In May, we will celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost, a celebration that reminds us of the Holy Spirit’s ongoing presence and relevance in our daily lives. Pentecost is the principal celebration of the liturgical year when we recall and celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the world.
Each year, on the 50th day after Easter, the Solemnity of Pentecost, we remember how the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Blessed Trinity, acts both with us and in us as we strive to be true to our faith every day. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, God continues each day to renew, recreate, sustain, and support all people and all things He has created. On the day of Pentecost, this love of God, the Holy Spirit, acted again to bring the Church into existence.
Established by Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit and founded on the faith of the apostles, the Church is composed of all believers who profess and proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and Messiah, as risen from the dead, as ascended to heaven, as the standard by which we judge our words and actions, and as the standard by whom we shall be judged on the day of His second coming.
The Holy Spirit of God unites those who profess their faith to Jesus Christ, forming the Church, and also unites those who form the Church with one another. The Holy Spirit is our Advocate and Guide, the One who continually prompts and strengthens us to be faithful in our journey to the Father through Jesus Christ the Son.
The Holy Spirit of God is creative and reminds us of the power of love to overcome adversity and to change entities, situations, and people. In all the Eucharistic prayers the priest prays at Mass, the Holy Spirit’s powerful action is requested in a twofold way: first, to change the bread and wine offered into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ; and second, to transform the gathered assembly into a reflection of the Kingdom of God.
‘The Holy Spirit is our Advocate and Guide, the One who continually prompts and strengthens us to be faithful in our journey to the Father through Jesus Christ the Son.’
The Holy Spirit actively works not only in the sacred elements of bread and wine but also in our hearts, helping us become more like Christ in our daily lives. For example, let us use Eucharistic Prayer II to examine the request for the power of the Holy Spirit made in each Eucharistic prayer. In Eucharistic Prayer II, the priest invokes the Holy Spirit to change the gifts of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ with the following words: “Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall, so that they may become for us the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Through the power of the Eucharist, the priest prays that the gathered assembly be transformed more and more into a reflection of what God calls us to be, in Eucharistic Prayer II, saying: “Humbly we pray that, partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ, we may be gathered into one by the Holy Spirit.”
You will find in each of the Eucharistic prayers the priest prays at Mass this double request for the Holy Spirit’s action on the bread and wine offered at Mass and, through worthy reception of the Eucharist, on all who are part of the Church.
Let us pray for the gifts of the Holy Spirit to be outpoured anew in the following ways:
For the Holy Spirit’s faithfulness to be given to all as we follow in the footsteps of Jesus;
For the Holy Spirit’s comfort to be given to those who mourn;
For the Holy Spirit’s wisdom to be given to those who govern;
For the Holy Spirit’s patience to be given to those who seek God’s action in their lives;
For the Holy Spirit’s generosity to be given to those who have an abundance;
For the Holy Spirit’s peace to be given to our world and to our lives;
For the Holy Spirit’s self-control to be given to those who are addicted to anything;
For the Holy Spirit’s gentleness to be given to those who care for others;
For the Holy Spirit’s love to be given to those who are married or planning to marry; and
For the Holy Spirit’s joy to be given to all!
On Mothers’ Day and throughout the month of May, through the intercession of Mary, Mother of God, may all mothers know God’s presence and peace!
Comfort My People — The Solemnity of Pentecost: Celebrating the outpouring of the Holy Spirit
In May, we will celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost, a celebration that reminds us of the Holy Spirit’s ongoing presence and relevance in our daily lives. Pentecost is the principal celebration of the liturgical year when we recall and celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the world.
Each year, on the 50th day after Easter, the Solemnity of Pentecost, we remember how the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Blessed Trinity, acts both with us and in us as we strive to be true to our faith every day. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, God continues each day to renew, recreate, sustain, and support all people and all things He has created. On the day of Pentecost, this love of God, the Holy Spirit, acted again to bring the Church into existence.
Established by Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit and founded on the faith of the apostles, the Church is composed of all believers who profess and proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and Messiah, as risen from the dead, as ascended to heaven, as the standard by which we judge our words and actions, and as the standard by whom we shall be judged on the day of His second coming.
The Holy Spirit of God unites those who profess their faith to Jesus Christ, forming the Church, and also unites those who form the Church with one another. The Holy Spirit is our Advocate and Guide, the One who continually prompts and strengthens us to be faithful in our journey to the Father through Jesus Christ the Son.
The Holy Spirit of God is creative and reminds us of the power of love to overcome adversity and to change entities, situations, and people. In all the Eucharistic prayers the priest prays at Mass, the Holy Spirit’s powerful action is requested in a twofold way: first, to change the bread and wine offered into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ; and second, to transform the gathered assembly into a reflection of the Kingdom of God.
The Holy Spirit actively works not only in the sacred elements of bread and wine but also in our hearts, helping us become more like Christ in our daily lives. For example, let us use Eucharistic Prayer II to examine the request for the power of the Holy Spirit made in each Eucharistic prayer. In Eucharistic Prayer II, the priest invokes the Holy Spirit to change the gifts of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ with the following words: “Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall, so that they may become for us the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Through the power of the Eucharist, the priest prays that the gathered assembly be transformed more and more into a reflection of what God calls us to be, in Eucharistic Prayer II, saying: “Humbly we pray that, partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ, we may be gathered into one by the Holy Spirit.”
You will find in each of the Eucharistic prayers the priest prays at Mass this double request for the Holy Spirit’s action on the bread and wine offered at Mass and, through worthy reception of the Eucharist, on all who are part of the Church.
Let us pray for the gifts of the Holy Spirit to be outpoured anew in the following ways:
On Mothers’ Day and throughout the month of May, through the intercession of Mary, Mother of God, may all mothers know God’s presence and peace!
Seniors receive CEF scholarships