Solemnity of Pentecost...

 Solemnity of Pentecost

Fifty days after Easter

In honor of the Holy Spirit - wear RED to holy Mass today!

Today is Pentecost. It is not merely a reminder of a past event, but a continuation of the Spirit renewing the face of the earth (Psalm 104:30). Today's Pentecost will not be a shadow of the first Pentecost, rather the first Pentecost is a shadow of today's Pentecost. God's grace is abounding all the more (Romans 5:20). The Spirit is not diminishing His work in our world, but increasing it. It will not be only thousands who come to Jesus today (Acts 2:41), but millions. The waters of the Spirit become deeper as they flow further around the world and into history (Ezekiel 47:5). 

Come, Holy Spirit, Come!

The love of God has been poured into our hearts through

the Spirit of God dwelling within us, Alleluia. - Rom 5:5; cf 8:11

-Entrance antiphon, today's liturgy

"The Church draws her life from the Eucharist. 

This truth does not simply express a daily experience of faith, 

but recapitulates the  heart of the mystery of the Church. In a variety of ways 

she joyfully experiences the constant fulfillment of the promise: 

“Lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Mt 28:20),

 but in the Holy Eucharist, through the changing of bread and wine into the body and blood of the Lord, she rejoices in this presence with unique intensity. 

Ever since Pentecost,  when the Church, the People of the New Covenant, 

began her pilgrim journey towards her heavenly homeland, 

the Divine Sacrament has continued to mark the passing of her days,

filling them with confident hope." (Introduction, 1)

Pope St John Paul II

Encyclical Letter, Ecclesia de Eucharistia

On the Eucharist in its relationship to the Church

  Pentecost image above:  artist, Jan Joest van Kalker (c 1450-1519)

   

"Today, with the rush imposed by our time, it seems that harmony is marginalized: claimed everywhere, we run the risk of exploding, moved by a continuous nervousness that makes us react badly to everything. And the quick solution is sought, one pill after another to keep going, one emotion after another to feel alive. But what we need above all is the Spirit: it is He who puts order in the frenzy. He is peace in restlessness, trust in discouragement, joy in sadness, youth in old age, courage in trial. It is He who, in the midst of the stormy currents of life, fixes the anchor of hope." Pope Francis, excerpt Pentecost homily 2019 

Full text: Homilies 2019 | Francis

Click here: The Feast of Weeks and the Significance of Pentecost - Crisis Magazine

 Click here: Pentecost In Two Minutes - Busted Halo

The Holy Spirit "leads us to perceive the Lord’s presence
and love in our lives, and moves us to respond joyfully
in prayer and adoration."- Pope Francis  

In the Pantheon in Rome, thousands of rose petals are dropped
from the oculus after the celebration of Pentecost Mass!

  

The Pentecost Sequence, Veni Sancte Spiritus

Come, Holy Spirit

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
And from your celestial home
Shed a ray of light divine!

Come, Father of the poor!
Come, source of all our store!
Come, within our bosoms shine.

You, of comforters the best;

You, the soul’s most welcome guest;
Sweet refreshment here below;

In our labor, rest most sweet;
Grateful coolness in the heat;
Solace in the midst of woe.

O most blessed Light divine,
Shine within these hearts of yours,
And our inmost being fill!

Where you are not, we have naught,
Nothing good in deed or thought,
Nothing free from taint of ill.

Heal our wounds, our strength renew;
On our dryness pour your dew;
Wash the stains of guilt away:

Bend the stubborn heart and will;
Melt the frozen, warm the chill;
Guide the steps that go astray.

On the faithful, who adore
And confess you, evermore
In your sevenfold gift descend:

Give them virtue’s sure reward;
Give them your salvation, Lord;
Give them joys that never end.

---

With the Holy Spirit within us, "it is quite natural for people
who had been absorbed by the things of this world to become 
entirely otherworldly in outlook, and for cowards to become
people of great courage." - St Cyril of Alexandria

Come, Holy Spirit, Come!

A marvel which surpasses understanding...

"'How can this come about?' Mary asked.

'The Holy Spirit will come upon you,'

the angel answered,

'and the power of the Most High

will cover you with its shadow.'

And now you are the one who puts the question:

'How can bread become Christ

and wine His Blood?'

I answer: 'The power of the Holy Spirit

will be at work to give us

a marvel which surpasses understanding.'"

St John Damascene (+749)

  

Today is First Saturday

Consecrated and devoted to the Immaculate Heart of Mary 
Click here: What Are the First Friday and First Saturday Devotions?

Set my heart on fire!...

"My God, take my heart.  Set it on fire!" - St Bernadette Soubirous

 

 

"Hovering over creation, the Holy Spirit made the universe.

Hovering over the Virgin Mary, the Spirit gave flesh to the Word.

This same Spirit, hovering over bread and wine,

transforms them into the sacramental Body and Blood of Christ.

And this Spirit hovers over me!"

 

Msgr Lawrence F Corcoran, SJ

Solemnity of Pentecost ...

 Solemnity of Pentecost

Fifty days after Easter

In honor of the Holy Spirit - wear RED to holy Mass today!

Today is Pentecost. It is not merely a reminder of a past event, but a continuation of the Spirit renewing the face of the earth (Psalm 104:30). Today's Pentecost will not be a shadow of the first Pentecost, rather the first Pentecost is a shadow of today's Pentecost. God's grace is abounding all the more (Romans 5:20). The Spirit is not diminishing His work in our world, but increasing it. It will not be only thousands who come to Jesus today (Acts 2:41), but millions. The waters of the Spirit become deeper as they flow further around the world and into history (Ezekiel 47:5). 

Come, Holy Spirit, Come!

The love of God has been poured into our hearts through

the Spirit of God dwelling within us, Alleluia. - Rom 5:5; cf 8:11

-Entrance antiphon, today's liturgy

"The Church draws her life from the Eucharist. 

This truth does not simply express a daily experience of faith, 

but recapitulates the  heart of the mystery of the Church. In a variety of ways 

she joyfully experiences the constant fulfillment of the promise: 

“Lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Mt 28:20),

 but in the Holy Eucharist, through the changing of bread and wine into the body and blood of the Lord, she rejoices in this presence with unique intensity. 

Ever since Pentecost,  when the Church, the People of the New Covenant, 

began her pilgrim journey towards her heavenly homeland, 

the Divine Sacrament has continued to mark the passing of her days,

filling them with confident hope." (Introduction, 1)

Pope St John Paul II

Encyclical Letter, Ecclesia de Eucharistia

On the Eucharist in its relationship to the Church

  Pentecost image above:  artist, Jan Joest van Kalker (c 1450-1519)

"The Holy Spirit is the fire of love burning in the Church and
in our hearts, even though we often cover him with the ash of our sins. Let us ask him:
"Spirit of God, Lord, who dwells in my heart and in the heart of the Church,
guiding and shaping her in diversity, come! Like water, we need you to live. 
Come down upon us anew, teach us unity, renew our hearts
and teach us to love as you love us, to forgive as you forgive us. Amen."
- Excerpt: Pope Francis, Pentecost homily 2017
Full text:

Click here: Pope Francis: homily for Pentecost, 2017 - Vatican Radio (06/04/17)

Click here: The Feast of Weeks and the Significance of Pentecost - Crisis Magazine

 Click here: Pentecost In Two Minutes - Busted Halo

The Holy Spirit "leads us to perceive the Lord’s presence
and love in our lives, and moves us to respond joyfully
in prayer and adoration."- Pope Francis

In the Pantheon in Rome, thousands of rose petals are dropped
from the oculus after the celebration of Pentecost Mass!

  

The Pentecost Sequence, Veni Sancte Spiritus

Come, Holy Spirit

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
And from your celestial home
Shed a ray of light divine!

Come, Father of the poor!
Come, source of all our store!
Come, within our bosoms shine.

You, of comforters the best;

You, the soul’s most welcome guest;
Sweet refreshment here below;

In our labor, rest most sweet;
Grateful coolness in the heat;
Solace in the midst of woe.

O most blessed Light divine,
Shine within these hearts of yours,
And our inmost being fill!

Where you are not, we have naught,
Nothing good in deed or thought,
Nothing free from taint of ill.

Heal our wounds, our strength renew;
On our dryness pour your dew;
Wash the stains of guilt away:

Bend the stubborn heart and will;
Melt the frozen, warm the chill;
Guide the steps that go astray.

On the faithful, who adore
And confess you, evermore
In your sevenfold gift descend:

Give them virtue’s sure reward;
Give them your salvation, Lord;
Give them joys that never end.

---

With the Holy Spirit within us, "it is quite natural for people
who had been absorbed by the things of this world to become 
entirely otherworldly in outlook, and for cowards to become
people of great courage." - St Cyril of Alexandria

Come, Holy Spirit, Come!

Solemnity of Pentecost...

 Solemnity of Pentecost

Fifty days after Easter

In honor of the Holy Spirit - wear RED to holy Mass today!

 

Today is Pentecost. It is not merely a reminder of a past event, but a continuation of the Spirit renewing the face of the earth (Psalm 104:30). Today's Pentecost will not be a shadow of the first Pentecost, rather the first Pentecost is a shadow of today's Pentecost. God's grace is abounding all the more (Romans 5:20). The Spirit is not diminishing His work in our world, but increasing it. It will not be only thousands who come to Jesus today (Acts 2:41), but millions. The waters of the Spirit become deeper as they flow further around the world and into history (Ezekiel 47:5). 

Come, Holy Spirit, Come!

The love of God has been poured into our hearts through
the Spirit of God dwelling within us, alleluia. - Rom 5:5, cf 8:11

-Entrance antiphon, today's liturgy

"The Church draws her life from the Eucharist.  This truth does not simply express a daily experience of faith, but recapitulates the  heart of the mystery of the Church. In a variety of ways she joyfully experiences the constant fulfillment of the promise: “Lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Mt 28:20), but in the Holy Eucharist, through the changing of bread and wine into the body and blood of the Lord, she rejoices in this presence with unique intensity.

Ever since Pentecost, when the Church, the People of the New Covenant, began her pilgrim journey towards her heavenly homeland, the Divine Sacrament has continued to mark the passing of her days, filling them with confident hope." (Introduction, 1)

Encyclical Letter, Ecclesia de Eucharistia

Pope St John Paul II

On the Eucharist in its relationship to the Church

  Pentecost image above:  artist, Jan Joest van Kalker (c 1450-1519)

"We were made to be God's children, it is in our DNA.  But this filial relationship was ruined and required the sacrifice of God's only-begotten Son in order to be restored.   From the immense gift of love which is Jesus' death on the cross, the Holy Spirit has been poured out upon humanity like a vast torrent of grace.  Those who by faith are immersed into this mystery of regeneration are reborn to the fullness of filial life." - Pope Francis, Pentecost homily 2016

Click here: Homily for Pentecost Sunday: full text - Vatican Radio (05/15/16)

 

Click here: The Feast of Weeks and the Significance of Pentecost - Crisis Magazine

 Click here: Pentecost In Two Minutes - Busted Halo

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord 

‘Looking at the events in light of the Cross and Resurrection, the Christian people realised what happened: Jesus loaded the burden of all mankind’s guilt upon His shoulders; he bore it down into the depths of the Jordan. He inaugurated his public activity by stepping into the place of sinners.’ - J Ratzinger, Jesus of Nazareth, Bloomsbury 2007, p18

"Many of the incidents which accompanied Christ's baptism are symbolical of what happened at our Baptism. At Christ's baptism the Holy Spirit descended upon Him; at our Baptism the Trinity took its abode in our soul. At His baptism Christ was proclaimed the "Beloved Son" of the Father; at our Baptism we become the adopted sons of God. At Christ's baptism the heavens were opened; at our Baptism heaven was opened to us. At His baptism Jesus prayed; after our Baptism we must pray to avoid actual sin." - Msgr. Rudolph G. Bandas

The light from the Holy Spirit appears to be falling directly into the shell being used to pour the water of baptism over Jesus' head. Instead of dipping the shell into the river, the Baptist seems to be lifting up the shell to receive in its hollow, the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Anointing from above.  Likewise, in its hollow, the chalice at Mass receives the gift of the Holy Spirit.  (Artist: Domenico Tintoretto)

"Today let us do honor to Christ's baptism

and celebrate this feast in holiness.

Be cleansed entirely and continue to be cleansed. 

Nothing gives such pleasure to God

as the conversion and salvation of men,

for whom His every word and every revelation exist.
He wants you to become a living force for all mankind, 
lights shining in the world.
You are to be radiant lights as you stand beside Christ, the great light,
bathed in the glory of Him who is the light of heaven."
 

St Gregory of Nazianzus

Excerpts from: Second Reading, Office of Readings

for the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

Pope Francis baptized 26 babies today in Rome at St Peter's Basilica

"The Holy Spirit is the principle architect in Christian Baptism, He is the One that burns and destroys original sin, restoring the beauty of divine grace.  He is the One who delivers us from the dominion of darkness, that is, of sin, and transports us into the realm of light, that is love, truth and peace.  This is the light. Think of what dignity Baptism lifts us to!"

 Pope Francis
10 January 2016, Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

Breathe into me Holy Spirit, that all my thoughts may 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 always may be holy.  Amen.

Solemnity of Pentecost

 Solemnity of Pentecost

Fifty days after Easter

In honor of the Holy Spirit - wear RED to holy Mass today!

 

"The world needs men and women who are not closed

in on themselves, but filled with the Holy Spirit."

 

Pope Francis,  Pentecost Homily 2015  (full text - see link below)

 

Today is Pentecost. It is not merely a reminder of a past event, but a continuation of the Spirit renewing the face of the earth (Psalm 104:30). Today's Pentecost will not be a shadow of the first Pentecost, rather the first Pentecost is a shadow of today's Pentecost. God's grace is abounding all the more (Romans 5:20). The Spirit is not diminishing His work in our world, but increasing it. It will not be only thousands who come to Jesus today (Acts 2:41), but millions. The waters of the Spirit become deeper as they flow further around the world and into history (Ezekiel 47:5). 

 

 Come, Holy Spirit, Come!

 

Artist: Juan de Flandes

 

"The Church draws her life from the Eucharist. This truth does not simply express a daily experience of faith, but recapitulates the heart of the mystery of the Church. In a variety of ways she joyfully experiences the constant fulfillment of the promise: “Lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Mt 28:20), but in the Holy Eucharist, through the changing of bread and wine into the body and blood of the Lord, she rejoices in this presence with unique intensity.

Ever since Pentecost, when the Church, the People of the New Covenant, began her pilgrim journey towards her heavenly homeland, the Divine Sacrament has continued to mark the passing of her days, filling them with confident hope." (Introduction, 1)

 

Encyclical Letter, Ecclesia de Eucharistia

Pope St John Paul II

On the Eucharist in its relationship to the Church

 

"There is no greater freedom than that

of allowing oneself to be guided by the Holy Spirit,

renouncing the attempt to plan and control everything to the last detail, 

and instead letting him enlighten, guide, and direct us, 

leading us wherever He wills. 

The Holy Spirit knows well what is needed in every time and place. 

This is what it means to be mysteriously fruitful!" 

 Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium #280

 

Click here: The Pope's homily (2015)on Pentecost Sunday Vatican Radio

Feast of the BAPTISM of the LORD

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord 

"Jesus comes out of the water, drawing the world with Him and raising it up when it had hitherto been sunk in the abyss... Here all is in perfect harmony, for the testimony comes from heaven, just as He to whom the Spirit bears witness has come down from heaven."- St Gregory Nazianzus

‘Looking at the events in light of the Cross and Resurrection, the Christian people realised what happened: Jesus loaded the burden of all mankind’s guilt upon His shoulders; he bore it down into the depths of the Jordan. He inaugurated his public activity by stepping into the place of sinners.’ - J Ratzinger, Jesus of Nazareth, Bloomsbury 2007, p18

The light from the Holy Spirit appears to be falling directly into the shell being used to pour the water of baptism over Jesus' head. Instead of dipping the shell into the river, the Baptist seems to be lifting up the shell to receive in its hollow, the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Anointing from above.  Likewise, in its hollow, the chalice at Mass receives the gift of the Holy Spirit.  (Artist:  Andrea del Verrocchio)

"Today let us do honor to Christ's baptism

and celebrate this feast in holiness.

Be cleansed entirely and continue to be cleansed. 

Nothing gives such pleasure to God

as the conversion and salvation of men,

for whom His every word and every revelation exist."

St Gregory of Nazianzus

Second Reading, Office of Readings

for the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

"Many of the incidents which accompanied Christ's baptism are symbolical of what happened at our Baptism. At Christ's baptism the Holy Spirit descended upon Him; at our Baptism the Trinity took its abode in our soul. At His baptism Christ was proclaimed the "Beloved Son" of the Father; at our Baptism we become the adopted sons of God. At Christ's baptism the heavens were opened; at our Baptism heaven was opened to us. At His baptism Jesus prayed; after our Baptism we must pray to avoid actual sin." - Msgr. Rudolph G. Bandas

"In Baptism we are consecrated by the Holy Spirit.  The word 'Christian' means this, consecrated like Jesus, in the same spirit in which Jesus was surrounded throughout His earthly existence. So, dear parents, dear godfathers and godmothers, if you want your children to become true Christians, help them grow 'immersed' in the Holy Spirit, that is, in the warmth of God's love, in the light of His Word. For this, do not forget to invoke often the Holy Spirit, every day."

 Pope Francis, 11 January 2015, Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

He baptized 33 babies today in Rome at St Peter's Basilica

Breathe into me Holy Spirit, that all my thoughts may 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 always may be holy.  Amen.