“The Antiphons of the Psalms … [remind] us of the experience of the disciples in the Upper Room: ‘On the day of Pentecost they were all together in one place’ (Antiphon 1). ‘There appeared to the Apostles what seemed like tongues of fire, and the Holy Spirit came upon each of them’ (Antiphon 2).
I hope that the spirituality of Pentecost will spread in the Church as a renewed incentive to prayer, holiness, communion and proclamation.”
Blessed John Paul II
29 May 2004
Read the Q&A with Archbishop Antonio Maria Vegliò, the organizer of the meeting between the Holy Father and 2000 people from the various Gypsy communities.
The Cardinal-Archbishop of Boston issued a pastoral letter to the Archdiocese on sharing the good news of Jesus Christ: salvation is offered to all. While some of the the pastoral letter, “A New Pentecost: Inviting All to Follow Jesus” is oriented toward the situation of his local church, Seán Patrick Cardinal O’Malley says a number of things that all of us ought to study and incorporate in our situation since by Baptism we are all called to be missionaries of the Gospel. The section of the pastoral given below speaks to our need to work on our own conversion first….
You can read the entire pastoral letter here: A New Pentecost, Cardinal O’Malley.pdf
We can only
share what we have received. In preparing to evangelize, we are called to
conversion, which means continually to receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ
individually and as a Church. The Good News nurtures us, makes us grow,
and renews us in holiness as God’s people.
Continue reading A New Pentecost: Inviting All to Follow Jesus
The 2011 Spiritual Exercises of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation were given in various parts of the world under the theme of Christ being a new creation. Father Julián Carrón, the President of Communion and Liberation gave the retreat using Saint Paul’s teaching: “So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.”
The past week the news has been consumed by the Anthony Weiner fiasco. His mis-use of Twitter is obviously very regrettable and it ought to cause each of us on Net to pause and ask ourselves: Are we doing good –are we responsible– by having a digital presence? What can be learned from Weiner (his own political fate has yet to be decided)? One lesson to learn: don’t let virtual replace the dignity of the personal relationship. The the thrill Weiner may have had for a second has vanished all-too-quickly to be real.
Paul Haring, a photojournalist who works for Catholic News Service in Rome talks about his vocation in following Pope Benedict to record for us “the moment” with the Vicar of Christ. As Paul notes, it is a singular act of Providence to be see life through an new lens, especially when pointing that lens at the Supreme Pontiff.
Several things have surfaced for me recently that has me wondering about what we are doing as a Christian people living our faith in a parochial setting today. Two things to read are the notes from a recent Communion and Liberation retreat and the Pope’s recent remarks in Croatia. Both go hand-in-hand: God is not a sentimental object and He remains an authority. But in order for me to say this with conviction I’ve got to accept that if I am in Christ I am a new creation (really!) and therefore a living presence. How many times during the Easter season did I understand that Christ was (is) the newness of life? The honest answer is: it is hard to tell.
Father Julián Carrón had the following to say in his introductory remarks for Communion & Liberation’s Fraternity Spiritual Exercises given this spring that bear significant attention for whatever ministry we find ourselves in (or not):
“It seems I am hearing today the same identical question Fr. Giussani was asked by a student. He himself recounts it: “Now people no longer perceive the correspondence between the Christian proposal in its originality, the Christian event, and everyday life. When you try hard to make it understood, they say, ‘But you’re so complicated, you’re so complicated!’ In high school, when I dictated what you study in School of Community, I had in class the son of Manzù, who had a priest he always went to. This priest stirred him up against what he read in the notes from my lessons, and told him, ‘See, this complicates, while, instead, religion is simple.’ In other words, ‘the reasons complicate’-and how many would say the same!–‘the search for the reasons complicates.’ Instead, it illuminates! This mindset is the reason Christ is no longer an authority, but a sentimental object, and God is a boogeyman and not a friend.”
In the days that lead up to the great solemnity of Pentecost meditating on the sequence for Pentecost, “Veni Sancte Spiritus” (Come Holy Spirit), is appropriate. Take the text of the “Veni Sancte Spiritus” use it for your Lectio Divina up to Pentecost, and perhaps in days following.
For many people in the pew, the Church’s use of the sequence 4 times a year jumps out of no where and it sinks into oblivion because it is infrequently spoken of in bulletins or in homilies. With rare exception priests sadly ignore the sequences. Today, the priest actually made the suggestion to pray with the Pentecost sequence, “Veni Sancte Spirtus”.
The sequence, as you know, is a poem of the Middle Ages that was composed for specific feasts of the Paschal Mystery, holy days and feasts of saints to draw our attention to the truth of the faith. It is the lex orandi tradition at its best. While not taken from the Bible, the sequence relates to us the major themes of sacred Scripture to which we need to give some attention. The sequence is sung after the second reading and right before the Alleluia verse (Gospel acclamation).
Here are but a few lines from “Veni Sancte Spiritus” to bring to prayer:
O most blessed Light fill the inmost heart of thy faithful.
Without your spirit, nothing is in man, nothing that is harmless.
Wash that which is sordid water that which is dry, heal that which is wounded.
Make flexible that which is rigid, warm that which is cold, rule that which is deviant.
The full text of the Pentecost sequence is noted here.
The missionary image of Our Lady of Pompeii is making the rounds the various parishes in the USA strengthening the faith of the people and evoking the confidence in Christ. Tonight, the Missionary Image of Our Lady of Pompeii was brought to the parish church named for the same in East Haven, CT. Thanks to Father Matthew R. Mauriello, pastor of Saint Roch Church (Greenwich, CT) and the coordinator of the US Marian Mission of Our Lady of Pompeii.
First a Benedictine monk then a founder of an order of canons to live under the Rule of St Augustine, the Order of Premontre, the noble Norbert sought to fight heresy, to promote true devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, to dispel spiritual, to defend the papacy, work for peace, to end human indifference and reconciliation among family.
One of the key features to Saint Norbert’s spiritual life and apostolic work was his total reliance on the Lord to direct everything. He realized that his own skill set was insufficient to do much with Christ. That’s why a true Norbertine vocation is lived with one’s face turn toward the Eucharistic Lord and his feet and hands sustaining the Church.
Norbert was also the archbishop of Magdeburg. As archbishop, Norbert collaborated with the likes of Saints Bernard and Hugh in the reformation of the clergy and effecting ecclesial unity. Norbert died on this date in 1134.
Through Saint Norbert’s inspiration and prayer may we be servants of the Church outstanding in prayer, pastoral zeal and love for the people of God.