PENTECOST!

'Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful. Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created, and Thou shall renew to face of the earth. O God, Who didst instruct the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit; grant us by this same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and ever to rejoice in His consolation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.' Say this prayer whenever you are going to do anything (ie. reading anything you might not understand).

Fifty days have passed since the Resurrection of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus. The Jews also celebrate this day to commemorate the days Moses spent on the mountain receiving the 'Ten Commandments'. God chose this day especially to show that the old celebration is now invalid. This doesn't mean that the Ten Commandments are now not to be followed. They are. But, we are now to believe in the new way; the Christian way and only the Christian way.

The day of Pentecost has arrived. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. I think it's interesting that the Holy Spirit came to the Apostles and the disciples, and all present in the Cenacle in the form of 'Tongues of fire'. This tells me that God meant for the Faith to be passed around by the spoken word. The Spirit did NOT come down in the form of a flaming pencil! Somebody's wrong in this world, and it is not the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church set up by Christ Himself! We do NOT have to know how to read to be saved. Just sayin'. As it says in the 'Adore Te', written by St. Thomas Aquinas: 'Visus, tactus, gustus in te fallitur, sed auditu solo tuto creditur', which means, 'Taste and touch and vision to discern Thee fail, but the hearing only well may here prevail.' This is just part of the prayer, to be said after Holy Communion.

Anyway, I thought I'd use some of the words of our beloved Abott Gueranger, as he puts it so beautifully. Here goes:

The Jews had their 'Pentecost', representing the days they waited for the Ten Commandments to be presented by Moses to them. 'But their Pentecost was figurative, like their Pasch: there was to be a second Pentecost for all people, as there was to be a second Pasch, for the Redemption of the whole world. The Pasch, with all its triumphant joys, belongs to the Son of God, the Conqueror of death: Pentecost belongs to the Holy Ghost, for it is the day whereon He began His mission into this world, which, henceforward, was to be under His Law.

But how different are the two Pentecosts! The one, on the rugged rocks of Arabia, amidst thunder and lightning, promulgates a Law that is written on tablets of stone; the second is in Jerusalem, on which God's anger has not as yet been manifested, because it still contains within its walls the first fruits of that new people, over whom the Spirit of love is to reign. In this second Pentecost, the heavens are not overcast, nor is the roar of thunder heard; the hearts of men are not stricken with fear, as when God spoke on Sinai; repentance and gratitude are the sentiments now uppermost. A Divine fire burns within their souls, and will spread throughout the whole world. Our Lord Jesus had said: 'I am come to cast fire on the earth; and what will I, but that it be kindled?' the hour for the fulfillment of this word has come: the Spirit of love, the Holy Ghost, the eternal uncreated Flame, is about to descend from heaven, and realize the merciful design of our Redeemer.'


Our Blessed Mother is also there. She had given birth to the Saviour of the world; so now she is to nurse the new Church, which now has been born. She was left here for us; we should be glad and thankful for her also. If she asks us to do something, we ought to do it. She didn't speak much in Scripture, but when she did, it was well worth listening to. "Do whatever He tells you to do."
 More Gueranger:

'...the Father and the Son send upon the earth the Holy Spirit Who proceeds from Them both. He is sent to form the Church, the bride and the kingdom of Christ: He is to assist and maintain her; He is to save and sanctify the souls of men; and this His mission is to continue to the end of time.'

Holy Ghost, God of Light, really and truly in our souls; give us Thy blessed Light, that we may see all things clearly.


Ps. Maybe this day should be moved to Wednesday, you know, to accommodate the 'Novus Ordo' crowd. I mean, they had their 'Ascension' last Sunday, which would be 43 days after the Resurrection! I just can't get it around my head that God has been wrong all these years with the number 40; (the Flood, Moses on Mt. Sinai, the Jews in the desert, Jesus in the desert, etc.). Numbers must mean something to Him! Just sayin' again.


And now, a sermon from 1900. Enjoy!


 Pentecost Sunday: The Coming of the Holy Ghost:
by Fr. Raphael Frassinetti, 1900

Gospel. John xiv. 23-31.

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples: If any man love me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and will make our abode with him. He that loveth me not, keepeth not my words. And the word which you have heard is not mine: but the Father's who sent me. These things have I spoken to you, abiding with you. But the Paraclete, the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things, and bring all things to your mind, whatsoever I shall have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, do I give unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. You have heard that I have said to you: I go away and come again to you. If you loved me, you would indeed be glad, because I go to the Father: for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it come to pass: that when it shall come to pass, you may believe. I will not now speak many things with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and in me he hath not anything. But that the world may know that I love the Father: and as the Father hath given me commandment, so do I. 
 
The disciples and the Blessed Virgin were assembled in the cenacle. For ten days they had been meditating and praying in unison with God, when of a sudden a great noise was heard, as of a violent hurricane, which shook the house in which they were, and then they saw that fiery tongues settled down on the heads of each one of them. They felt themselves illumined, strengthened, encouraged by the Spirit of God, the Holy Ghost. They began to speak in different languages. People of every nation had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the great Jewish feast of Pentecost, a feast which was held by them in commemoration of the giving of the law on Mount Sinai to Moses; and all the Jews wished to see the magnificent ceremonies in their temple in Jerusalem.

Though these Jews had come from different places, where different languages were spoken, still they understood what the Apostles said. Such were the wonderful effects which the Holy Ghost produced in the Apostles. They were illumined by a clear, celestial light, which made them understand all the truths of God, and the future Church, and gave them the faculty of forming right judgment in all things that came under their jurisdiction.

This will also be the effect on you, my dear young people, if you beg the Holy Spirit to come into your hearts. You will feel these effects when He has come, and your way of thinking, your old way of judging, will have changed. New thoughts and other desires will grow up in you. You understand what the thoughts of young people are generally; what their hearts are fixed on; what they delight in. The young man and woman want pleasure, enjoyment, plenty of money, and good company, and they care not whether these things are sinful or not. But when the Spirit of God shall come into their hearts they will no longer love what is sinful; they will avoid all such pleasures. Then they will know, too, that all in this world is vanity, and that it is all-important to serve God and love Him.

Not only did the Holy Spirit infuse a great light into the minds of the Apostles--He also inspired them with great courage. After the death of Christ, the Apostles had become very much disheartened, and very fretful. They had not the courage to stand up openly and boldly. Before the death of Christ, Peter even denied Christ three times, and the Apostles all fled in dismay when He was apprehended. As soon as the Holy Ghost had come down on them they were changed men; they no longer feared; they confessed Christ before the tribunals of tyrants; they were not dismayed at tortures; they feared neither the sword nor the bitterest death; they braved every danger to preach the Gospel before the nations of the earth. My dear young people, if you really receive the Holy Ghost into your hearts, you also will courageously profess the faith of Christ, and human respect will not affect you any more. How many, however, are there who in spite of having received the strength and illumination of the Divine Spirit, are weak and infirm in doing good; they fear to speak a word of correction to a wicked companion, who is likely to draw them away from the path of rectitude.

With all the other gifts came that of holy charity upon the Apostles. With what lively flames of love did not their hearts burn towards their neighbor. Charity is the great virtue of the Apostles. With their hearts burning with this divine flame they went forth to enkindle it in all parts of the world, and to set the hearts of all on fire. Their sermons were frequent appeals to the intellect and hearts of their hearers. At. St. Peter's first sermon three thousand were converted, and at another five thousand. St. Peter came out on a balcony, his face all aglow with a holy zeal. It is thus related in the Acts of the Apostles: "Ye men of Israel hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by Him in the midst of you, as you also know: This same being delivered up, by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, you by the hands of wicked men have crucified and slain: Now when they had heard these things, they had compunction in their heart, and said to Peter and to the rest of the Apostles: What shall we do, men and brethren? But Peter saith to them:"Do penance, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins: and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." They were converted, and baptized; they, too, received the Holy Ghost, and after that became zealous members of the Holy Faith.

Let us pray, my dear young people, that the Holy Spirit kindle in our hearts also this fire, that we may become, like the Apostles, strong in word to persuade people to follow Christ; and that we ourselves show our love for God by openly practicing virtue. Happy shall we be if such is the fire of love of God and man in our hearts.

But is your heart really inflamed with divine love? Do you not on the contrary feel that you are cold and careless? Few there are indeed among young people who think so much of religion and God that they become enthusiastic to do something for His greater glory. In your younger days, in your school-days, perhaps, you were better; you loved God more tenderly. Now it may be said of you, "You always resist the Holy Ghost." You have the spirit of the world and of sin for your guide, and in this way you sadden the Holy Ghost. We resist the Holy Ghost when we go to confession, and fall back into sin, because we do not reform our lives, as the Holy Spirit asks of us. We resist the Holy Ghost and sadden Him when we follow bad companions, when we are disobedient or impudent to our superiors, who wish to guide us in the paths of virtue. On the contrary we give joy to the Holy Spirit by our good will, and He will fill our hearts with His heavenly graces.

Should one of you not yet be confirmed, let him look for an opportunity to receive this sacrament, so that he may receive the necessary virtues which it confers, namely: the spirit of Wisdom, and of Intellect, spirit of Counsel and of Fortitude, of Piety and of Knowledge, of the Fear of the Lord. In order that we may be filled with the Holy Ghost, let us live always a pure, good, and holy life. It is only with those who lead such a life that the Spirit of God remains. We read a beautiful example illustrating this in the Roman breviary. The impious governor Paschasius asked of St. Lucy, "Is this Holy Ghost in you?" The virgin answered, "They whose hearts are pure, and who live piously, are the temples of the Holy Ghost." "But," said the wicked man, "I will make you fall into sin, and then the Holy Ghost will leave you." To which the virgin Lucy answered: "I will remain faithful to God, and not consent to sin, and the Holy Spirit will double my reward of glory."

Then the tyrant had her dragged to a place of infamy. Arriving there she stood so firm in the one spot that no power could move her further, and she had to be brought back, when she said to the tyrant: "You see, now, I am the temple of the Holy Ghost, and He protects me; no power on earth can move me, unless He permits it." In this wise, too, should we fly from sin, and we shall be the temple of God and the habitation of the Holy Ghost. Come, O Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, enkindle in them the fire of Thy love. Yes, the Holy Spirit will help us to pray "with inexpressible groans." Let us pray to the Holy Ghost, and in our soul will burn such a flame that we will not be able to resist any longer, we shall run delighted in the odor of the love of God. Then may we repeat the words of the Apostle Paul to the Thessalonians: "All you are the children of light and children of the day."