines. The devotion spread, and the symbol began to
appear in churches, homes and public buildings. Opposition arose from those who
thought it a dangerous innovation. Three attempts were made to have the pope
take action against him, but Bernardine’s holiness, orthodoxy, and intelligence
were evidence of his faithfulness.
General of the Friars of the Strict Observance, a branch of the
Franciscan Order, Bernardine strongly emphasized scholarship and further study
of theology and canon law. When he started there were 300 friars in the
community; when he died there were 4,000. He returned to preaching the last two
years of his life, dying while traveling.
Reflection
Another dynamic saint once said, “…I will not be a burden, for I
want not what is yours, but you…. I will most gladly spend and be utterly spent
for your sakes” (2 Corinthians 12:14). There is danger that we see only the
whirlwind of activity in the Bernardines of faith—taking care of the sick,
preaching, studying, administering, always driving—and forget the source of
their energy. We should not say that Bernardine could have been a great
contemplative if he had had the chance. He had the chance, every day, and he
took it.
Saint Bernardine of Siena is the Patron Saint of:
Advertising
Gambling
Italy
Public relations
Gambling
Italy
Public relations
LECTIO DIVINA: THE PENTECOST
SUNDAY (B)
Lectio Divina:
Sunday, May 20, 2018
The
witness of the Holy Spirit
and the witness of the disciples
John15:26-27, 16:12-15
and the witness of the disciples
John15:26-27, 16:12-15
1. OPENING PRAYER
Oh,
My Father, when will the Consoler come? When will your Spirit of Truth reach
me? The Lord Jesus has promised Him, He has said that He would have sent Him
from Your womb down to us. Father, then, open wide Your heart and send Him from
your holy Heavens, from Your high dwelling! Do not delay any more, but fulfill
the ancient promise; save us today, for ever! Open and free Your Love for us,
in order that I too can be open and freed by You, in You. May this Word of
Yours today be the holy place of our encounter, be the nuptial room to be
immersed in You, Oh Trinity who are Love! Come in me and I in You; dwell in me
and I in You. Remain, Father! Remain Oh Son Jesus Christ! Remain for ever,
Consoler Spirit, do not leave me ever! Amen.
2. READING
a)
In order to insert this passage in its context:
The
few verses which the Liturgy offers us today for meditation belong to the great
farewell discourse which Jesus addressed to His disciples before the Passion,
and which John extends from 13:31 to the end of chapter 17. Here Jesus begins
to speak of the unavoidable consequence of following the choice of faith and
love for Him. The disciple has to be ready to suffer persecution from the
world. But in this struggle, in this pain, there is a consolation, there is a
Defender, an Advocate who witnesses for us and saves us: the gift of the Spirit
illuminates the human adventure of the disciple and fills us with a living
hope. He is sent to make us understand the mystery of Christ and to allow us to
participate in it.
b)
To help in the reading of the passage:
15,
26-27: Jesus announces the coming of the Holy
Spirit, as Consoler, as the defending Advocate. He will be the one to act in
the process of accusation which the world has against the disciples of Christ.
He will be the one to make them strong in persecution. The Spirit renders
witness to the world regarding the Lord Jesus; He defends Christ, who is
contested, accused, and rejected. But the witness of the disciples is also
necessary. The Spirit has to use them to proclaim with strength, in this world,
the Lord Jesus. It is the beauty of our life transformed into a witness of love
and fidelity to Christ.
16,
12: Jesus places His disciples – and
therefore us too – ahead of their condition of poverty and incapacity, by which
they do not understand well neither the words of Jesus, nor the words of
Scripture. His truth is still a burden, which they cannot receive, lift up, and
carry.
16,
13 –15: In these last verses, the Word of Jesus
reveals to the disciples what will be the action of His Spirit in them. He will
be the one to guide them in the whole truth. He will make them understand the
mystery of Jesus in all its importance or significance, and in the totality of
His truth. He will guide, reveal, proclaim, and illuminate, bringing to us, His
disciples, the words of the Father. In this way we will be led to the encounter
with God. By His grace we will be rendered capable of understanding the depth
of the Father and of the Son.
c)
The Text:
Jesus
said to his disciples: "When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from
the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father, he will testify
to me. And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.”
"I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he
comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak
on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things
that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and
declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I
told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you."
3. A MOMENT OF PRAYERFUL
SILENCE
I
keep silence, from time to time I repeat in a low voice: “Come Holy Spirit”.
4. SOME QUESTIONS
a) “When
the Paraclete will come”. Jesus immediately places me in front of a
very concrete reality; He opens before me a new time and tells me that this is
a time of waiting in my life. The Paraclete is about to come, the Holy Spirit.
Why Lord, have I waited for you for such a short time, and has my attention
toward you been so weak, so hypocritical? You send someone to look for me and I
am not even aware, do I not even show any interest?
b) “And
you too will be witnesses”. Jesus affirms this, addressing Himself to
His disciples of that time and of today. He speaks precisely to me and tells
me: “You too will be a witness”. I am afraid. Why lose my importance before
others: my companions in school, in the university, in my team, my friends, who
invite me to go out with them? Why this great difficulty? Can I not be a
Christian just the same? You are my beginning and my end: You are my whole
existence! How could I not be Your witness, Lord? How can I continue to keep
silence in this way?.
c)
“He will lead you to the complete truth”. I have always planned my
decisions to change. I have always been able to do everything alone. And now,
Lord, You tell me that another One will guide me. This is not an easy choice, I
confess it. But I want to try, I want to accept You, oh You who are Love. I
allow myself to be taken hold of by Your Spirit. Will He lead me to the desert,
as He did with You (cf. Lk4:1)? Will He open my life, as He opened the womb of
the Virgin Mary (Lk1:35)? Will He invest me as He did with Peter, with the
others, with all who believed in the preaching, as it is narrated in the Acts
of the Apostles? I do not know what will happen to me, but I want to say yes to
You.
5. A KEY FOR THE READING
*
The Holy Spirit Paraclete
At
first sight this term may seem a bit strange. It is a Greek word which is quite
vague, from ancient times. Saint John referred to it when he said: “I shall ask
the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever” (Jn
14:16) and revealing that the Spirit comes to console, to remain with them, to
defend and to protect. Here, though, in this verse, there seems to emerge a
nuance: the Spirit presents Himself to us as the Advocate, that is, the One who
is at our side in the judgment, in the accusation, in the tribunal of
persecution. We know the whole story that bears in its heart the accusation,
the contempt, the condemnation of the Lord Jesus and for all those who love
Him. This is the daily story of all. At the bench of the accused, at the side
of Jesus, we also sit, but not alone. We have an Advocate. The Spirit of the
Lord comes and acts in the judgment in our behalf: He has discourses, renders
witness, tries to convince and to prove. His work is immense in our midst, and
for us. Before the Father, our Advocate is Jesus, as John writes in his first
Letter (1 Jn2:1); but before the world, our Advocate is the Spirit, whom he
sends to us from the Father. We should not prepare our defense beforehand (Lk
21:14), thinking that we can excuse ourselves alone, but we have to make space,
within us, for the breath of the Holy Spirit, and allow Him to be the one who
speaks, says, proves. Paul also had to have this hard experience. He writes
this in his second Letter to Timothy: “The first time I had to present my
defense, no one came in to court to support me. Every one of them deserted me”
(2 Tim4:16). It is truly like that. There is no defense for us, no innocence,
liberation, true freedom from jail, except in the intimate relationship with
the Spirit of the Lord. He comes to us, in order that we may allow ourselves to
be taken up by His presence, as in an embrace, as in an intimate and intense
relationship of friendship, trust, abandonment and love.
*
The Witness
I
begin to understand, continuing to accept, in my heart, the words of this
Gospel, that the relationship of us, disciples with the Holy Spirit, has as its
purpose to render us capable of giving our witness to Jesus. We are united
unconditionally with the Holy Spirit. We are grasped by Him, taken up in His
fire, which is the reciprocal Love of the Father and of the Son, so that we too
may become luminous, that we also may be sources of love in this world.
To
render witness means to affirm clearly, giving proofs. The first one to do
this, continually, is the Spirit. In every place and at all times He acts with
power, in us and around us. He is the one who moves the hearts, who changes our
distorted and hardened thoughts, who brings us closer, reconciles, impels to
pardon, and brings us to union. He is also the One who heals the soul, the sick
body and heart. He is the One who teaches, trains and makes one docile. He
gives witness to the Lord Jesus, the Savior, through all His actions, soft
touches of love, and of communion on our desolate and dry earth. He calls out
the Risen One, who has conquered and stepped on death for ever. He gives
witness to the Living One, the Glorified One from the One who is with us until
the end of time. Behold, this is the witness. The Spirit introduces this in our
world, brings it to us. We cannot remain indifferent or choose a bit here and
there. He is the truth. And there is only one truth: that of God, His Son Jesus
Christ. We are called to give witness to all of this. That is to commit our
life, out of love, to this truth. To give witness is to become martyrs, out of
love. Not alone, not by our own strength or by our own wisdom. “You will also
be my witnesses”, says Jesus. But our wisdom can only exist within the witness
of the Holy Spirit. They are not parallel witnesses, but lives fused together:
that of the Spirit and ours. This takes place before the infinite tribunals of
the world, every day of our life. It becomes a sacred place, almost a
sanctuary, of the witness to the Lord Jesus. It is not important to carry out
great enterprises, to show wisdom and intelligence, or attract crowds of
people. No, one thing alone suffices: to tell the world that the Lord is alive,
that He is here, in our midst and to proclaim His mercy, His infinite love.
*
The Father
The
contact with the Holy Spirit, allowing ourselves to be embraced and invaded by
Him, leads us to the Lord Jesus. It leads us to His Heart, to the source of His
love. And from there we go to the Father. We had nothing. We were not able to
bring anything with us coming into this world and now, behold, we are loaded
with gifts! It’s impossible to contain them all. It is necessary to allow them
to overflow, to flow outside, toward the brothers and sisters whom we meet.
The
Spirit speaks of Jesus and uses the words of the Father. He repeats to us what
He hears from the Father. His dwelling is the Father, and coming to us, the
Spirit brings with Him the seal of that dwelling, of that place of infinite
communion, which is the womb of the Father. We understand well that this is our
house. We recognize the place of our origin and our end. Receiving the Spirit
of Jesus we rediscover that we also come from the Father, that we are born in
Him and we live in Him. If we seek ourselves, if we want to find the way, the
sense of our life here, all this is written in the words which the Spirit
pronounces for us, within us, concerning us. It is truly necessary to have a
great silence in order to be able to listen to understand Him. It is necessary
to go back to the house. To finally rethink in the Father and to say, within
ourselves: “Yes, it is now enough! I have wandered far away from You for a long
time, I have been lost… I will go back to my Father”. I see how many wonders
the Spirit of truth can act, that my Lord Jesus Christ sends me from the
Father. It will not be Pentecost if I do not allow myself to be taken up by
Him, to be led by Him to the womb of the Father, where Christ is already
waiting for me, where the fire of the Holy Spirit is already burning for me.
6. A MOMENT OF PRAYER
Psalm
68
(The
tenderness of the Father is the dwelling of the poor)
Response: Abbà Father, I am your son!
I
pray to You, Yahweh,
at the time of Your favor;
in Your faithful love answer me,
in the constancy of Your saving power.
at the time of Your favor;
in Your faithful love answer me,
in the constancy of Your saving power.
Answer
me, Yahweh, for Your faithful love is generous;
in Your tenderness turn towards me;
do not turn away from Your servant,
be quick to answer me, for I am in trouble.
in Your tenderness turn towards me;
do not turn away from Your servant,
be quick to answer me, for I am in trouble.
Come
to my side, redeem me,
ransom me because of my enemies.
ransom me because of my enemies.
The
humble have seen and are glad.
Let your courage revive,
you who seek God.
For God listens to the poor,
He has never scorned His captive people.
Let your courage revive,
you who seek God.
For God listens to the poor,
He has never scorned His captive people.
Let
heaven and earth and seas,
and all that stirs in them, acclaim Him!
For God will save Zion,
and rebuild the cities of Judah,
and people will live there on their own land;
the descendants of His servants will inherit it,
and those who love His name will dwell there.
and all that stirs in them, acclaim Him!
For God will save Zion,
and rebuild the cities of Judah,
and people will live there on their own land;
the descendants of His servants will inherit it,
and those who love His name will dwell there.
7. FINAL PRAYER
Thank
You, Father, for the coming of the Consoler, the Advocate. Thank You for His
witness of Jesus in the world in me and in my life. Thank You because it is He
who makes me capable of receiving and bearing the glorious weight of your Son
and my Lord. Thank you, because He guides me in truth, He hands me over to the
whole truth and reveals to me the Word which You Yourself pronounce. Thank You,
my Father, because in Your goodness and tenderness You have joined me today and
You have attracted me to You. You have made me enter in the house of your
heart. You have immersed me in the fire of the Trinitarian love, where You and
Your Son Jesus are only one in the infinite kiss of the Holy Spirit. I am also
here and because of this my joy is overflowing. I pray You, Father, make me give
this joy to all, in the loving witness of Jesus, the Savior, every day of my
life. Amen.
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