Posted on 05/26/2007 11:34:44 PM PDT by Salvation
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Pentecost Sunday
Mass during the Day |
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Reading 1
Acts 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.”
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.
Reading II
1 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
Rom 8:8-17
Brothers and sisters:
Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
But you are not in the flesh;
on the contrary, you are in the spirit,
if only the Spirit of God dwells in you.
Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
But if Christ is in you,
although the body is dead because of sin,
the spirit is alive because of righteousness.
If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
the one who raised Christ from the dead
will give life to your mortal bodies also,
through his Spirit that dwells in you.
Consequently, brothers and sisters,
we are not debtors to the flesh,
to live according to the flesh.
For if you live according to the flesh, you will die,
but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body,
you will live.
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,
but you received a Spirit of adoption,
through whom we cry, “Abba, Father!”
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit
that we are children of God,
and if children, then heirs,
heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ,
if only we suffer with him
so that we may also be glorified with him.
Gospel
Jn 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
Jn 14:15-16, 23b-26
Jesus said to his disciples:
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
And I will ask the Father,
and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always.
“Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.
Those who do not love me do not keep my words;
yet the word you hear is not mine
but that of the Father who sent me.
“I have told you this while I am with you.
The Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name,
will teach you everything
and remind you of all that I told you.”
Please notify me via FReepmail if you would like to be added to or taken off the Alleluia Ping List.
The Advocate vs. The Accuser (Fr. Euteneuer Column)
Always be followed by your conscience (Rainbow Sashers get ready for Pentecost Sunday)
Pentecost worries Vatican [Pentecostals in the Philippines]
Prayer and Meditation: Pentecost
Pentecost Anticipation: The Catholic Charismatic Renewal and Me
Paul's Teaching on the Holy Spirit
Today's Pentecost! Come, Holy Spirit!
Pentecost: The Descent of the Holy Spirit
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"
From: Acts 2:1-11
The Coming of the Holy Spirit
[5] Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every
nation under heaven. [6] And at this sound the multitude came together,
and they were bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in his
own language. [7] And they were amazed and wondered, saying, “Are not
all these who are speaking Galileans? [8] And how is it that we hear, each
of us in his own native language? [9] Parthians and Medes and Elamites
and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
[10] Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to
Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, [11] Cretans
and Arabians, we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works
of God.”
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Commentary:
1-13. This account of the Holy Spirit visibly coming down on the disciples
who, in keeping with Jesus’ instructions, had stayed together in Jerusalem,
gives limited information as to the time and place of the event, yet it is full
of content. Pentecost was one of the three great Jewish feasts for which
many Israelites went on pilgrimage to the Holy City to worship God in the
temple. It originated as a harvest thanksgiving, with an offering of first-fruits.
Later it was given the additional dimension of commemorating the
promulgation of the Law given by God to Moses on Sinai. The Pentecost
celebration was held fifty days after the Passover, that is, after seven
weeks had passed. The material harvest which the Jews celebrated so
joyously became, through God’s providence, the symbol of the spiritual
harvest which the Apostles began to reap on this day.
2-3. Wind and fire were elements which typically accompanied
manifestations of God in the Old Testament (cf. Ex 3:2; l 3 :21-22; 2
Kings5:24; Ps 104:3). In this instance, as Chrysostom explains, it would
seem that separate tongues of fire came down on each of them: they
were “separated, which means they came from one and the same source,
to show that the Power all comes from the Paraclete” (”Hom. on Acts”, 4).
The wind and the noise must have been so intense that they caused
people to flock to the place. The fire symbolizes the action of the Holy
Spirit who, by enlightening the minds of the disciples, enables them to
understand Jesus’ teachings—as Jesus promised at the Last Supper (cf.
Jn 16:4-14); by inflaming their hearts with love he dispels their fear and
moves them to preach boldly. Fire also has a purifying effect, God’s action
cleansing the soul of all trace of sin.
4. Pentecost was not an isolated event in the life of the Church, something
over and done with. “We have the right, the duty and the joy to tell you that
Pentecost is still happening. We can legitimately speak of the ‘lasting value’
of Pentecost. We know that fifty days after Easter, the Apostles, gathered
together in the same Cenacle as had been used for the first Eucharist and
from which they had gone out to meet the Risen One for the first time,
“discover” in themselves the power of the Holy Spirit who descended upon
them, the strength of Him whom the Lord had promised so often as the
outcome of his suffering on the Cross; and strengthened in this way, they
began to act, that is, to perform their role. [. . .] Thus is born the “apostolic
Church”. But even today—and herein the continuity lies—the Basilica of St
Peter in Rome and every Temple, every Oratory, every place where the
disciples of the Lord gather, is an extension of that original Cenacle” (John
Paul II, “Homily”, 25 May 1980).
Vatican II (cf. Ad gentes, 4) quotes St Augustine’s description of the Holy
Spirit as the soul, the source of life, of the Church, which was born on the
Cross on Good Friday and whose birth was announced publicly on the day
of Pentecost: “Today, as you know, the Church was fully born, through the
breath of Christ, the Holy Spirit; and in the Church was born the Word, the
witness to and promulgation of salvation in the risen Jesus; and in him who
listens to this promulgation is born faith, and with faith a new life, an
awareness of the Christian vocation and the ability to hear that calling and
to follow it by living a genuinely human life, indeed a life which is not only
human but holy. And to make this divine intervention effective, today was
born the apostolate, the priesthood, the ministry of the Spirit, the calling
to unity, fraternity and peace” (Paul VI, “Address”, 25 May 1969).
“Mary, who conceived Christ by the work of the Holy Spirit, the Love of
the living God, presides over the birth of the Church, on the day of
Pentecost, when the same Holy Spirit comes down on the disciples and
gives life to the mystical body of Christians in unity and charity”
(Paul VI, “Address”, 25 October 1969).
5-11. In his account of the events of Pentecost St Luke distinguishes
“devout men” (v. 5), Jews and proselytes (v. 11). The first-mentioned
were people who were residing in Jerusalem for reasons of study or
piety, to be near the only temple the Jews had. They were Jews—not to
be confused with “God-fearing men”, that is, pagans sympathetic to
Judaism, who worshipped the God of the Bible and who, if they became
converts and members of the Jewish religion by being circumcised and
by observing the Mosaic Law, were what were called “proselytes”, whom
Luke distinguishes from the “Jews”, that is, those of Jewish race.
People of different races and tongues understand Peter, each in his or
her own language. They can do so thanks to a special grace from the
Holy Spirit given them for the occasion; this is not the same as the
gift of “speaking with tongues” which some of the early Christians had
(cf. 1 Cor 14), which allowed them to praise God and speak to him in a
language which they themselves did not understand.
11. When the Fathers of the Church comment on this passage they
frequently point to the contrast between the confusion of languages
that came about at Babel (cf. Gen 11:1-9)—God’s punishment for man’s
pride and infidelity—and the reversal of this confusion on the day of
Pentecost, thanks to the grace of the Holy Spirit. The Second Vatican
Council stresses the same idea: “Without doubt, the Holy Spirit was at
work in the world before Christ was glorified. On the day of Pentecost,
however, he came down on the disciples that he might remain with them
forever (cf. Jn 14;16); on that day the Church was openly displayed to
the crowds and the spread of the Gospel among the nations, through
preaching, was begun. Finally, on that day was foreshadowed the union
of all peoples in the catholicity of the faith by means of the Church
of the New Alliance, a Church which speaks every language, understands
and embraces all tongues in charity, and thus overcomes the dispersion
of Babel” (”Ad Gentes”, 4).
Christians need this gift for their apostolic activity and should ask
the Holy Spirit to give it to them to help them express themselves in
such a way that others can understand their message; to be able so to
adapt what they say to suit the outlook and capacity of their hearers,
that they pass Christ’s truth on: “Every generation of Christians needs
to redeem, to sanctify, its own time. To do this, it must understand
and share the desires of other men—their equals—in order to make
known to them, with a ‘gift of tongues’, how they are to respond to the
action of the Holy Spirit, to that permanent outflow of rich treasures
that comes from our Lord’s heart. We Christians are called upon to
announce, in our own time, to this world to which we belong and in
which we live, the message—old and at the same time new—of the
Gospel” ([St] J. Escriva, “Christ Is Passing By”, 132).
*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
From: Romans 8:8-17
Life in the Spirit (continued)
[9] But you are not in the flesh, you are in the Spirit if the Spirit of God really
dwells in you. Any one who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong
to him. [10] But if Christ in you, although your bodies are dead because of
sin, your spirits are alive because of righteousness. [11] If the Spirit of him who
raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the
dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit who dwells in you.
[12] So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to
the flesh – [13] for if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the
Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live.
Christians are children of God
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Commentary:
10-11. Once he is justified the Christian lives in the grace of God and confidently
hopes in his future resurrection; Christ himself lives in him (cf. Gal 2:20; 1 Cor 15:
20-23). However, he is not spared the experience of death, a consequence of
original sin (cf. Rom 5:12; 6:23). Along with suffering, concupiscence and other
limitations, death is still a factor after Baptism; it is something which motivates us
to struggle and makes us to be like Christ. Almost all commentators interpret the
expression “your bodies are dead because of sin” as referring to the fact that, due
to sin, the human body is destined to die. So sure is this prospect of death that
the Apostle sees the body as “already dead”.
St. John Chrysostom makes an acute observation: if Christ is living in the
Christian, then the divine Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity, is also present in
him. If this divine Spirit is abse4nt, then indeed death reigns supreme, and with
it the wrath of God, rejection of his laws, separation from Christ, and expulsion of
our Guest. And he adds: “But when one has the Spirit within, what can be lack-
ing? With the Spirit one belongs to Christ, one possesses him, one vies for
honour with the angels. With the Spirit, the flesh is crucified, one tastes the
delight of an immortal life, one has a pledge of future resurrection and advances
rapidly on the path of virtue. This is what Paul calls putting the flesh to death”
(Hom. on Rom, 13).l
14-30. The life of a Christian is sharing in the life of Christ, God’s only Son. By
becoming, through adoption, true children of God we have, so to speak, a right
to share also in Christ’s inheritance – eternal life in heaven (vv. 13-18). This
divine life in us, begun in Baptism through rebirth in the Holy Spirit, will grow
under the guidance of this Spirit, who makes us ever more like Christ (vv. 14,
26-27). So, our adoption as sons is already a fact – we already have the first
fruits of the Spirit (v. 23) – but only at the end of time, when our body rises in
glory, will our redemption reach its climax (vv. 23-25). Meanwhile we are in a
waiting situation – not free from suffering (v. 18), groans (v. 23) and weakness
(v. 26) – a situation characterized by a certain tension between what we already
possess and are, and what we yearn for. This yearning is something which all
creation experiences; by God’s will, its destiny is intimately linked to our own, and
it too awaits its transformation at the end of the world (vv. 19-22). All this is
happening in accordance with a plan which God has, a plan established from all
eternity which is unfolding the course of time under the firm guidance of divine
providence (vv. 28-30).
14-15 Blessed Josemaria Escriva taught thousands of people about this aware-
ness of divine filiation which is such an important part of the Christian vocation.
Here is what he says, for example, in The Way, 267: “We’ve got to be convinced
that God is always near us. We live as though he were far away, in the heavens
high above, and we forget that he is also continually by our side.
“He is there like a loving Father. He loves each of us more than all the mothers in
the world can love their children – helping, inspiring us, blessing . . . and forgiving.
“How often we have misbehaved and then cleared the frowns from our parents’
brows, telling them: I won’t do it any more! – That same day, perhaps, we fall
again . . . – And our father, with feigned harshness in his voice and serious face,
reprimands us while in his heart he is moved, realizing our weakness and thinking:
poor child, how hard he tries to behave well!
“We’ve go to be filled, to be imbued with the idea that our Father, and very much
our Father, is God who is both near us and in heaven.”
This awareness of God as Father was something which the first chancellor of the
University of Navarre experienced with special intensity one day in 1931: “They
were difficult times, from a human point of view, but even so I was quite sure of
the impossible – this impossibility which you can now see as an accomplished
fact. I felt God acting within me with overriding force, filling my heart and bringing
to my lips this tender invocation – Abba! Pater! I was out in the street, in a tram;
being out in the street is no hindrance for our contemplative dialogue; for us, the
hustle and bustle of the world is a place for prayer” (Bl. J. Escriva, quoted in Bernal,
p. 214).
18. “Who is there then”, St Cyprian comments, “who will not strive to attain so great
a glory, by making himself God’s friend, to rejoice immediately with Christ, to receive
the divine rewards after the pains and sufferings of this life? If it is glorious for
soldiers of this world to return to their fatherland victorious after defeating the enemy,
how much greater and more pleasing glory will there not be, once the devil is over-
come, to return victorious to heaven […]; to bear with one the trophies of victory
[…]; to sit at God’s side when he comes to judge, to be a co-heir with Christ, to be
made equal to the angels and to enjoy with the Patriarchs, with the Apostles and
with the Prophets the possession of the Kingdom of heaven […]. A spirit secure in
these supernatural thoughts stays strong and firm, and is unmoved by the attacks of
demons and the threats of this world, a spirit strengthened by a solid and confident
faith in the future […]. It leaves here with dignity and confidence, rejoicing in one
moment to close its eyes which looked on men and the world, and to see God and
Christ! […]. These are the thoughts the mind should have, this is how it ought to
reflect, night and day. If persecution finds God’s soldier prepared in this manner,
there will be no power capable of overcoming a spirit so equipped for the struggle”
(Epist. ad Fortunatum, 13).
*********************************************************************************************Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
From: John 14:15-16;23b-26
Promise of the Holy Spirit
[23b] If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him,
and we will come to him and make our home with him. [24] He who does not
love me does not keep my words; and the word which you hear is not mine but
the Father’s who sent me.
[25] These things I have spoken to you, while I am still with you. But the
Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach
you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”
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Commentary:
15. Genuine love must express itself in deeds. “This indeed is love; obeying and
believing in the loved one” (St John Chrysostom, Hom. on St John, 74). There-
fore, Jesus wants us to understand that love of God, if it is to be authentic, must
be reflected in a life of generous and faithful self-giving, obedient to the will of God:
he who accepts God’s commandments and obeys them, he it is who loves him
(cf. Jn 14:21); St John himself exhorts us in another passage not to “love in word
or speech but in deed and in truth” (1 Jn 3:18), and he teaches us that “this is the
love of God, that we keep his commandments” (1 Jn 5:3).
16-17 On a number of occasions the Lord promises the Apostles that he will send
them the Holy Spirit (cf. 14:26; 15:26; 16:7-14; Mt 10:20). Here he tells them that
one result of his mediation with the Father will be the coming of the Paraclete. The
Holy Spirit in fact does come down on the disciples after our Lord’s ascension (cf.
Acts 2:1-13), sent by the Father and by the Son. In promising here that through
him the Father will send them the Holy Spirit, Jesus is revealing the mystery of the
Blessed Trinity.
“Counsellor”: the Greek word sometimes anglicized as “paraclete” means,
etymologically, “called to be beside one” to accompany, console, protect, defend.
Hence the word is translated as Counsellor, Advocate, etc. Jesus speaks of the
Holy Spirit as “another Counsellor”, because he will be given them in Christ’s
place as Advocate or Defender to help them, since Jesus is going to ascend to
heaven. In 1 John 2:1 Jesus Christ is described as a Paraclete: “We have an
advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous”. Jesus Christ, then, also
is our Advocate and Mediator in heaven where he is with the Father (cf. Heb 7:25).
It is now the role of the Holy Spirit to guide, protect and vivify the Church, “for
there are, as we know, two factors which Christ has promised and arranged in
different ways to continue this mission […]: the apostolate and the Spirit. The
apostolate is the external and objective factor, it forms the material body, so to
speak, of the Church and is the source of her visible and social structures. The
Holy Spirit acts internally within each person, as well as on the whole community,
animating, vivifying, sanctifying” (Paul VI, Opening Address at the third session of
Vatican II, 14 September 1964).
The Holy Spirit is Counsellor as we make our way in this world amid difficulties and
the temptation to feel depressed. “In spite of our great limitations, we can look up
to heaven with confidence and joy: God loves us and frees us from our sins. The
presence and the action of the Holy Spirit in the Church are a foretaste of eternal
happiness, of the joy and peace for which we are destined by God” (Bl. J. Escriva,
Christ is Passing By, 128).
25-26 Jesus has expounded his teaching very clearly, but the Apostles do not yet
full understand it; they will do so later on, when they receive the Holy Spirit who
will guide them unto all truth (cf. Jn 16:13). “And so the Holy Spirit did teach them
and remind them: he taught them what Christ had not said because they could not
take it in, and he reminded them of what the Lord has taught and which, either
because of the obscurity of the things or because of the dullness of their minds,
they had not been able to retain” (Theophylact, Enarratio in Evangelium Ioannis,
ad loc.).
The word translated here as “bring to your remembrance” also includes the idea of
“suggesting”: The Holy Spirit will recall to the Apostles’ memory that they have
already heard Jesus say and he will give them light to enable them to discover the
depth and richness of everything they have seen and heard. Thus, “the Apostles
handed on to their hearers what he had said and done, but with that fuller under-
standing which they, instructed by the glorious events of Christ (cf. Jn 2:33) and
enlightened by the Spirit of truth, now enjoyed” (Vatican II, Dei Verbum, 19).
“Christ has not left his followers without guidance in the task of understanding and
living the Gospel. Before returning to his Father, he promised to send his Holy
Spirit to the Church: ‘But the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will
send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all
I have said to you’” (Jn 14:26).
“This same Spirit guides the successors of the Apostles, your bishops, united with
the Bishop of Rome, to whom it was entrusted to preserve the faith and to ‘preach
the gospel to the whole creation’ (Mk 16:15). Listen to their voices, for they bring
you the word of the Lord” (John Paul II, Homily at Knock Shrine, 30 September
1979).
In the Gospels is consigned to writing, under the charism of divine inspiration,
the Apostles’ version of everything they had witnessed – and the understanding
of it, which they obtained after Pentecost. So it is that these sacred writers
“faithfully hand on what Jesus, the Son of God, while he lived among men, really
did and taught for their eternal salvation, until the day when he was taken up
(cf. Acts 1:1-2)” (Vatican II, Dei Verbum, 19). This is why the Church so
earnestly recommends the reading of Sacred Scripture, particularly the Gospels.
“How I wish your bearing and conversation were such that, on seeing or hearing
you, people would say: This man reads the life of Jesus Christ” (Bl. J. Escriva,
The Way, 2).
*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
|
May Devotion: Blessed Virgin Mary
Since the 16th century Catholic piety has assigned entire months to special devotions. Toward the end of the eighteenth century a zealous Jesuit priest, Father Lalomia, started among the students of the Roman college of his Society the practice of dedicating May to Our Lady. The devotion, which others had promoted in a small way, soon spread to other Jesuit Colleges and to the entire Latin church and since that time it has been a regular feature of Catholic life. |
INVOCATIONS
Thou who wast a virgin before thy delivery, pray for us. Hail Mary, etc.
Thou who wast a virgin in thy delivery, pray for us. Hail Mary, etc.
Thou who wast a virgin after thy delivery, pray for us. Hail Mary, etc.
My Mother, deliver me from mortal sin.
Hail Mary (three times).
Mother of love, of sorrow and of mercy, pray for us.
Remember, O Virgin Mother of God, when thou shalt stand before the face of the Lord, that thou speak favorable things in our behalf and that He may turn away His indignation from us.
Roman Missal
Thou art my Mother, O Virgin Mary: keep me safe lest I ever offend thy dear Son, and obtain for me the grace to please Him always and in all things.
FOR THE HELP OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
May we be assisted, we beseech Thee, 0 Lord, by the worshipful intercession of Thy glorious Mother, the ever-Virgin Mary; that we, who have been enriched by her perpetual blessings, may be delivered from all dangers, and through her loving kindness made to be of one heart and mind: who livest and reignest world without end. Amen.
Roman Missal
THE SALVE REGINA
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, hail, our life, our sweetness, and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve! To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears! Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus! O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!
Roman Breviary
PRAYER TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
O blessed Virgin Mary, who can worthily repay thee thy just dues of praise and thanksgiving, thou who by the wondrous assent of thy will didst rescue a fallen world? What songs of praise can our weak human nature recite in thy honor, since it is by thy intervention alone that it has found
the way to restoration? Accept, then, such poor thanks as we have here to offer, though they be unequal to thy merits; and, receiving our vows, obtain by thy prayers the remission of our offenses. Carry thou our prayers within the sanctuary of the heavenly audience, and bring forth from it the antidote of our reconciliation. May the sins we bring before Almighty God through thee, become pardonable through thee; may what we ask for with sure confidence, through thee be granted. Take our offering, grant us our requests, obtain pardon for what we fear, for thou art the sole hope of sinners. Through thee we hope for the remission of our sins, and in thee, 0 blessed Lady, is our hope of reward. Holy Mary, succour the miserable, help the fainthearted, comfort the sorrowful, pray for thy people, plead for the clergy, intercede for all women consecrated to God; may all who keep thy holy commemoration feel now thy help and protection. Be thou ever ready to assist us when we pray, and bring back to us the answers to our prayers. Make it thy continual care to pray for the people of God, thou who, blessed by God, didst merit to bear the Redeemer of the world, who liveth and reigneth, world without end. Amen.
Saint Augustine
PETITION TO MARY
Most holy Virgin Immaculate, my Mother Mary, to thee who art the Mother of my Lord, the queen of the universe, the advocate, the hope, the refuge of sinners, I who am the most miserable of all sinners, have recourse this day. I venerate thee, great queen, and I thank thee for the many graces thou hast bestowed upon me even unto this day; in particular for having delivered me from the hell which I have so often deserved by my sins. I love thee, most dear Lady; and for the love I bear thee, I promise to serve thee willingly for ever and to do what I can to make thee loved by others also. I place in thee all my hopes for salvation; accept me as thy servant and shelter me under thy mantle, thou who art the Mother of mercy. And since thou art so powerful with God, deliver me from all temptations, or at least obtain for me the strength to overcome them until death. From thee I implore a true love for Jesus Christ. Through thee I hope to die a holy death. My dear Mother, by the love thou bearest to Almighty God, I pray thee to assist me always, but most of all at the last moment of my life. Forsake me not then, until thou shalt see me safe in heaven, there to bless thee and sing of thy mercies through all eternity. Such is my hope. Amen.
Saint Alphonsus Liguori
Magnificat Prayer
My being proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit finds joy in God my savior,
For he has looked upon his servant in her lowliness; all ages to come shall call me blessed.
God who is mighty has done great things for me,
holy is his name; His mercy is from age to age on those who fear him. He has shown might with his arm; he has confused the proud in their inmost thoughts. He has deposed the mighty from their thrones and raised the lowly to high places. The hungry he has given every good thing, while the rich he has sent empty away. He has upheld Israel his servant, ever mindful of his mercy; Even as he promised our fathers, promised Abraham and his descendants forever.
(Lk 1:46-55)
Seen above is the Blessed Virgin Mary, portrayed as Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
It was she who was chosen by God, to provide His Son with His Sacred Humanity.
She did so in humble and total cooperation with the Holy Spirit and the Divine will of the Holy Trinity; providing God's Son with the Blood He shed for us on the Cross.
TO MARY, REFUGE OF SINNERS
Hail, most gracious Mother of mercy, hail, Mary, for whom we fondly yearn, through whom we obtain forgiveness! Who would not love thee? Thou art our light in uncertainty, our comfort in sorrow, our solace in the time of trial, our refuge from every peril and temptation. Thou art our sure hope of salvation, second only to thy only-begotten Son; blessed are they who love thee, our Lady! Incline, I beseech thee, thy ears of pity to the entreaties of this thy servant, a miserable sinner; dissipate the darkness of my sins by the bright beams of thy holiness, in order that I may be acceptable in thy sight.
FOR THE GRACE OF LOVE
O Mary, my dear Mother, how much I love thee! And yet in reality how little! Thou dost teach me what I ought to know, for thou teachest me what Jesus is to me and what I ought to be for Jesus. Dearly beloved Mother, how close to God thou art, and how utterly filled with Him! In the measure that we know God, we remind ourselves of thee. Mother of God, obtain for me the grace of loving my Jesus; obtain for me the grace of loving thee!
Cardinal Merry del Val
TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY FOR MAY
O most august and blessed Virgin Mary! Holy Mother of God! glorious Queen of heaven and earth! powerful protectress of those who love thee, and unfailing advocate of all who invoke thee! look down, I beseech thee, from thy throne of glory on thy devoted child; accept the solemn offering I present thee of this month, specially dedicated to thee, and receive my ardent, humble desire, that by my love and fervor I could worthily honor thee, who, next to God, art deserving of all honor. Receive me, 0 Mother of Mercy, among thy best beloved children; extend to me thy maternal tenderness and solicitude; obtain for me a place in the Heart of Jesus, and a special share in the gifts of His grace. 0 deign, I beseech thee, to recognize my claims on thy protection, to watch over my spiritual and temporal interests, as well as those of all who are dear to me; to infuse into my soul the spirit of Christ, and to teach me thyself to become meek, humble, charitable, patient, and submissive to the will of God.
May my heart bum with the love of thy Divine Son, and of thee, His blessed Mother, not for a month alone, but for time and eternity; may I thirst for the promotion of His honor and thine, and contribute, as far as I can, to its extension. Receive me, 0 Mary, the refuge of sinners! Grant me a Mother's blessing and a Mother's care, now, and at the hour of my death. Amen.
TO OUR LADY
Saint John Vianney, better known as the Cure of Ars, when asked how long he had loved Mary, said: "I loved her almost before I could know her." In this prayer he expresses that love.
O thou most holy virgin Mary, who dost evermore stand before the most holy Trinity, and to whom it is granted at all times to pray for us to thy most beloved Son; pray for me in all my necessities; help me, combat for me, and obtain for me the pardon of all my sins. Help me especially at my last hour; and when I can no longer give any sign of the use of reason, then do thou encourage me, make the sign of the cross for me, and fight for me against the enemy. Make in my name a profession of faith; favor me with a testimony of my salvation, and never let me despair of the mercy of God. Help me to overthrow the wicked enemy. When I can no longer say: "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I place my soul in your hands," do thou say it for me; when I can no longer hear human words of consolation, do thou comfort me. Leave me not before I have been judged; and if I have to expiate my sins in purgatory, oh! pray for me earnestly; and admonish my friends to procure for me a speedy enjoyment of the blessed sight of God. Lessen my sufferings, deliver me speedily, and lead my soul into heaven with thee: that, united with all the elect, I may there bless and praise my God and thee for all eternity. Amen.
Saint John Vianney
ACT OF REPARATION
O blessed Virgin, Mother of God, look down in mercy from heaven, where thou art enthroned as Queen, upon me, a miserable sinner, thine unworthy servant. Although I know full well my own unworthiness, yet in order to atone for the offenses that are done to thee by impious and blasphemous
tongues, from the depths of my heart I praise and extol thee as the purest, the fairest, the holiest creature of all God's handiwork. I bless thy holy name, I praise thine exalted privilege of being truly Mother of God, ever virgin, conceived without stain of sin, co-redemptrix of the human race. I bless the Eternal Father who chose thee in an especial way for His daughter; I bless the Word Incarnate who took upon Himself our nature in thy bosom and so made thee His Mother; I bless the Holy Spirit who took thee as His bride. All honor, praise and thanksgiving to the ever-blessed Trinity, who predestined thee and loved thee so exceedingly from all eternity as to exalt thee above all creatures to the most sublime heights. 0 Virgin, holy and merciful, obtain for all who offend thee the grace of repentance, and graciously accept this poor act of homage from me thy servant, obtaining likewise for me from thy divine Son the pardon and remission of all my sins. Amen.
Prayer Source: Prayer Book, The by Reverend John P. O'Connell, M.A., S.T.D. and Jex Martin, M.A., The Catholic Press, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 1954
| Memorare of the Blessed Virgin Mary |
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Remember O Most Gracious Virgin Mary! That never was it known Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto Thee! To Thee I come before Thee I stand,
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| Other Articles by Br. James Brent, O.P. Printer Friendly Version |
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| The Ever-Present Pentecost | |
St. Luke's account of Pentecost has a subtle way of making a powerful point.
In his Gospel, St. Luke almost always marks the end of individual events in the life of Christ with some clear signal to the reader. The first proclamation of the gospel at Nazareth, with its confrontation between Jesus and the synagogue, ends with the words "but passing through their midst he went away" (Lk 4:30). From there the text transitions to the next story. The Transfiguration ends with the words "they kept silence and told no one in those days of anything of what they had seen. The next day..." (Lk.9:36-7). And the Passion ended with the words "he breathed his last" (Lk. 23:46). The appearance of the risen Christ at Emmaus is marked as ended with the words "and he vanished out of their sight" (Lk 24:31). However, when it comes to St. Luke's account of Pentecost in the Acts of the Apostles, there is no point in the text at which one can naturally say, "Pentecost ended here."
Does Pentecost end after Peter's first preaching with the people asking what they should do (Acts 2:37)? No. For at that point Peter promises the Spirit still to come to those who repent and are baptized. Does Pentecost end with Peter and John going up to the temple to preach at the beginning of chapter 3? No. For it is there they start to work healing miracles. Does it end at any point in following chapters? No. For several times more the Spirit takes action — filling Peter (Acts 4:8), shaking the place of prayer again (Acts 4:31), and filling Stephen (Acts 6:10). The chapters are so bursting with proclamations and "signs and wonders" that throughout these chapters the sending of the Spirit is better described as a continuous presence than as a well-delineated event (although events burst forth from the presence). By leaving his account of Pentecost without any clear signal of when it was over, St. Luke intends to make a point: Pentecost is still going on.
In the ever-present Pentecost, the Father and the Son forevermore pour forth the Lord the giver of life upon the Church. Luke tells of many works of the Spirit. The Spirit makes people speak in tongues, heal in the name of Jesus, be bold in proclamation, hold all their property in common, devote themselves to the teaching of the Apostles, enter into common prayer, break bread together, distribute alms, and abound in peace and joy. The peace and joy of the Spirit persist amidst persecution. The peace and joy even persist amidst betrayal by fellow Christians, e.g. Ananias and Sapphira. St. Paul, in his epistles, tells of more works of the Spirit. The Spirit makes manifest the secret sins of people's hearts (1 Cor. 14:23-25). The Spirit fashions us into people of "joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control" (Gal 5:22-23). The Spirit gives us the heart of Jesus Christ. For the Spirit makes us cry "Abba" (Rom. 8:15, Gal. 4:6). And spiritual directors down through the ages tell us of the quieter yet most important work of the Spirit — a steady growth in personal virtue.
The Church is the sign of the ever-present Pentecost. The Spirit works today as ever before. The Church is still abounding with the charismatic gifts. Miraculous healings in the name of Jesus still occur (e.g. Lourdes). Boldness of proclamation is still taking place (e.g. Pope John Paul II). Manifesting the secrets of the heart still goes on (e.g. St. Pio of Petrelcina). The holding of all things in common is far more widespread than one might initially think. There are hundreds of thousands of consecrated religious in the Church who have renounced their right to private property and hold all goods in common. Works of mercy burst forth from lay and religious alike. As for devotion to the teaching of the Apostles, Scripture groups and Catechism groups can be found in every part of the world (and we have not even mentioned private prayer with Scripture). The breaking of the bread together has been going on at every Mass for thousands of years. Other sorts of common prayer show up in prayer groups and monastic choirs. And there are many ordinary people — people one never hears about on television — whose virtue is daily growing little by little. Who moves the little flock of the Lord to bother with any of it?
Most importantly of all, there are Catholics who carry about within them a peace and joy that the world cannot give. They see the countersigns. They see the betrayals within the Church. They see the attacks from without. They see the forces lined up against the gospel. They even see their own capacity for sin. Yet although they see all these things, nothing can take their eyes off of the face of Jesus Christ. These are the ones who, "with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another" (2 Cor. 3: 18).
These are the witnesses.
Year C- Pentecost Sunday
And I will ask the Father, and he shall give you another Helper, that he may abide with you for ever. John 14:15-16.23-2615 "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. |
The Holy Spirit is the fire of Love that comes out of my Father and Me. It enters the heart of those who open themselves to receive our blessings with sincerity. The Holy Spirit makes Himself at home in the hearts of believers who keep God{s commandments. Author: Joseph of Jesus and Mary
by Joseph of Jesus and Mary
Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary your well beloved spouse.
Come Holy Spirit, come, enkindle the hearts of your faithful.
Come Holy Spirit, come, we have received the body and blood of Jesus, fill us with His spirit, His purity and His goodness.
Come Holy Spirit, come, penetrate with your light the deepest part of our souls, empower us with great faith, clothe us with your love and enlighten us with your wisdom.
Come Holy Spirit, come, renew our minds and our hearts, make healthy our bodies and our souls.
Come Holy Spirit, come, saturate us with your presence and sanctify us.
Come Holy Spirit, come, make every beat of our hearts a song of praise, blessing, thanksgiving and glory to God.
Come Holy Spirit, come, replace our cold hearts with living furnaces of burning love for God.
Come Holy Spirit, come, make every cell of our bodies a holy altar of worship and service to God.
Come Holy Spirit, come, let peace reign in our midst, the peace that Jesus has given us.
Come Holy Spirit, come, make us aware of the living presence of God at all times. Come Holy Spirit, come, enlighten our minds with wisdom of the heart.
Come Holy Spirit, come, prepare our souls as living tabernacles of the Holy Trinity. Come Holy Spirit, come, take over our lives: act in us, think in us, will in us, for the glory of God .
Come Holy Spirit, come, increase our faith, hope and love, give us the grace to do always the will of God.
Come Holy Spirit, come, increase our dependence in the Sacred hearts of Jesus and Mary.
Come Holy Spirit, come, teach us to open our hearts and our lives to the Will of God.
Come Holy Spirit, come, make us keep the Word of God constantly.
Come Holy Spirit, come, inspire us to be holy and perfect.
Come Holy Spirit, come, teach us to surrender to God, remind us constantly to imitate Mary your worthy and beloved spouse.
Come Holy Spirit, come, pray for us at all times even if we don't understand it, praise God without ceasing, teach us to worship in spirit and in truth.
Come Holy Spirit, come, Spirit of Jesus the Sun of Justice. Let your healing rays touch our hearts, our bodies and our souls and heal us of all wounds that prevent our perfect relationship with God .
Come Holy Spirit, come, baptise us with your healing consuming fire of love.
Come Holy Spirit, come, touch the hearts of all unbelievers and all sinners, convert them to Jesus, fill them with repentance and the spirit of conversion.
Come Holy Spirit, come, enkindle the fire of worship and adoration in lukewarm souls.
Come Holy Spirit, come, teach us to love one another as Jesus has loved us.
Come Holy Spirit, come, fill us with your goodness, teach us to share and to be compassionate.
Come Holy Spirit, come, anoint us with your purity, make us live holy lives for the glory of God.
Come Holy Spirit, come, fill us with understanding, patience, faithfulness, trustfulness, mercy, self control, humility, kindness, charity, obedience, piety, surrender and joy.
Come Holy Spirit, come, fill us with the Word of God.
Come Holy Spirit, come, make us truly new creatures in Christ, help us to shine his light where there is darkness; to bring his peace and joy where there is unhappiness. Come Holy spirit ,come, Teach us to glorify Jesus by evangelising and becoming his instruments of love.
Come Holy Spirit, come, animate us with your holy presence. Fill your temples: take possession of our bodies, our souls, our minds and our wills; which we submit to you to glorify God.
Come Holy Spirit, come, fill us with the Power of Faith. With the great Love of God. With holy Wisdom. With abundant Grace. With innocent Purity. With everlasting Peace and with the Light of God.
Come Holy Spirit, come, dwell in us forever, with the Father and with the Son. Amen.
Ireneas (or, okay, maybe pseudo Irenaeus) in the Office of Readings modo americano is very fine today. Holy Spirit as dew!
**Holy Spirit as dew!**
I’ve always wondered why the American bishops did not like that translation. Like the wind, tongues of fire, dove — the Holy Spirit is difficult to portray in words.
Our priest used the picture of God and Jesus being one, similar to a man and a woman each being one, and because the love is so great in each instance, a new entity is born: the Holy Spirit in the first example, a marriage and family in the second example.
| Sunday, May 27, 2007 Pentecost Sunday (Solemnity) |
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Pentecost Sunday
"And when the days of Pentecost were drawing to a close, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a violent wind coming, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them parted tongues as of fire, which settled upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in foreign tongues, even as the Holy Spirit prompted them to speak" (Acts 2, 1-4). Pentecost Sunday marks the end of the first novena. See The Novena to the Holy Spirit to prepare for this great feast. Pentecost (Whitsunday), with Christmas and Easter, ranks among the great feasts of Christianity. It commemorates not only the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and Disciples, but also the fruits and effects of that event: the completion of the work of redemption, the fullness of grace for the Church and its children, and the gift of faith for all nations.
The descent upon the apostles was internal and invisible in nature although accompanied by certain visible phenomena. There came a mighty roar, like the onrush of a violent wind. It came suddenly, from heaven; but unlike storms that strike a structure from without, this one penetrated and filled the room where the disciples were gathered. Therefore it was not a natural wind, it was a miracle peculiar to the occasion. A second visible sign consisted in tongues of fire that descended upon each one present. These fiery tongues gave visible evidence that the Holy Spirit had descended upon them. Today at Mass, particularly at holy Communion, the power of the Holy Spirit will come down upon us; fiery tongues will not be seen, but invisible tongues of fire will not be absent. There was still another external manifestation of the Holy Spirit; the apostles and disciples were enabled to speak various languages. After the roar of the wind many of Jerusalem's pilgrims hurried to the Cenacle. Pentecost was one of the three festivals which obliged all Jews to be present in Jerusalem. Jews from distant lands, and Jewish converts from paganism too, attended these feasts. As a result, a colorful crowd speaking a variety of languages surrounded the house. Now the apostles, who so shortly before had hid in fear behind locked doors, came forth and courageously walked among the multitude speaking to each in his native tongue. It was indeed amazing! Galileans, and multilingual? The pilgrims who had heard Peter give this first pentecostal sermon "were pierced to the heart and said: Brethren, what shall we do? But Peter said to them: Repent and be baptized; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Three thousand responded. One final question: why the miracle of tongues? In answer, recall the story regarding the tower of Babel. Puffed up by pride, men attempted to build a tower that would touch the heavens. To punish their sin, God confused their speech. Sin causes confusion and division. Now Christ came to gather all men into His Church and thereby to unite them to Himself. This should result in creating but one family of nations again. To this blessed state the miracle of tongues points. Yes, even we as individuals have a gift of tongues which all men can understand. It is the gift of love infused into us by the Holy Spirit. Love unites, love is a common language, by means of love we can speak to all nations. Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch. Things to Do:
Collect:
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.
Activities:
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May 27, 2007
Pentecost
After Jesus had ascended to heaven from Mt. Olivet, the apostles and disciples returned to the Holy City. They remained together in the Upper Room or Cenacle, the place where Jesus had appeared to them and which may well be called the first Christian church. About a hundred and twenty persons were assembled there. They chose Matthias as an apostle in place of the unhappy Judas; they prayed and waited for the Paraclete. 
Ten days had passed, it was Sunday, the seventh Sunday after the resurrection. At about nine o'clock in the morning, as they were together praying fervently, the Holy Spirit descended upon them. Note how all the great theophanies in Christ's life occurred during the course of prayer. After His baptism, for instance, when Jesus was praying the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove; likewise, it was during prayer at night that the transfiguration took place on Tabor. Surely too it was while Mary was praying that Gabriel delivered his message, and the Holy Spirit overshadowed her. Pentecost followed precedent. The small community of Christians had prepared themselves through prayer for the coming of the Paraclete. The same is true at Mass today, every day; through prayer we ready our souls for the advent of the Spirit. 
But the malicious too were present; they had the answer. Nothing marvelous at all! Those Galileans were simply drunk, and their drunken babble sounded like a foreign language! Peter showed no hesitation in answering the charge. None of their number, he said, were intoxicated; it was but nine o'clock in the morning, and at that hour men usually are sober. What the multitude saw was, in fact, the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy: In those days (of the Messiah), God will pour forth His Spirit upon men and they will prophesy. . . . Then the apostle pointed his words more directly against the accusers: they had killed Jesus, had nailed Him to the Cross; but God had awakened Him and after His departure to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit.
Meditate on Fr. Roger Landry's homily for Pentecost Sunday.
O God, come to my aid.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen. Alleluia.
A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.
| Psalm 103 (104) |
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| Hymn to God the Creator |
| Bless the Lord, my soul! Lord, my God, how great you are! You are robed in majesty and splendour; you are wrapped in light as in a cloak. You stretch out the sky like an awning, you build your palace upon the waters. You make the clouds your chariot, you walk upon the wings of the wind. You make the breezes your messengers, you make burning fire your minister. You set the earth upon its foundation: from age to age it will stand firm. Deep oceans covered it like a garment, and the waters stood high above the mountains; but you rebuked them and they fled; at the sound of your thunder they fled in terror. They rise to the mountains or sink to the valleys, to the places you have decreed for them. You have given them a boundary they must not cross; they will never come back to cover the earth. You make springs arise to feed the streams, that flow in the midst of the mountains. All the beasts of the field will drink from them and the wild asses will quench their thirst. Above them will nest the birds of the sky, from among the branches their voices will sound. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
| Psalm 103 (104) |
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| From your palace you water the mountains, and thus you give plenty to the earth. You bring forth grass for the cattle, and plants for the service of man. You bring forth bread from the land, and wine to make man’s heart rejoice. Oil, to make the face shine; and bread to make man’s heart strong. The trees of the Lord have all that they need, and the cedars of Lebanon, that he planted. Small birds will nest there, and storks at the tops of the trees. For wild goats there are the high mountains; the crags are a refuge for the coneys. He made the moon so that time could be measured; the sun knows the hour of its setting. You send shadows, and night falls: then all the beasts of the woods come out, lion cubs roaring for their prey, asking God for their food. When the sun rises they come back together to lie in their lairs; man goes out to his labour, and works until evening. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
| Psalm 103 (104) |
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| How many are your works, O Lord! You have made all things in your wisdom, and the earth is full of your creatures. The sea is broad and immense: sea-creatures swim there, both small and large, too many to count. Ships sail across it; Leviathan lives there, the monster; you made him to play with. All of them look to you to give them their food when they need it. You give it to them, and they gather; you open your hand, they are filled with good things. But turn away, and they are dismayed; take away their breath, and they die, once more they will turn into dust. You will send forth your breath, they will come to life; you will renew the face of the earth. Glory be to the Lord, for ever; let the Lord rejoice in his works. He turns his gaze to the earth, and it trembles; he touches the mountains, and they smoke. I will sing to the Lord all my life; as long as I exist, I will sing songs to God. May my praises be pleasing to him; truly I will delight in the Lord. Let sinners perish from the earth, let the wicked vanish from existence. Bless the Lord, my soul! Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
| Reading | Romans 8:5 - 27 © |
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| The unspiritual are interested only in what is unspiritual, but the spiritual are interested in spiritual things. It is death to limit oneself to what is unspiritual; life and peace can only come with concern for the spiritual. That is because to limit oneself to what is unspiritual is to be at enmity with God: such a limitation never could and never does submit to God’s law. People who are interested only in unspiritual things can never be pleasing to God. Your interests, however, are not in the unspiritual, but in the spiritual, since the Spirit of God has made his home in you. In fact, unless you possessed the Spirit of Christ you would not belong to him. Though your body may be dead it is because of sin, but if Christ is in you then your spirit is life itself because you have been justified; and if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, then he who raised Jesus from the dead will give life to your own mortal bodies through his Spirit living in you. So then, my brothers, there is no necessity for us to obey our unspiritual selves or to live unspiritual lives. If you do live in that way, you are doomed to die; but if by the Spirit you put an end to the misdeeds of the body you will live. Everyone moved by the Spirit is a son of God. The spirit you received is not the spirit of slaves bringing fear into your lives again; it is the spirit of sons, and it makes us cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’ The Spirit himself and our spirit bear united witness that we are children of God. And if we are children we are heirs as well: heirs of God and coheirs with Christ, sharing his sufferings so as to share his glory. I think that what we suffer in this life can never be compared to the glory, as yet unrevealed, which is waiting for us. The whole creation is eagerly waiting for God to reveal his sons. It was not for any fault on the part of creation that it was made unable to attain its purpose, it was made so by God; but creation still retains the hope of being freed, like us, from its slavery to decadence, to enjoy the same freedom and glory as the children of God. From the beginning till now the entire creation, as we know, has been groaning in one great act of giving birth; and not only creation, but all of us who possess the first-fruits of the Spirit, we too groan inwardly as we wait for our bodies to be set free. For we must be content to hope that we shall be saved – our salvation is not in sight, we should not have to be hoping for it if it were – but, as I say, we must hope to be saved since we are not saved yet – it is something we must wait for with patience. The Spirit too comes to help us in our weakness. For when we cannot choose words in order to pray properly, the Spirit himself expresses our plea in a way that could never be put into words, and God who knows everything in our hearts knows perfectly well what he means, and that the pleas of the saints expressed by the Spirit are according to the mind of God. |
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| Reading | A treatise "Against the Heresies" by St Irenaeus |
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| The sending of the Holy Spirit | |
| When the Lord told his disciples to go and teach all nations and baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, he conferred on them the power of giving men new life in God. He had promised through the prophets that in these last days he would pour out his Spirit on his servants and handmaids, and that they would prophesy. So when the Son of God became the Son of Man, the Spirit also descended upon him, becoming accustomed in this way to dwelling with the human race, to living in men and to inhabiting God’s creation. The Spirit accomplished the Father’s will in men who had grown old in sin, and gave them new life in Christ. Luke says that the Spirit came down on the disciples at Pentecost, after the Lord’s ascension, with power to open the gates of life to all nations and to make known to them the new covenant. So it was that men of every language joined in singing one song of praise to God, and scattered tribes, restored to unity by the Spirit, were offered to the Father as the first-fruits of all the nations. This was why the Lord had promised to send the Advocate: he was to prepare us as an offering to God. Like dry flour, which cannot become one lump of dough, one loaf of broad, without moisture, we who are many could not become one in Christ Jesus without the water that comes down from heaven. And like parched ground, which yields no harvest unless it receives moisture, we who were once like a waterless tree could never have lived and borne fruit without this abundant rainfall from above. Through the baptism that liberates us from change and decay we have become one in body; through the Spirit we have become one in soul. The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of God came down upon the Lord, and the Lord in turn gave this Spirit to his Church, sending the Advocate from heaven into all the world into which, according to his own words, the devil too had been cast down like lightning. If we are not to be scorched and made unfruitful, we need the dew of God. Since we have our accuser, we need an advocate as well. And so the Lord in his pity for man, who had fallen into the hands of brigands, having himself bound up his wounds and left for his care two coins bearing the royal image, entrusted him to the Holy Spirit. Now, through the Spirit, the image and inscription of the Father and the Son have been given to us, and it is our duty to use the coin committed to our charge and make it yield a rich profit for the Lord. |
|
| Hymn | Te Deum |
|---|---|
| God, we praise you; Lord, we proclaim you! You, the Father, the eternal – all the earth venerates you. All the angels, all the heavens, every power – The cherubim, the seraphim – unceasingly, they cry: “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts: heaven and earth are full of the majesty of your glory!” The glorious choir of Apostles – The noble ranks of prophets – The shining army of martyrs – all praise you. Throughout the world your holy Church proclaims you. – Father of immeasurable majesty, – True Son, only-begotten, worthy of worship, – Holy Spirit, our Advocate. You, Christ: – You are the king of glory. – You are the Father’s eternal Son. – You, to free mankind, did not disdain a Virgin’s womb. – You defeated the sharp spear of Death, and opened the kingdom of heaven to those who believe in you. – You sit at God’s right hand, in the glory of the Father. – You will come, so we believe, as our Judge. And so we ask of you: give help to your servants, whom you set free at the price of your precious blood. Number them among your chosen ones in eternal glory. Bring your people to safety, Lord, and bless those who are your inheritance. Rule them and lift them high for ever. Day by day we bless you, Lord: we praise you for ever and for ever. Of your goodness, Lord, keep us without sin for today. Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us. Let your pity, Lord, be upon us, as much as we trust in you. In you, Lord, I trust: let me never be put to shame. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
|
| Concluding Prayer |
|---|
| O God, by the sacrament we are celebrate today you sanctify the whole Church among all races and all peoples. When the Holy Spirit came down on the Apostles, the Gospel was preached to the world for the first time ever, according to your will. Pour out now the gifts of the Spirit onto the whole world, and through the hearts of those who believe in you may the Gospel be spread and your will be fulfilled. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen. |
O God, come to my aid.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen. Alleluia.
A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.
| Psalm 117 (118) |
|---|
| A cry of rejoicing and triumph |
| Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, and his kindness is for ever. Now let Israel say, he is good and his kindness is for ever. Now let the house of Aaron say it too: that his kindness is for ever. Now let all who fear the Lord say it too: that his kindness is for ever. In my time of trial I called out to the Lord: he listened, and led me to freedom. The Lord is with me, I will fear nothing that man can do. The Lord, my help, is with me, and I shall look down upon my enemies. It is good to seek shelter in the Lord, better than to trust in men. It is good to seek shelter in the Lord, better than to trust in the leaders of men. All the nations surrounded me, and in the Lord’s name I slew them. They crowded in and besieged me, and in the Lord’s name I slew them. They surrounded me like swarms of bees, they burned like a fire of dry thorns, and in the Lord’s name I slew them. They chased and pursued me, to make me fall, and the Lord came to my help. The Lord is my strength and my rejoicing: he has become my saviour. A cry of joy and salvation in the dwellings of the righteous: “The Lord’s right hand has triumphed! The Lord’s right hand has raised me up; the Lord’s right hand has triumphed”. I shall not die, but live, and tell of the works of the Lord. The Lord chastised me severely but did not let me die. Open the gates of righteousness: I will go in, and thank the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord; it is the upright who enter here. I will thank you, for you listened to me, and became my saviour. The stone that the builders rejected has become the corner-stone. It was the Lord who did this – it is marvellous to behold. This is the day that was made by the Lord: let us rejoice today, and be glad. Lord, keep me safe; O Lord, let me prosper! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord. The Lord is God, he shines upon us! Arrange the procession, with close-packed branches, up to the horns of the altar. You are my God, I will give thanks to you; my God, I will give you praise. Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, and his kindness is for ever. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
| Canticle | Daniel 3 |
|---|---|
| Let every creature praise the Lord | |
| Blessed are you, Lord God of our fathers, praised and exalted for ever. Blessed is the holy name of your glory praised above all things and exalted for ever. Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory praised and glorious above all things for ever. Blessed are you who gaze on the depths, seated on the cherubim, praised and exalted for ever. Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven praised and glorious for ever. Bless the Lord, all his works, praise and exalt him for ever. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
|
| Psalm 150 |
|---|
| Praise the Lord |
| Praise the Lord in his sanctuary, praise him in his mighty firmament. Praise him for his mighty deeds, praise him for all his greatness. Praise him with trumpet-blasts, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with timbrel and dance, praise him with strings and pipes, praise him with cymbals resounding, praise him with cymbals of jubilation. All that breathes, praise the Lord! Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
| Short reading | Acts 5:30 - 32 © |
|---|---|
| It was the God of our ancestors who raised up Jesus, but it was you who had him executed by hanging on a tree. By his own right hand God has now raised him up to be leader and saviour, to give repentance and forgiveness of sins through him to Israel. We are witnesses to all this, we and the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him. | |
| Canticle | Benedictus |
|---|---|
| The Messiah and his forerunner | |
| Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has come to his people and brought about their redemption. He has raised up the sign of salvation in the house of his servant David, as he promised through the mouth of the holy ones, his prophets through the ages: to rescue us from our enemies and all who hate us, to take pity on our fathers, to remember his holy covenant and the oath he swore to Abraham our father, that he would give himself to us, that we could serve him without fear – freed from the hands of our enemies – in uprightness and holiness before him, for all of our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High: for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his path, to let his people know their salvation, so that their sins may be forgiven. Through the bottomless mercy of our God, one born on high will visit us to give light to those who walk in darkness, who live in the shadow of death; to lead our feet in the path of peace. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
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| Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those that trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. |
| O God, by the sacrament we are celebrate today you sanctify the whole Church among all races and all peoples. When the Holy Spirit came down on the Apostles, the Gospel was preached to the world for the first time ever, according to your will. Pour out now the gifts of the Spirit onto the whole world, and through the hearts of those who believe in you may the Gospel be spread and your will be fulfilled. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen. |
| May the Lord bless us and keep us from all harm; and may he lead us to eternal life. |
| A M E N |
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