Waiting, together with Mary for the Holy Spirit

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

After the Ascension of Jesus, the disciples returned to the upper room to await the Holy Spirit, Whom Jesus had promised the Father and He would send, that they be clothed with power from on high. St. Luke, author of his Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles gives us these words:

Luke 24: 49 - 53 …And [behold] I am sending the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high. Then he led them [out] as far as Bethany, raised his hands, and blessed them. As he blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to heaven. They did him homage and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple praising God.

Acts of the Apostles 1:13 - 14 …When they entered the city they went to the upper room where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

By God’s grace, may we, men and women, clergy and people, devote ourselves “with one accord to prayer together” with Mary, Mother of Jesus, --“and his brothers” in this context can mean relatives as well as brothers in faith, as Peter would later preach and call those gathered, “My brothers” (Acts 2:29).

Mary, Mother of the Church, pray with us and for us.
Holy Spirit, come to us in new ways this Pentecost, with new graces to enable us to be clothed with power from on high.
Father, we thank you for loving us so much that you sent Jesus, and now we ask you to renew our hearts in His Spirit.
Jesus, we trust in You!

 

[Casilda]

At the end of the Ascension Feast liturgy last Thursday, the curtains to the altar, that had been wide open since Resurrection Day, were drawn closed. It was sad to see that. But it reminds us that we must wait for Pentecost. Our Eastern Catholic church celebrated the 7th week of the Resurrection week this past Sunday. Here are the readings for this week as we await the season of Pentecost:
maronite-heritage.com/7th%20Week%20Resurrection.php

There was one thing that bothered me when trying to revert to my Catholic roots several years ago. The season of Pentecost had disappeared and it was now ‘ordinary’ time
I am glad to have been restored to the traditional Catholic calendar seasons and I look forward to my 18 weeks of Pentecost

John 13:31-35
When he had left, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. (If God is glorified in him,) God will also glorify him in himself, and he will glorify him at once. My children, I will be with you only a little while longer. You will look for me, and as I told the Jews, ‘Where I go you cannot come,’ so now I say it to you. I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” This is the Truth. Peace be with you.

 

[MariaChristi]

At the end of the Ascension Feast liturgy last Thursday, the curtains to the altar, that had been wide open since Resurrection Day, were drawn closed. It was sad to see that. But it reminds us that we must wait for Pentecost. Our Eastern Catholic church celebrated the 7th week of the Resurrection week this past Sunday. Here are the readings for this week as we await the season of Pentecost:
maronite-heritage.com/7th%20Week%20Resurrection.php

There was one thing that bothered me when trying to revert to my Catholic roots several years ago. The season of Pentecost had disappeared and it was now ‘ordinary’ time
I am glad to have been restored to the traditional Catholic calendar seasons and I look forward to my 18 weeks of Pentecost

John 13:31-35
When he had left, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. (If God is glorified in him,) God will also glorify him in himself, and he will glorify him at once. My children, I will be with you only a little while longer. You will look for me, and as I told the Jews, ‘Where I go you cannot come,’ so now I say it to you. I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” This is the Truth. Peace be with you.

Dear Casilda,

Thanks so much for your reply and for the link. The Readings are - as is All of Scripture – so filled with the beauty of God! His Word truly is a “Lamp” (Psalm 119). As I wait with Mary for the Feast of Pentecost, I’ve been pondering the Holy Spirit as “Spirit of Love”. When we are commanded to love one another as Jesus has loved us, I believe this is by the power of the Holy Spirit poured forth into our hearts. Mary learned to grow in her Faith, Hope and above all her Love, to inestimable heights! Still she is our Mother and Model and she continually intercedes for us that we may learn from Jesus as she did, by the power of His Holy Spirit dwelling within us. He is given in Baptism, but He continues to work in us through prayer and the Sacraments, and as much as our hearts and minds are open to Him. Awareness of and cooperation with the Holy Spirit has become more and more important to me as I continue to hear Jesus say, “Behold your Mother”.

At our parish, my husband began a series of 9 Sundays (May 1 - June 26) on the Holy Spirit. Each session is a sharing of consecutive sections from Pope St. John Paul II’s Encyclical, “DOMINUM ET VIVIFICANTEM” (“On the Holy Spirit in the Life of the Church and the World”) . Online version of the Encyclical can be read HERE. May God help us to wait with Mary for the graces of this special Feast of Pentecost Sunday. By His Grace, may we remain faithfully in Jesus with Mary ever open to new grace upon grace from the Spirit of Love every moment of the journey here on earth, until we’re home in eternity.