033 Pentecost

Readings

Cycle B Pentecost

Homily Theme

Come Holy Spirit

The Church takes us through the entire Bible in the course of a three year cycle. Normally, we are all hearing the same readings at any given Mass on any given day in all the earth. The same Word of God is heard by each one of us in his own tongue; this is very much like the first Pentecost. The Church has made an exception for several Feasts and Pentecost is one of them. There are optional readings this week but all of them speak of the Holy Spirit. Today we celebrate the birthday of the Church when the Holy Spirit was poured out and different gifts were given to all who received its enabling power. Let us pray with the Church this Sunday. Lord, send out your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.

St. Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem and doctor of the Early Church, wrote about the Holy Spirit and compared it to the rain that waters all the earth and brings forth vegetation and fruits of all kinds, each with its own character. Water is the source of all life without which nothing can live. Jesus promises us this living water so that we will never thirst again. This Sunday, meditate on all the life around you and pray for the rain of the Holy Spirit to fall upon the Church again and cleanse it to bring forth new life in the Church.

Meditate on a more modern comparison of electricity. All the things in our modern world that depend on it, televisions, computers, ovens, washing machines, air conditioners and I pods, even electric light itself, just to mention a few of things we take for granted. We have all received the Holy Spirit in Baptism and the gifts were confirmed in Confirmation but, like electricity, it needs to be turned on. Have you ever experienced a power outage during a storm? That is what it is like when the Church is experiencing a power outage because millions of it members have not ignited the power of the Holy Spirit. If our parish is dead and so are its members. We need to pray. Come Holy Spirit; fill us with your love!

A car can have a full tank of gas but if it is not ignited the car will not go anywhere. Neither will we if we don’t ignite the power of the Holy Spirit and let the love of God flow from us. You can always tell a couple that is in love. It shows on their faces and in their actions. That is what they said about the early Christians. See how these Christians love one another. Can they say that about us today? If not, we really need to pray for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Remember, before Pentecost, the Christians were locked up in their own little world in the Upper Room and the Church would never have come to birth if they stayed there. We need a new Pentecost.

Pray for Ireland to support the sanctity of marriage as it prepares to vote this Friday,

May 22 nd

God will not be mocked. Share this email with all your friends in Ireland.

St. Patrick work another miracle.