Tuesday, May 26th
OPENING PRAYER: Father, pour out your Spirit upon all your children,
especially on all the members of our parish family.
Grant us all a new vision of Your glory, a new experience of Your power,
a new faithfulness to Your word, and a new consecration to Your service,
that Your love may grow among us and your Kingdom come.
We make this prayer through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
REFLECTION: Pope Francis – The Joy of Discipleship – Astonishment
A fundamental element of Pentecost is astonishment. Our God is a God of astonishment, this we know. No-one expected anything more from the disciples: after Jesus’ death, they were a small insignificant group of defeated orphans of their master. There occurred instead an unexpected event that astounded: the people were astonished because each of them heard the disciples speaking in their own tongues, telling of the great works of God (Acts 2:6-7,11). The Church born at Pentecost is an astounding community because, with the force of her arrival from God, a new message is proclaimed – the resurrection of Christ – with a new language, the universal one of love. A new proclamation: Christ lives; he is risen. A new language: the language of love. The disciples are adorned with power from above and speak with courage. Only minutes before, they all were cowardly; but now they speak with courage and candour, with the freedom of the Holy Spirit.
CLOSING LITANY:
Response: Spirit of God, come into our hearts: make us your new creation.
Spirit of light, let the fire of your wisdom burn brightly within us. R.
Spirit of silence, in the still moment may we be open to God’s presence. R.
Spirit of courage, dispel the fear that lingers in our hearts. R.
Spirit of fire, engulf us with the passion of Christ’s love. R.
Spirit of peace, help us to be attentive to God’s word in the world. R.
Spirit of joy, enthuse us to proclaim aloud the Good News. R.
Spirit of love, compel us to open ourselves to the needs of others. R.
Spirit of power, bestow the gift of your strength upon us. R
Spirit of truth, guide us to walk in the way of Christ. R.