Prayer and Meditation: Pentecost

Various | 6/3/06 | Knitting a Conundrum

[Knitting A Conundrum]

 

Pentecost

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.  And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven.  And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in his own  language.

And they were amazed and wondered, saying, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?  And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language?  Par'thians and Medes and E'lamites and residents of Mesopota'mia, Judea and Cappado'cia, Pontus and Asia,  Phryg'ia and Pamphyl'ia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyre'ne, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,  Cretans and Arabians, we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God."

And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?"

But others mocking said, "They are filled with new wine."

But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day; but this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

 `And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams; 
yea, and on my menservants and my maidservants in those days
I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. 
And I will show wonders in the heaven above
and signs on the earth beneath,
blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; 
the sun shall be turned into darkness
and the moon into blood,
before the day of the Lord comes, the great and manifest day. 
And it shall be that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'

"Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know -- this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.  But God raised him up, having loosed the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.  For David says concerning him,

`I saw the Lord always before me,
for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; 
therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
moreover my flesh will dwell in hope. 
For thou wilt not abandon my soul to Hades,
nor let thy Holy One see corruption. 
Thou hast made known to me the ways of life;
thou wilt make me full of gladness with thy presence.'

"Brethren, I may say to you confidently of the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.  Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne,  he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption.

"This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.

"Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this which you see and hear.  For David did not ascend into the heavens; but he himself says, `The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand,
till I make thy enemies a stool for thy feet.'

"Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified."

Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brethren, what shall we do?"

And Peter said to them, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off, every one whom the Lord our God calls to him."

And he testified with many other words and exhorted them, saying, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation."

So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. 

 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.  And fear came upon every soul; and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.  And all who believed were together and had all things in common;  and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need.

And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they partook of food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Acts 2, RSV


Almighty and ever-living God, you fulfilled the Easter promise by sending us your Holy Spirit. May that Spirit unite the races and nations on earth to proclaim your glory. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Did it start
like the faintest whisper,
a breath of air,
gathering speed,
growing to a gale,
like a storm of God's light
ready to sweep across the globe?

Did it start
like a spark,
a brightness,
a pinprick of light,
a smolder
that roared into a flame
ready to set a sorrowful world on fire?

The hand of God at work -
taking this tiny group
like fine kindling
and blowing it into the flame
that would burn through the centuries -
a fire fueled with his own love,
bought by his own blood,
empowered with his own fire.

Come, Holy Spirit
And renew the face of the Earth,
spreading your flame
heart to heart,
soul by soul
rekindling, renewing, recharging
the light of your love
in the hearts of all who call Jesus Lord.

Let we who are warmed by your fire
spread these flames
hand to hand,
touch by touch,
life to life
until the whole world is emblazoned
with your touch,
the unquenchable fire
of the love of God
for this sad and undeserving world.

Amen.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Come Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of your faithful
and kindle 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.

Amen.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Prayer and meditation ping for Pentecost!

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest,
and in our souls take up Thy rest;
come with Thy grace and heavenly aid
to fill the hearts which Thou hast made.

O comforter, to Thee we cry,
O heavenly gift of God Most High,
O fount of life and fire of love,
and sweet anointing from above.

Thou in Thy sevenfold gifts are known;
Thou, finger of God's hand we own;
Thou, promise of the Father, Thou
Who dost the tongue with power imbue.

Kindle our sense from above,
and make our hearts o'erflow with love;
with patience firm and virtue high
the weakness of our flesh supply.

Far from us drive the foe we dread,
and grant us Thy peace instead;
so shall we not, with Thee for guide,
turn from the path of life aside.

Oh, may Thy grace on us bestow
the Father and the Son to know;
and Thee, through endless times confessed,
of both the eternal Spirit blest.

Now to the Father and the Son,
Who rose from death, be glory given,
with Thou, O Holy Comforter,
henceforth by all in earth and heaven. Amen. Veni, Creator Spiritus,
mentes tuorum visita,
imple superna gratia
quae tu creasti pectora.

Qui diceris Paraclitus,
altissima donum Dei,
fons vivus, ignis, caritas,
et spiritalis unctio.

Tu, septiformis munere,
digitus paternae dexterae,
Tu rite promissum Patris,
sermone ditans guttura.

Accende lumen sensibus:
infunde amorem cordibus:
infirma nostri corporis
virtute firmans perpeti.

Hostem repellas longius,
pacemque dones protinus:
ductore sic te praevio
vitemus omne noxium.

Per te sciamus da Patrem,
noscamus atque Filium;
Teque utrisque Spiritum
credamus omni tempore.

Deo Patri sit gloria,
et Filio, qui a mortuis
surrexit, ac Paraclito,
in saeculorum saecula. Amen.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

13: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Romans 15:13

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Come, Thou holy Paraclete,
And from Thy celestial seat
Send Thy light and brilliancy:
Father of the poor, draw near;
Giver of all gifts, be here;
Come, the soul’s true radiancy.

Come, of comforters the best,
Of the soul the sweetest guest,
Come in toil refreshingly:
Thou in labor rest most sweet,
Thou art shadow from the heat,
Comfort in adversity.

O Thou Light, most pure and blest,
Shine within the inmost breast
Of Thy faithful company.
Where Thou art not, man hath naught;
Every holy deed and thought
Comes from Thy divinity.

What is soilèd, make Thou pure;
What is wounded, work its cure;
What is parchèd, fructify;
What is rigid, gently bend;
What is frozen, warmly tend;
Strengthen what goes erringly.

Fill Thy faithful, who confide
In Thy power to guard and guide,
With Thy sevenfold mystery.
Here Thy grace and virtue send:
Grant salvation to the end,
And in Heav’n felicity.

Translated from the Latin by John M. Neale

[AnnaZ]

Amen.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost

O Lord Jesus Christ, Who, before ascending into heaven, didst promise to send the Holy Ghost to finish Thy work in the souls of Thy Apostles and Disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me, that He may perfect in my soul the work of Thy grace and Thy love. Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal, the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of Thy divine truth, the Spirit of Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining Heaven, the Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear my cross with Thee, and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation, the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints, the Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable, the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God, and may dread in any way to displease Him. Mark me, dear Lord, with the sign of Thy true disciples and animate me in all things with Thy Spirit. Amen.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Fire,
fire that burns the chaff away,
fire that refines
the rough ore into shining metal,
fire that transforms darkness into light,
fire that empowers,
power of the living God
falling like tongues of fire
to kindle in those gathered
the fire of your love,
Spirit,
Breath of God
transforming the world
touching our lives anew,
each day
a new Pentecost
to those who welcome you.

Breathe in us, Holy Spirit,
and let us be transformed
by the power of your touch
into children of the living God.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

For our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.

1 Thessalonians 1:5a

[Salvation]

The Holy Spirit: Pentecost

The Church's First Novena

[Salvation]

a href="http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1403498/posts">Today's Pentecost! Come, Holy Spirit!

Breath of the Savior

Pentecost: The Descent of the Holy Spirit

PENTECOST - Rite of Kneeling

CATECHISM CC - Pt. 1 - Chap. 3 - I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT

CATECHISM CC - Pt 1, Chap 3, ARTICLE 8 "I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT"

[Salvation]

Come, Holy Spirit

[HisKingdomWillAbolishSinDeath]

Nice post! The Latter Rain is what this world is literally dying for. We had the "Little Dipper" at Pentecost, now we need the "Big Dipper" to bring eternal life to this spiritually dead planet.

[.30Carbine]

Almighty God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit
As a united worldwide body of believers, we are gathered today
to honour and glorify Your Name.
We bow before Your throne of grace
and acknowledge that You are the Creator of heaven and earth.
You existed through all eternity and in You all things hold together.
There is no one like You, holy and righteous in all Your ways.
We submit to Your authority and sovereignty as the King of the universe
and pray with one voice to enthrone You in our hearts
and to honour You before the world.

Lord God, You alone are worthy of our praise and adoration. We worship You.

Our Father in heaven,
Thank You for loving the world so greatly
that You gave Your only Son, Jesus Christ,
to die on the cross for our sins,
so that we could be reconciled to You.
Thank You for giving us the right to call You Father,
because of our faith in Jesus Christ as our Saviour.
Nothing, not even principalities and powers,
is able to separate us from Your love
which You demonstrated in Your Son, Jesus Christ.

Thank You Father for adopting us into Your family. We now cry, Abba Father!

Lord Jesus Christ, You alone are worthy to open the scrolls of history,
for You were slain and have redeemed us to the Father by Your blood.
Thank You for interceding for us as our High Priest.
As we stand before You from many tribes and nations,
we confess that You are Head of the church
and Lord of every created thing in heaven and on earth.
Come and draw followers to serve You from every tribe and language.
May these become Your inheritance in all the earth.
Let Your kingdom be established in every nation of the world,
so that governments will rule with righteousness and justice.
May Your gospel be made known to every person on earth.
May Your blessing bring transformation amidst every people.
And may Your Name be great, from the rising of the sun to its setting.

Jesus Christ, You are the Saviour of the world and the Lord of all.

Father of mercy and grace
We acknowledge that we have sinned
and that our world is gripped by the power of sin.
Our hearts are grieved by injustice, hatred, anger and violence.
We are shamed by the oppression, racism and bloodshed in our land.
We weep because of the loss of innocent life
in war and terrorism, abortion, persecution and senseless murders.
Our hearts are broken by every rejection of Christ as Lord and Saviour.
As we stand before You, we know that Your gaze beholds all things.
Our homes are broken by selfishness and immorality.
Our lives are polluted by greed, idolatry and sexual sin.
Our churches are divided by rebellious pride.
All the sins that we may find in our world, You have found among Your people.
We have grieved Your heart and brought shame to Your Name.
We approach Your throne of grace in this hour of need.
We ask for Your mercy and Your help to truly repent.

God of mercy, pour out Your grace. Forgive our sins. Heal our land.

Spirit of the living God, we confess that we can do nothing apart from You.
Living God, on this Pentecost, pour out Your Spirit upon all flesh.
Empower the church to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ.
Release Your power to bring healing to the sick,
freedom to the possessed, comfort to those who mourn
and release for those who are oppressed.
Come and melt the hearts of people to love again.
Answer the call of the homeless, the hungry, the helpless and the dying.
Enfold orphans, widows and the elderly in Your arms.
Display Your mercy and provide for our needs.
Give us wisdom and insight in every sphere of life
so that we will find solutions to the complex problems of the world.
Help us to use the resources of the earth for the well-being of all.
Pour Your love into our hearts and fill us with compassion
and let the power of the Holy Spirit characterize our lives.

Holy Spirit, we need Your comfort and guidance. Come and transform our hearts.

Lord Jesus Christ, because You were dead, but are now risen;
and because the Father has given You a name above all names,
You will defeat all powers of evil.
You have declared that the gates of hell will not prevail against Your church.
We pray for deliverance from demonic oppression.
We pray for the tearing down of the strongholds and ideologies
that hinder and resist the spreading of the knowledge of God.
We resist the plan of the enemy to keep nations in darkness
and pray that You will remove the veil that covers the peoples.
We ask for open doors so that the gospel can enter every nation.
Restrain the evil that promotes violence and death.
Break the hold of slavery, tyranny and disease.
Fill us with courage to fearlessly and faithfully preach Your word.
Give us a spirit of intercession to cry out on behalf of the lost.

Almighty God, deliver us from evil and the Evil One.

King of Glory, come to the nations of the world.
You have promised long ago that You would come to restore all things.
We welcome You to finish Your work in our cities, our peoples and our nations.
We now lift our voices in unison with believers from across the face of the earth – from Africa, from the Middle East, from North and South America, from Asia, from Europe, from Australia and from the Pacific Islands – together we cry:

Lift up your heads, O you gates! Be lifted up ancient doors so that the King of glory may come in!

As your deeds increase throughout the earth,
and as your blessings abound to all the nations,
they will seek You, asking, “Who is this king of glory?”
Together we will answer:

He is the Lord Almighty! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!

Come fill the earth with your glory as the waters cover the sea.
The Spirit and the Bride say:

Amen! Come Lord Jesus!

[Knitting A Conundrum]

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

2 Corinthians 13:14

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Oh Holy Spirit, You are the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity. You are the Spirit of truth, love and holiness, proceeding from the Father and the Son, and equal to Them in all things. I adore You and love You with all my heart. Teach me to know and to seek God, by whom and for whom I was created. Fill my heart with a holy fear and a great love for Him. Give me compunction and patience, and do not let me fall into sin.

Increase faith, hope and charity in me and bring forth in me all the virtues proper to my state of life. Help me to grow in the four cardinal virtues, Your seven gifts and Your twelve fruits.

Make me a faithful follower of Jesus, an obedient child of the Church and a help to my neighbor. Give me the grace to keep the commandments and to receive the sacraments worthily. Raise me to holiness in the state of life to which You have called me, and lead me through a happy death to everlasting life. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Grant me also, O Holy Spirit, Giver of all good gifts, the special favor for which I ask {name special petition}, if it be for Your honor and glory and for my well being. Amen.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Meditation on the Holy Spirit

I feel your touch on the wind, Lord,
I feel you burning as a fire.
Breathe in me, Holy Spirit,
Breathe in me, Spirit who guides,
Set me aflame, Fire from on high.

Like a rushing wind
Ruah,
Spirit that danced upon the face of the waters,
Breath of God,
breathing life into man,
Spirit,
coming with tongues of fire,
God,
speaking in the softest of whispers.

Paraclete,
Comforter,
Spirit of the Living God,
Spirit of Christ,
Speak for me,
finding the words where I cannot say them,
Purify me,
that I may be a fitting temple,
Use me
that I may be the tool in God's hand.

Amen.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Breathe into me, Holy Spirit,
that my thoughts may all be holy.
Move in me, Holy Spirit,
that my work, too, may be holy.
Attract my heart, Holy Spirit,
that I may love only what is holy.
Strengthen me, Holy Spirit,
that I may defend all that is holy.
Protect me, Holy Spirit,
that I may always be holy.

Saint Augustine

[Knitting A Conundrum]

But, as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him," God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.

For what person knows a man's thoughts except the spirit of the man which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who possess the Spirit.

The unspiritual man does not receive the gifts of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one.

"For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.

I Corinthians 2:9-16