Sunday May 19, 2024
PENTECOST SUNDAY
Office: Proper, Te Deum
Mass proper; Gloria. Sequence. Creed.
Preface of Pentecost
For the Eucharistic Prayer I: proper inserts.
Vestment: Red
Today’s Rosary: Glorious Mystery
Click HERE for the Previous Catholic Daily Reading
PENTECOST DAY
The purpose of Pentecost is the introduction to God doing something He has never done before, that of filling the faithful with His Holy Spirit. The purpose is that we become witness to His character, presence, power and authority.
PENTECOST SUNDAY.
Today is a fitting occasion for the sprinkling rite and infant baptism. The Easter candle is lit at all Masses today, the Easter candle might be borne in procession at the Sunday Mass as a sign that the Easter Season has come to an End.
Theme of the Feast: THE SPIRIT, NEW LAW OF THE CHRISTIAN.
The first reading and the gospel speak of the descent of the Spirit. It is the same event presented differently. The stories of Luke and John complement each other and teach us that the Spirit is the new law, the power that leads us to do good, from within our hearts. The Spirit is also a source of unity (it pulls down all barriers) and wherever it is, it destroys sin. The second reading is a consequence of the presence of the Spirit in a community. We are all enriched by the gifts of the same Spirit, gifts that must not be a source of competition between us.
FIRST READING
“They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other tongues.”
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 2:1- 11
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. And they were amazed and wondered, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians, we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.”
The word of the Lord.
Also Read: Daily Reading for Saturday, May 18th, 2024
RESPONSORIAL PSALM Ps 104: lab and 24ac.29bc-3tJ.31 and 34 (R. cf. 30)
R/. Lord, send forth your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
Or: Alleluia.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
O Lord my God, how great you are.
How many are your works, O Lord!
The earth is full of your creatures. R/.
You take away their breath, they die,
returning to the dust from which they came.
You send forth your spirit, and they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth. R/.
R/. Lord, send forth your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
Or: Alleluia.
May the glory of the LORD last forever!
May the Lord rejoice in his works !
May my thoughts be pleasing to him.
I will rejoice in the Lord. R/.
SECOND READING
“The fruit of the Spirit.”
A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Galatians (Galatians 5:16-25)
Brethren: Walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh.
For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you would. But if you are led by the Spirit you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are plain: immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us have no self-conceit, no provoking of one another, no envy of one another.
The word of the Lord.
SEQUENCE (prose text) Sequence (prose text)
Come, Holy Spirit,
and from heaven direct on man the rays of your light. Come, Father of the poor;
come, giver of God’s gifts; come, light of men’s hearts.
Kindly Paraclete, in your gracious visits to man’s soul you bring relief and consolation.
If it is weary with toil, you bring it ease;
in the heat of temptation, your grace cools it; if sorrowful, your words console it.
Light most blessed, shine on the hearts of your faithful— even into their darkest corners;
for without your aid man can do nothing good, and everything is sinful.
Wash clean the sinful soul,
rain down your grace on the parched soul and heal the injured soul.
Soften the hard heart,
cherish and warm the ice-cold heart, and give direction to the wayward.
Give your seven holy gifts to your faithful, for their trust is in you.
Give them reward for their virtuous acts; give them a death that ensures salvation; give them unending bliss. Amen. Alleluia.
OR THE FOLLOWING:
SEQUENCE (poetic text)
Come, Holy Spirit, come! And from thy celestial home
Shed a ray of light divine!
Come, Father of the poor! Come, source of all our store!
Come, within our bosoms shine!
Thou, of comforters the best;
Thou, the soul’s most welcome guest;
Sweet refreshment here below;
In our labour, rest most sweet; Grateful coolness in the heat;
Solace in the midst of woe. O most blessed Light divine,
Shine within these hearts of thine,
And our inmost being fill!
Where thou art not, man has naught,
Nothing good in deed or thought,
Nothing free from taint of ill.
Heal our wounds,
our strength renew;
On our dryness pour thy dew;
Wash the stains of guilt away:
Bend the stubborn heart and will;
Melt the frozen, warm the chill;
Guide the steps that go astray.
On the faithful, who adore
And confess thee, evermore
In thy sev’nfold gift descend;
Give them virtue’s sure reward;
Give them thy salvation,
Lord; Give them joys that never end.
Amen. Alleluia.
ALLELUIA
Alleluia. Come, O Holy Spirit, fil1 the hearts of your faithful; and kindle in them the fire of your love. Alleluia.
GOSPEL
“The Spirit of truth will guide you into all the truth.”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (John 15:26-27; 16: 12-15)
At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, “When the Counsellor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness to me; and you also are witnesses, because you have been with me from the beginning. “I have yet many things to say to you, but you can- not bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL
Celebrant:
In our joy at the coming of the promised Spirit of unity and peace, we turn to God our Father, asking for the indwelling of his Holy Spirit in our world, our church and our lives.
FOR THE LEADERS OF THE CHURCH: that the Holy Spirit may give guidance to all our Bishops, priests and deacons, and make them zealous in carrying out their pastoral ministry. We pray O Lord.
FOR OUR CIVIL LEADERS: that all appointed or elected to any position of authority in our land may be inspired to work for the good and well-being of those they serve. We pray O Lord.
FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH AND VICTORY OVER OUR HUMAN LIMITATIONS: that the Holy Spirit may inspire us to strive towards overcoming our human weaknesses and spiritual laxity. We pray O Lord.
FOR UNITY IN OUR CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY: that the descent of the Holy Spirit may bring about harmonious living and Christ-like love in our community’s interpersonal relationships. We pray O Lord.
FOR OTHER INTENTIONS: (the sick, church projects or other activities).
FOR THE DEAD, ESPECIALLY THOSE OF OUR PARISH COMMUNITY AND FAMILY MEMBERS: that they may find eternal rest with the Lord. We pray O Lord.
We pray in silence for our private intentions.
Celebrant:
Heavenly Father, we welcome your spirit into our lives, our families and our world. Grant that we may work by the spirit’s inspiration and build up a loving and peaceful community. Through Christ our Lord.
R/. Amen.
TODAY’S REFLECTION
At Pentecost, we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles and Mary, giving birth to the church that courageously bears witness to the risen Lord, Jesus’ promise of sending an Advocate to guide his disciples is fulfilled.
The Holy Spirit is sent for a purpose… to remind the disciples of the teachings of Jesus and to instruct them further; to invest the apostles with the authority to forgive sins; to build up the faith and unity of the Christian community through various gifts of the spirit.
Today, there is a major renewal of interest in the Holy Spirit and spiritual charisms. Unfortunately, however, many ‘gifts of the spirit’ are restricted to spectacular, extraordinary and momentary phenomena which often become a cause of rivalry, conflict and division. Charisms that build up faith and unity in the Christian community, and lead to greater understanding, forgiveness and service, are true signs of the presence of the Holy Spirit.
PENTECOST DAY
The purpose of Pentecost is the introduction to God doing something He has never done before, that of filling the faithful with His Holy Spirit. The purpose is that we become witness to His character, presence, power and authority.
“God is love” (1 Jn 4::8, 16) and love is the first gift, containing all others. “God’s love has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Rom 5:5). Yet we become aware of the lack of love in our lives. We call ourselves Christians, followers of Christ, yet our lives frequently contradict our claim. In the same chapter of the letter in which St. John tells us, “God is love”, he also reminds us, “If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.” (1 Jn 4: 20). We therefore, begin by asking pardon of the Lord for the lack of love in our lives.
Pentecost commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles and other disciples following the Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus Christ ( Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 2), and it marks the beginning of the Christian church’s mission to the world PENTECOST.
My dearly beloved, continue to support the Church’s mission of the proclamation and propagation of the word of God to all ages with your time and your resources. May the Holy Spirit fall afresh on you today in Jesus Name. Amen.
WE APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT AND CONTRIBUTIONS AND ARE ALWAYS PRAYING FOR YOU.
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PERSONAL DEVOTIONAL IN HONOUR OF B.V.M
God has blessed us with the gift of our mouth to praise and glorify Him and we must make use of it to proclaim the Good News and witness for Christ.
Our Mother Mary was not a gossip. She made use of her lips to praise God and to proclaim His glory. We must learn from her to use our mouth to praise God and not to gossip, spread fake news and confuse people. When we praise God with our mouth we show gratitude to Him for making us who we are. Therefore, resolve today not to gossip with your mouth anymore, but to witness for God with it.
Let us pray,
Lord Jesus Christ, help me to use my lips to praise you and witness for you and not to gossip and confuse people. May I show people the way to you who is the truth. Amen. And May the Almighty God bless you: the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Meditation: John 21:20-25
