Search

Results

Solemnity of Pentecost, Cycle A

31 May 2020

SUNDAY SUMMARY Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11 The Holy Spirit arrives, bringing a new kind of language into the world. Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34 The Spirit of God comes to change the face of the earth. 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13 One Spirit brings a harvest of many gifts. John 20:19-23 The forgiveness of sins is available through the Spirit’s power.

Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11 Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13 John 20:19-23 Pentecost Sunday

Restricted
Solemnity of Pentecost, Cycle B

23 May 2021

SUNDAY SUMMARY Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11 The Spirit comes in wind, fire, and words that unite. Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34 The Spirit of God is one of creativity and renewal. Galatians 5:16-25 Unlike the works of the flesh, the Spirit’s works bear fruit for the Kingdom. John 15:26-27; 16:12-15 In a world fraught with deception, the Spirit of truth points the way.

Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11 Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34 Galatians 5:16-25 John 15:26-27; 16:12-15 Pentecost Sunday

Restricted
Solemnity of Pentecost, Cycle C

05 Jun 2022

SUNDAY SUMMARY Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11 The Spirit comes, and frightened people become the church. Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34 All life on Earth is dependent on the breath of God to sustain it. Romans 8:8-17 The body must die because of sin, but the spirit lives because of righteousness. John 20:19-23 Jesus displays his wounds to prove his identity to his disciples.

Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11 Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34 Romans 8:8-17 John 20:19-23 Pentecost Sunday

Restricted
Homily stories

05 Jun 2022 - Solemnity of Pentecost, Cycle C

Her family had moved away long before I arrived at the parish. Her last years were spent in a nursing home somewhere downstate. When she died her children called the parish. We were where she wanted to have her funeral Mass celebrated. We had been her church for decades. There would only be a handful in attendance. At the funeral home, the family made it clear that none of them were practicing their faith anymore. I should select all the music and read the scripture of my choosing. Nothing special to say in my homily. No eulogy. No cemetery burial. I left the wake wondering if I had just wasted my evening. As I passed the adjacent parlor a young man stepped out calling me by name. After a few seconds I recognized his face and remembered his name—a student I had taught years ago and hadn’t seen since graduation. I saw on the sign in the parlor that the deceased was his father. Excitedly he told me that he had convinced his mother I would somehow be there, that I would never let them down. How I was able to do that, not being contacted, was a mystery to me. Calling him by his name, I assured him I was there for them. I said a prayer, comforted the family, and drove home once again appreciating the mysterious way the Holy Spirit uses us. A Pentecost moment for sure.

Authors Father Dominic Grassi

pentecost moment

Restricted
Solemnity of Pentecost, Cycle A

28 May 2023

SUNDAY SUMMARY Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11 The Spirit arrives in driving wind and dancing flame to alight on the new church. Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34 The Spirit of God created the world and continues to renew it with the breath of life. 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13 No matter who we were before, we are baptized into one body in Christ. John 20:19-23 Jesus imparts to the church the breath of the Spirit and the power to forgive.

Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11 Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13 John 20:19-23 Pentecost Sunday

Restricted
Solemnity of Pentecost, Cycle B

19 May 2024

SUNDAY SUMMARY Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11 Wind, fire, speech, and courage are the gifts the Spirit bestows on those who pray. Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34 Without the breath of God, the living will surely perish. 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13 or Galatians 5:16-25 The works of the flesh are clearly distinct from the fruits of life in the Spirit. John 20:19-23 or John 15:26-27; 16:12-15 The Spirit of truth guides us to truth and not to error. More resources for the month available in Seasonal notes.

Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11 Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13 Galatians 5:16-25 John 20:19-23 John 15:26-27; 16:12-15 Pentecost Sunday

Restricted
Veni, Sancte Spiritus. Come, Holy Spirit

Funeral, Sacrament-based, Holy Day, Holiday, Special Occasion - Sample homilies to be adapted for your use

Occasion: Solemnity of Pentecost Readings: Acts 2:1-11; Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34; 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13; John 20:19-23 EACH YEAR as Pentecost draws close, I feel this low rumble within me as my heart begins—yet again—to hum the Taizé chant, Veni, Sancte Spiritus. I can feel the chant steadying my soul as each day of Easter passes. And then comes Pentecost. It’s as if a songbird suddenly awakes and cries out clear as day: “Come, Holy Spirit, from heaven shine forth with your glorious light.” The Veni, Sancte Spiritus is a powerful prayer dating back to the 13th century. It is known as the “golden sequence” for both its exquisite wording as well as the profound spirituality shining forth from within it. The imagery of light features prominently in this prayer as we recognize the Holy Spirit a light that shines upon us, but also a light that fills our hearts. And so when we pray, Come, Holy Spirit, we are asking God not only to be present around us but to truly come, to arrive within us. The mystical tradition of the church reminds us that while it is indeed quite awesome to consider the arrival of the Holy Spirit at the doorsteps of our heart, we were made for this moment. Literally. As beautiful as this sounds, it can be terrifying to think of the Holy Spirit actually arriving at the doorsteps of our heart. It’s like having an unexpected house guest and panicking as we think about the disarray that the guest is going to encounter. Echoing the centurion of Matthew’s gospel and the conclusion of the Eucharist Prayer, we may be saying, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof.” It might even take us a bit to get to the words, “But only say the word and my soul shall be healed.” It can also be unimaginable to consider that God really wants to dwell within our hearts, to fully arrive within us, not just around us. Who are we that God should come to us and want to be part of our life, disarray and all?! And still we pray, Veni, Sancte Spiritus. Come, Holy Spirit. The mystical tradition of the church reminds us that while it is indeed quite awesome to consider the arrival of the Holy Spirit at the doorsteps of our heart, we were made for this moment. Literally. Within each of us is a restlessness in our heart, a longing for meaning and to be filled completely. We have this capacity to go outside of ourselves, to not be satisfied with what is immediately present, but to search for deeper meaning that can only be filled by something greater than ourselves. The mystics tell us that all of this longing, this hunger, is like a space within us, an empty space … which can only be filled by God. This space is called the capax dei, i.e., capacity for God. In other words, God created us to long for God—it’s the most basic part of who we are. As Saint Augustine writes in his Confessions (1.1.1), “because you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you.” With this capax dei, this “capacity for God,” we experience the coming of the Spirit as more than a tongue of fire hovering around of us. The coming of the Spirit occurs within us, filling our capax dei. What an amazing gift! The Spirit chooses to alight not just upon the world but within our very being. The Spirit accompanies us from within as we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). “And what does the Holy Spirit do with this new capability which he gives us?” asks Pope Francis in a homily he gave on Pentecost (May 24, 2015). He continues saying that the Spirit “guides us into all the truth (cf. Jn. 16:13), renews the face of the earth (Ps. 103:30), and gives us his fruits (cf. Gal. 5:22-23).” The Spirit then is one who guides, renews, and makes fruitful from within the world and within us. And so when we pray, Veni, Sancte Spiritus, “Come, Holy Spirit,” let us remember that God has given us not just a gift, but God’s very self. “God is ours,” writes theologian and Jesuit Karl Rahner. God has given us the “clarity of his knowledge, the freedom of his love, and the bliss of his trinitarian life. He has given us himself. And his name is Holy Spirit” (Rahner, The Eternal Year. Helicon Press, 1964, 107). Veni, Sancte Spiritus. Come, Holy Spirit.

Authors Sister Julie Vieira I.H.M.

holy day/feast Pentecost Acts 2:1-11 Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13 John 20:19-23 Veni, Sancte Spiritus

Restricted

← Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next →