Posted on 05/26/2004 10:05:52 PM PDT by Salvation
Her presence is not mentioned in ActsActs 1:14 -- They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
You have FReepmail
I agree. It was in one of the readings last weekend!
The parallelism serves to inform our understanding of Paul's teaching (especially in Romans) concerning the Law vs. the Spirit, as well as our understanding of Jesus Christ as Lawgiver (the spirit of Christ, our Lawgiver (cf. James 4:12), is the Holy Spirit).
May 21, 2004, Friday, Sixth Week of Easter
Pentecost began as a Jewish celebration of the wheat harvest in the late spring. No specific date was set – it took place when the harvest was ready.
Gradually it became customary to celebrate the feast 50 days after the Passover. This gave it additional meaning. Jewish scholars had calculated that when their ancestors left Egypt, they arrived at Mount Sinai approximately 50 days later. It was there that God gave the Law and made a Covenant with them: “I will be your God, and you will be my people.
Thus, Pentecost became a time to celebrate the covenant that made them God’s chosen people.
Luke’s description of the Spirit coming upon the disciples on the very day of this Jewish feast emphasizes the understanding of Christianity as a “new covenant.”
The word “Pentecost” is Greek for 50th day.
Thank you for that link. It was one that I was totally unaware of!
Litany of the Holy Spirit
(For private use only)
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Father all-powerful, have mercy on us. Jesus, Eternal Son of the Father, Redeemer of the world, save us. Spirit of the Father and the Son, boundless life of both, sanctify us. Holy Trinity, hear us.
Holy Spirit, Who proceedest from the Father and the Son, enter our hearts. Holy Spirit, Who art equal to the Father and the Son, enter our hearts.
Promise of God the Father, have mercy on us.
Ray of heavenly light, have mercy on us.
Author of all good, [etc.]
Source of heavenly water Consuming fire
Ardent charity
Spiritual unction
Spirit of love and truth
Spirit of wisdom and understanding
Spirit of counsel and fortitude
Spirit of knowledge and piety
Spirit of the fear of the Lord
Spirit of grace and prayer
Spirit of peace and meekness
Spirit of modesty and innocence
Holy Spirit, the Comforter
Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier
Holy Spirit, Who governest the Church
Gift of God, the Most High
Spirit Who fillest the universe
Spirit of the adoption of the children of God
Holy Spirit, inspire us with horror of sin.
Holy Spirit, come and renew the face of the earth.
Holy Spirit, shed Thy light in our souls.
Holy Spirit, engrave Thy law in our hearts.
Holy Spirit, inflame us with the flame of Thy love.
Holy Spirit, open to us the treasures of Thy graces.
Holy Spirit, teach us to pray well.
Holy Spirit, enlighten us with Thy heavenly inspirations.
Holy Spirit, lead us in the way of salvation.
Holy Spirit, grant us the only necessary knowledge.
Holy Spirit, inspire in us the practice of good.
Holy Spirit, grant us the merits of all virtues.
Holy Spirit, make us persevere in justice.
Holy Spirit, be Thou our everlasting reward.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
Send us Thy Holy Spirit.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
pour down into our souls the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
grant us the Spirit of wisdom and piety.
V. Come, Holy Spirit! Fill the hearts of Thy faithful,
R. And enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.
Let us pray. Grant, O merciful Father, that Thy Divine Spirit may enlighten, inflame and purify us, that He may penetrate us with His heavenly dew and make us fruitful in good works, through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who with Thee, in the unity of the same Spirit, liveth and reigneth, one God, forever and ever.
R. Amen.
Huh? Pentecost (aka Shavuot) was always at a set time according to the commandments. Fifty days following the waving of the firstfruits from the barley harvest.
Pentecost Sunday bump!
|
|||
|
|||
|
One of the questions I receive at The Catholic Answer with amazing frequency is this: If the sacraments were indeed instituted by Christ, why don't the creeds of the Church ever mention them? Now, having no doubt that all of you have studied the Catechism of the Catholic Church in great detail, I am sure it will come as no surprise when I remind you that immediately following the article of the Apostles' Creed dealing with the Holy Spirit, we meet the Church and, not long thereafter, mention of the communio sanctorum — which not only means the communion of saints, but also communion "in holy things" (Catechism, no. 948). The point is that the Holy Spirit gives us the Church and she, in turn, gives us the sacraments. St. Augustine taught us, "what the soul is to man's body, the Holy Spirit is to the Body of Christ, which is the Church. The Holy Spirit does in the whole Church what the soul does in the members of the one body." (1) This realization led Cardinal Newman to declare that "Holy Church in her sacraments . . . will remain, even to the end of the world, after all but a symbol of those heavenly facts which fill eternity." (2) And what do these sacraments accomplish? Nothing less than the divine indwelling, which Newman describes thus: "Our Lord, by becoming man, has found a way whereby to sanctify that nature, of which His own manhood is the pattern specimen. He inhabits us personally, and this inhabitation is effected by the channel of the sacraments." (3) How does this all come about? Through the imposition of hands which Tertullian refers to, in a most felicitous phrase, as "inviting and welcoming the Holy Spirit." (4) As Pope Leo XIII remarked in his encyclical Divinum Illud Munus, this awesome reality — although certainly a work "of the whole Blessed Trinity — 'We will come to Him and make our abode with Him,' (Jn. 14:23) — nevertheless is attributed to the Holy Ghost" (no. 9). To be sure, you and I have access to the Triune God in ways far greater than the apostles and disciples who walked and talked with Our Blessed Lord for three years. As St. Augustine put it, for "that giving or sending forth of the Holy Ghost after Christ's glorification was to be such as had never been before; not that there had been none before, but it had not been of the same kind." (5) This led Pope Leo to assert: "[T]hat which now takes place in the Church is the most perfect possible, and will last until that day when the Church herself, having passed through her militant career, shall be taken up into the joy of the saints triumphing in heaven" (Divinum Illud Munus, no. 6). This idea was not a novelty of either Newman or Leo XIII. We find Hilary of Poitiers — already in the fourth century — referring to the Spirit as the "donum in omnibus" (gift in everyone). (6) Newman does, however, say ever so graciously: "The Spirit came to finish in us, what Christ had finished in Himself, but left unfinished as regards us. To [the Spirit] it is committed to apply to us severally all that Christ had done for us. As a light placed in a room pours out its rays on all sides, so the presence of the Holy Ghost imbues us with life, strength, holiness, love, acceptableness, righteousness." (7) And yet again, he says that Christ shines through His sacraments, "as through transparent bodies, without impediment, . . . effluences of His grace developing themselves in external forms. . . . Once for all He hung upon the cross, and blood and water issued from His pierced side, but by the Spirit's ministration, the blood and water are ever flowing." (8) Wind, fire, thunder, and lightning. The Sacred Scriptures are replete with instances of divine Revelation accompanied by these awe-inspiring phenomena in nature. The Book of Genesis tells us that "a mighty wind swept over the waters" (Gen. 1:2) at the dawn of time; in the Book of Exodus, we learn how God gave the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai with thunder and lightning as the communicators of His will and Word (cf. Ex. 19). But less fearsome signs have also been used by the Almighty as we recall how the gentle breath of God brought Adam to life (cf. Gen. 2:7) and how the breath of Jesus on the apostles gave them the ability to restore to life those who were spiritually dead through sin (cf. Jn. 20:22). All of these events are connected to God's self-manifestation or, even better, His self-communication to the human race and, most especially, to His chosen people. A TOUR OF THE SACRAMENTS Let's look at how the Holy Spirit acts in each of the sacraments. BAPTISM Pope John Paul II establishes the connection between the Holy Spirit and Baptism by asserting: "In the light of Pentecost we can also understand better the significance of Baptism as a first sacrament, insofar as it is a work of the Holy Spirit." He goes on: "This baptismal walk in newness of life began on Pentecost day at Jerusalem." (9) Cardinal Newman recalls that "not only [is] the Holy Ghost . . . in the Church, and that Baptism admits [us] into it, but that the Holy Ghost admits by means of Baptism, that the Holy Ghost baptizes." (10 ) And what about the effects of Baptism? The great apologist notes that "we but slowly enter into the privileges of our Baptism; we but gradually gain it." (11) In fact, he says, "nothing shows, for some time, that the Spirit of God is come into, and dwells in" the soul of the baptized. (12) Novatian nicely summarizes this point when he writes: "It is [the Holy Spirit] that effects with water a second birth. He is a kind of seed of divine generation and the consecrator of heavenly birth, the pledge of a promised inheritance, and, as it were, a kind of surety bond of eternal salvation. It is He that can make of us a temple of God, and can complete us as His house; He that can accost the divine ears for us with unutterable groaning, fulfilling the duties of advocate and performing the functions of defense; He, that is an inhabitant given to our bodies, and a worker of holiness." (13) CONFIRMATION Like patristic theologians and modern ones, too, Newman held that "Confirmation seals in their fullness, winds up and consigns, completes the entire round of those sanctifying gifts which are begun, which are given inchoately in Baptism." (14) Pope John Paul II spells out the "Spirit-dimension" of it in this way: "Confirmation, the sacrament connected to Baptism, is presented in the Acts of the Apostles in the form of an imposition of hands through which the apostles communicated the gift of the Holy Spirit." (15) PENANCE AND ANOINTING OF THE SICK In the same general audience, the Pope teaches that "in the Sacrament of Reconciliation (or Penance), the connection with the Holy Spirit is established through the power of the word of Christ after His Resurrection." He likewise observes that these same post-resurrectional words "can also refer to the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick." (16) By God's design, it is the priest's vocation to heal wounds, renew strength, and "wash the stains of guilt away." That almost incredible power was given to the apostles and their successors on Easter night, when Our Blessed Lord linked for all time the possession of genuine peace to the forgiveness of sins. Nevertheless we live in such a world that the psychiatrist Karl Menninger could entitle his book, Whatever Became of Sin? Modern man has lost his sense of sin which, of course, explains why he has also lost the key to full and lasting peace. We priests must remind the world that sin exists, not in the fashion of a dreary and depressing Cassandra, but with an attitude of joy and enthusiasm. Cardinal Newman, in his poem, "Absolution," introduces us to a priest who, in admirable humility and with love for sinners, says to the fallen: "Look not to me — no grace is mine; But I can lift the Mercy-sign. This wouldst thou? Let it be! Kneel down, and take the word divine, Absolvo te." (17) The work of absolution is accomplished in Baptism, Penance, and the Anointing of the Sick. This paves the way for any other sacramental encounters which increase the divine life within. Once the roadblock of sin is removed, then the process of divinization can begin — and only then. MARRIAGE Regarding Holy Matrimony, Pope John Paul observes: "This sacrament is the human participation in that divine love which has been 'poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit' (Rom. 5:5). According to St. Augustine, the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity in God is the 'consubstantial communion' [communio consubstantialis] of the Father and the Son. Through the Sacrament of Matrimony, the Spirit forms 'communion of persons' between a man and woman." (18) EUCHARIST The Pentecost observed by the apostolic community was a major feast of covenant renewal, harking back to that primal giving of the Law to Moses, that act of God which made Israel His chosen people. Each time the Church gathers to celebrate the Eucharistic sacrifice, she engages in a similar ceremony of covenant renewal, and the same Spirit which hovered over the waters of the abyss bringing creation from chaos, the same Spirit which hovered over the Blessed Virgin Mary making her the Mother of the Messiah — that same Spirit hovers over the elements of bread and wine, transforming them into the Lord's Body and Blood which saved the world 2000 years ago and makes present that invitation to salvation day in and day out, until He "comes in glory." Hence, it is possible to say that every time the sacrifice of Calvary is sacramentally renewed, a little Pentecost occurs. How fortunate I always regard myself that I had the great grace of celebrating my first Mass on Pentecost! Not surprisingly, we hear Pope John Paul explicate what St. John Damascene enunciated 13 centuries ago in De Fide Orthodoxa, and so many other Fathers and doctors have affirmed: "Christian Tradition is aware of this bond between the Eucharist and the Holy Spirit which was expressed, and still is today, during the Mass when, in the epiclesis the Church requests the sanctification of the gifts offered upon the altar. . . . The Church emphasizes the mysterious power of the Holy Spirit for the completion of the Eucharistic consecration, for the sacramental transformation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, and for the communication of grace to those who participate in it and to the entire Christian community." (19) In Dominum et Vivificantem, Pope John II's encyclical on the Holy Spirit, we read: "Guided by the Holy Spirit, the Church from the beginning expressed and confirmed her identity through the Eucharist. . . . Through the Eucharist, individuals and communities, by the action of the Paraclete-Counselor, learn to discover the divine sense of human life" (no. 62). HOLY ODERS By the plan of Providence, it is the priest who imparts, through Word and Sacrament, this "divine sense of human life." We priests, by the mysterious workings of grace, are called to "shed a ray of light divine." It is our particular privilege to be "the Father of the poor," not merely to those economically disadvantaged but even more to those who are spiritually malnourished and who cry out for the food of the truth of Christ. By standing at the altar and saying the awesome words of Christ at the Last Supper, we give the Lord's people access to "sweet refreshment here below," which is a foretaste of the "rest most sweet; grateful coolness in the heat; solace in the midst of woe," all of which anticipates the glory of the liturgy of heaven. It is our responsibility to teach all who would listen that where God's Holy Spirit is not present, "man hath naught, nothing good in deed or thought, nothing free from taint of ill." COME, DWELL IN US As we gain a deeper appreciation of the Church's sacramental life, we discover in all these encounters the gentle but powerful presence of the Holy Spirit. Newman had it exactly right when he referred to the sacraments as "the embodied forms of the Spirit of Christ," which "persuade" by their "tenderness and mysteriousness." (20) This is why Pope John Paul can urge what he calls "a sacramental practice which is ever more consciously docile and faithful to the Holy Spirit who, especially through the 'means of salvation instituted by Jesus Christ,' brings to fulfillment the mission entrusted to the Church to work for universal redemption." (21) In Tertio Millennio Adveniente, Pope John Paul II expresses the hope that this preparatory year dedicated to the Holy Spirit would lead to "a renewed appreciation of the presence and activity of the Spirit, who acts within the Church both in the sacrament . . . and in the variety of charisms, roles and ministries which He inspires for the good of the Church" (no. 45). St. Basil said it best when he wrote: "Creatures do not have any gift on their own; all good comes from the Holy Spirit." (22) Permit me to conclude, then, with the beautiful prayer of the Byzantine liturgy of Pentecost which, I believe, sums up the goal of this presentation: Heavenly King, Consoler, Spirit of Truth, present in all places and filling all things, Treasury of Blessings and Giver of Life: Come and dwell in us, cleanse us of all stain, and save our souls, O Good One! ENDNOTES 1. Sermo, no. 267. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Stravinskas, Very Rev. Peter. "The Holy Spirit in the Sacraments." Lay Witness (October, 1996). This article is reprinted with permission from Lay Witness magazine. Lay Witness is a publication of Catholic United for the Faith, Inc., an international lay apostolate founded in 1968 to support, defend, and advance the efforts of the teaching Church. THE AUTHOR Fr. Stravinskas is a member of CUF's advisory council and the editor of The Catholic Answer. The foregoing is adapted from an address given on April 16, 1998 at the 18th annual Seminar for Seminarians sponsored by Opus Dei at Arnold Hall in Pembroke, MA. Copyright © 2001 LayWitness |
|||
|
Jesus Sends the Holy Spirit to Us at Pentecost
John 16:1-15; Acts 1:1-4, 14; 2:1-47
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:1-4: The Jewish Pentecost
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.
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.
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?
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.
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. — The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch
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.
 |
|
 |
 "Through the Holy Spirit we are restored to paradise, led back to the Kingdom of heaven, and adopted as children, given confidence to call God "Father" and to share in Christ's grace, called children of light and given a share in eternal glory." - St. Basil, De Spiritu Sancto |
Bump to the top for the Vigil of Pentecost, 05-14-05!
|
|
| Time to Reclaim Authority |
|
 |
|
| 05/14/05 |
 |
 |
On the Solemnity of Pentecost, we celebrate the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the gathered disciples and note the powerful way He came to dwell in the Twelve Apostles. They had become paralyzed by fear, understandably concerned that they would soon be met with the same fate as that of their divine Leader, especially if they followed His exhortation to baptize and preach the Gospel. |
|
||
It was also on Pentecost that the Church was formally established, with this fortifying arrival of the Third Person of the Trinity. The authority of the Church, originating on this significant day, has obviously suffered much in recent years, most especially in this country due to the priestly scandals. The heinous acts of a small number of priests have contributed greatly to the decline in the credibility and commensurate authority that the faithful have held to for centuries. Of course, an erosion of the Church’s authority has been underway for decades, but the scandals seriously accelerated this erosive pattern. |
||
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
