The Feast of Pentecost_B - Since the Beginning of Time - Mass of the Day_052221

 

Deacon Tom Writes,

Since the Beginning of Time

The Feast of Pentecost, Year B

Mass During the Day

Christ’s gift of the Holy Spirit to his disciples that we celebrate in today’s Feast of Pentecost completes Christ’s Paschal Mystery. The Trinity is completely revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus’ ascension into heaven that we celebrated last week marks the completion of Jesus ministry here on earth. With Pentecost we celebrate the dawning of a new era as the Church is born and receives the Holy Spirit to guide and testify to all the truth Jesus taught during his ministry.

The Holy Spirit began his mission within the church on that first Pentecost, but it is not as if the Spirit of God has been sitting on the sidelines with nothing to do up until then. Since the beginning of time the Holy Spirit has been busy at work in our world. The invisible hand, so to speak, continuing the work of creation and the guiding wisdom moving the cosmos to its fulfillment in Christ.

In the opening words of the Book of Genesis we find a “Mighty Wind", that is, the Holy Spirit, sweeping over the formless wasteland, bringing order out of chaos, generating the creative process that formed the universe and filled our world with life.

In Genesis 1:26 the Spirit gives life to the dust from which we are all made and shares his very divine image with us as is written, “ Let us make man in our image and likeness”.

In the Book of Wisdom the Holy Spirit is personified as wisdom itself. In Wisdom 9:9 we read, "Now with you is Wisdom, who knows your works and was present when you made the world; Who understands what is pleasing in your eyes and what is conformable with your commands”. Verse 11 continues… “For she (Wisdom) knows and understands all things, and will guide me discreetly in my affairs and safeguard me by her glory”.

The Holy Spirit is the Wisdom of God that is evident in all creation. We know from all of our teachings that God is faithful to his promises, and he has promised to send his Spirit to all who ask him to do so. And so, we wait for the Holy Spirit to continue the work Jesus told us the Spirit of God would do when he arrives... "But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming" (John 16:13). And so, on this Pentecost, at this time when people around our world are in such dire straits and in such need of God's Truth, it is fitting to raise our minds and hearts and voices to invite the Holy Spirit into our lives to guide and protect us and to give us and those who rule over us the Wisdom of God by praying:

Come Holy Spirit,

Fill the Hearts of your faithful

And kindle in them the fire of your love.

Send forth your Spirit

And they shall be created

And You shall renew the face of the earth.

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit

Did instruct the hearts of the faithful,

Grant that by the same Holy Spirit

We may be made truly wise

And rejoice in his consolation

Through Christ, Our Lord,

Amen

Enjoy the day!
Deacon Tom

Image Credit: 26120210_hand_holding_earth: elements-furnished-by-nasa_ on_123rf_com

Feast of Pentecost_A - Lord, Send Out Your Spirit and Renew the Face of the Earth_053120

Deacon Tom Writes.

“Lord, Send Out Your Spirit

and Renew the Face of the Earth”

Pentecost Sunday, Mass during the Day,  Year A

On this Feast of Pentecost, we not only celebrate the birthday of our church but also our ability to reunite with our brothers and sisters in receiving the Eucharist in many churches throughout the country. Thus, we have abundant cause for joy. We pray to receive a special gift from God, the Holy Spirit for which we are grateful. And to express our gratitude for this chance to receive the Eucharist.

 We pray for the Spirit of God to come into our lives and enliven our hearts so we may be able to know God’s presence at work in our lives and in our world, renewing us and filling us with His love.

This Pentecost we pray for the Holy Spirit to come into our lives and awaken in us a desire to know God and to do His Will. But we need not ask…. Jesus told us that He would send…“The Advocate, the Holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name -- will teach you everything and remind you of all that (I) told you.”    JN 14:26. This is the nature of Christian discipleship … that we grow daily in the knowledge and love of God and of our brothers and sisters in Christ.  It is the Holy Spirit who breathes into us the knowledge of God’s love for us so that we, in turn, can love others as Jesus taught us.  For indeed…“we have been given the manifestation of the spirit for some benefit”…. and that benefit is so that we can realize God’s abundant love for us and lead us to make visible that love by our witness and service to one another.

Jesus sends his disciples into this world that still hungers for love, peace and forgiveness. These are gifts of the Spirit that transform our lives and conforms them so that we become Christ-like in every way.  Too difficult?  Yes, for us, but not for Christ to accomplish in us.  That is the power of Pentecost for the disciples of Christ today.  As Christ sent his first disciples into the world to dispel the darkness and give it hope, he now sends us so we can continue to be people of hope…. who forgive and love one another. We, like those who have gone before us, have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit and, so empowered, are sent into the world to be witnesses of God’s love and to cooperated with the Holy Spirit so that together we can renew the face of the earth. 

Enjoy the day~

Deacon Tom

Pentecost_C - Lord, Send Out Your Spirit_060919

Deacon Tom Writes,

“Lord, Send Out Your Spirit,

And Renew The Face Of The Earth”

Pentecost Sunday, Mass during the Day,  Year C

On this Feast of Pentecost, we celebrate the birthday of our church. On this special day we pray to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, for whose help we are most in need. We pray for the Spirit of God to come into our lives and revive our hearts so we may know God’s presence at work within us and in our world, renewing us and filling us with his love.

This Pentecost we pray that the Spirit of Jesus Christ will awaken in us a desire to know God and to do his Will. Yet, we really don’t need to ask for this gift…. Jesus told us that he would send…“The Advocate, the Holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name -- will teach you everything and remind you of all that (I) told you” JN 14:26. Our need is to be open to receive this Spirit of God deep within the fiber of our being. We need the Holy Spirit so that we can meet the demands of Christian discipleship … that is to grow daily in the knowledge and love of God and in service to our brothers and sisters in Christ. It is the Holy Spirit who breathes into us the knowledge of God’s love so that we, in turn, can love and engender love in others as Jesus taught us. For indeed…“we have been given the manifestation of the spirit for some benefit”…. and that benefit is to realize God’s abundant love not only in ourselves, but in others also giving them the opportunity to discover God’s love for themselves.

Jesus sent his disciples into this world that hungered for the love and peace that only God can give and to find rest from the toils and anxieties of life. We have these same needs today! Can there really be any question about that as we witness the horrific suffering in our world, the political divisiveness, the economic disparity, and the hopelessness engendered by the degradation of the human spirit? We are in desperate need of the gifts of the Holy Spirit...wisdom, understanding, counsel, knowledge, fortitude, piety, and fear of the Lord so that we can live together and realize our full potential as children of God. These gifts of the Spirit transform our lives and conform us to the life of Christ in every way. Too difficult? Yes, for us left to ourselves, but not for Christ to accomplish in us. That is the transformative power of Holy Spirit this Pentecost for all who strive to be disciples of Christ today. As Christ sent his first disciples into the world to dispel the darkness and give it hope, he now sends us into the world so we can continue to be people of hope…. who forgive and love one another, who act justly and work for a justice in this world, who look forward to the fullness of God’s reign. We, like those who have gone before us, have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit and, so empowered, are sent into the world to be witnesses of God’s love and to cooperated with his own Spirit so that together we can renew the face of the earth.

Enjoy the day

Deacon Tom

Photo: Weeki Wachee Sunset_tjc

Since the Beginning of Time

Deacon Tom Writes,

Since the Beginning of Time

The Feast of Pentecost, Year B

Mass During the Day

Christ’s gift of the Holy Spirit to his disciples that we celebrate in today’s Feast of Pentecost completes Christ’s Pascal Mystery. The Trinity is completely revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus’ ascension into heaven signals the beginning of the time of the Church. With Pentecost we celebrate the dawning of a new era as the Church is born and receives the Holy Spirit to guide and testify to all truth as Jesus had taught during His ministry.

The Holy Spirit began His mission within the church on that first Pentecost, but it is not as if the Spirit of God has been sitting on the sidelines with nothing to do up until then. Since the beginning of time the Holy Spirit has been busy at work in our world. Here are some of the accomplishments of the Holy Spirit:

In the opening words of the Book of Genesis we find a “Mighty Wind, that is, the Holy Spirit, sweeping over the formless wasteland, bringing order out of chaos, generating the creative process that formed the universe and filled our world with life.

In Genesis 1:26 the Spirit gives life to the dust from which we are all made and shares his very divine image with us as is written, “ Let us make man in our image and likeness”.

In the Book of Wisdom the Holy Spirit is personified as wisdom itself. In Wisdom 9:9 we read, “ Now with you is Wisdom, who knows your works and was present when you made the world; Who understands what is pleasing in your eyes and what is conformable with your commands”. Verse 11continues… “For she (Wisdom) knows and understands all things, and will guide me discreetly in my affairs and safeguard me by her glory”.

The Holy Spirit is the Wisdom of God that is evident in all creation. We know from all of our teachings that God is faithful to His promises, and He has promised to send His Spirit to all who ask Him to do so. And so, we wait for the Holy Spirit to continue the work Jesus told us the Spirit of God would do when he arrives...  "But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming" (John 16:13).  And so, on this Pentecost, at this time when people around our world are in such dire straits and in such need of God's Truth, it is fitting to raise our minds and hearts and voices to invite the Holy Spirit into our lives to guide and protect us and to give us, and those who rule over us, the Wisdom of God by praying:

Come Holy Spirit,

Fill the Hearts of your faithful

And kindle in them the fire of your love.

Send forth your Spirit

And they shall be created

And You shall renew the face of the earth.

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit

Did instruct the hearts of the faithful,

Grant that by the same Holy Spirit

We may be made truly wise

And rejoice in His consolation

Through Christ, Our Lord,

Amen

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

Image Credit: 26120210_hand_holding_earth: elements-furnished-by-nasa_ on_123rf_com

Let The Fire Fall

Deacon Tom Writes,

Let the Fire Fall

Pentecost Sunday, Year A

                     

Today marks the Feast of Pentecost that celebrates the Holy Spirit’s presence in our church. In fact, Pentecost is considered the "birthday of the church”. The term "Pentecost" comes from the Greek word meaning "the 50th day". It is the day Christianity commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, fifty days after Jesus’ resurrection.

Pentecost is not just a Christian feast. It is derived from a Hebrew celebration known as, Shavuot, which was held 50 days after Passover and was associated with the first harvest of grain in the spring, in other words, it is a sign of life, a sign or hope, a sign of renewal, ideas and expressions that perhaps have taken on greater significance given the state of worldly affairs. 

Pentecost continues to be very important in our Catholic tradition because of its identification with the Trinity where God is the Father who created all things; Jesus is the Redeemer of mankind; the Holy Spirit sanctifies all that the Father has brought into being and all that Jesus has redeemed.

The coming of the Holy Spirit into our world continues God’s presence among us. The Holy Spirit, our Advocate, our Helper, brings divine power to enable us to overcome our human weaknesses, our bigotries, our hatreds, our idolatries, rivalries, and jealousies. The Holy Spirit is our champion who awakens within us the divine qualities of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, and faithfulness. We call these attributes the “fruits of the Holy Spirit”. It is through these gifts that we ourselves are transformed and are thus able to cooperate with God in bringing about the transformation of the world into the Kingdom of God, a kingdom of peace and justice, a kingdom where Christ will reign forever over a new heaven and a new earth that we have been created to share.

Today, more so than perhaps ever before, we pray that the Spirit of God, the Advocate, our Helper, friend, and companion be with us to enlighten our minds and strengthen our hearts so that we may be instruments of God’s peace. We pray that our world may see the dawning of a new day that ushers in the Kingdom of God in its fullness.

Come Holy Spirit

Fill the hearts of your faithful

And kindle in them the fire of Your Love.

Send forth your Spirit

And they shall be created.

And You shall renew the face of the earth.

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit,

did instruct the hearts of the faithful,

grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in His consolations,

Through Christ Our Lord,

Amen.

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom