Come, Holy Spirit, come!
And from your celestial home
Shed a ray of light divine!
Come, Father of the poor!
Come, source of all our store!
Come, within our bosoms shine.
You, of comforters the best;
You, the soul’s most welcome guest;
Sweet refreshment here below;
In our labor, rest most sweet;
Grateful coolness in the heat;
Solace in the midst of woe.
O most blessed Light divine,
Shine within these hearts of yours,
And our inmost being fill!
Where you are not, we have naught,
Nothing good in deed or thought,
Nothing free from taint of ill.
Heal our wounds, our strength renew;
On our dryness pour your 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 you, evermore
In your sevenfold gift descend;
Give them virtue’s sure reward;
Give them your salvation, Lord;
Give them joys that never end. Amen.
Alleluia.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful
and kindle in them the fire of your love.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”

One day after class, a seminarian stopped by his homiletic professor’s office looking for some extra help. The professor was sitting quietly at his desk with pencil in hand, his eyes closed as if in a trance. After a few minutes, he began to write, occasionally pausing, before filling up an entire page and a half. When he finished, the seminarian asked his professor, “How did you know what to write?” The professor answered, “God inspired me.” The seminarian paused for a moment then asked, “Then, why did you erase so often?”

The professor answered, “Sometimes God’s message is very clear to us. At other times, it’s difficult to know what God is saying to us. That’s where the Holy Spirit comes in.”

The Holy Spirit, known as the Paraclete, is our Advocate; our Counselor; our Helper. It is only through God’s Grace of the Holy Spirit that we can rightly discern God’s will for us. 

But, how can you tell if the Holy Spirit is working in you? In his letter to the Galatians, St. Paul lists nine Fruit of the Holy Spirit. Just as we identify a tree by its fruit, we can observe the Fruits of the Holy Spirit by their resultant actions. If we cultivate the Holy Spirit in us, these fruits should be evident by how we live.

The first is Charity

Charity encompasses our love for God and of our neighbors. This kind of love is not simply a passing feeling or infatuation. It is an unconditional kind of love that expects nothing in return. It puts the needs of others before our own and it is revealed in concrete actions toward God and other people.

The second is Joy.

We all want to be happy but the happiness found in earthly things is fleeting. The joy that is part of the Fruits of the Holy Spirit is not an emotional state. Rather, it is a lasting kind of happiness that can only be realized when we put God at the center of our lives and if we believe that we will live our eternal life with Him.

The third is Peace

Peace is tranquility that can be experienced when we put our complete trust in God. When we rely on God, fear subsides. We believe that he will provide for our needs and this relieves us from any anxious thoughts about the future.

Number four is Patience

Patience allows us to have compassion over people in spite of their flaws and weaknesses. This fruit comes from an understanding of our own imperfect state and how God has given us His unconditional love and mercy so we should do the same for others.

The Fifth is Kindness

Kindness is more than being kind to others. It is having a heart that is willing to do acts of compassion and give to others above and beyond what we owe to them.

The sixth fruit is Goodness

Being good involves constant renouncing of evil in our day to day actions. When we are good, we are constantly seeking the path of righteousness and strive to do God’s will even at the expense of earthly success.

Seven is Faithfulness

“God does not change from day to day. You can count on Him 100%. The Holy Spirit helps us to become firm-hearted and faithful until death” (YOUCAT Confirmation Book, p.65).

Eighth is Gentleness.

“Wherever the Holy Spirit is, there is gentleness. What this fruit of the Holy Spirit means is that you will have… a tender courage that is not violent and that does not destroy. This type of courage is combined with love and patience” (IBID p. 66).

The ninth is Self-control.

“The Holy Spirit within you enables you to be fully yourself. You will no longer be driven by your desires, no longer be the slave of your passions: you will be free to do the good for which God has created you” (IBID p. 67). 

In today’s Gospel account, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” Jesus wants each of us to have that Peace. Like the professor, we may often find ourselves using the eraser as we discern how the Holy Spirit is guiding us.

One of my favorite prayers; Cardinal Mercier’s Prayer to the Holy Spirit

O Holy Spirit, beloved of my soul, I adore You.
Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me.
Tell me what I should do; give me Your orders.
I promise to submit myself to all that You desire of me
and to accept all that You permit to happen to me.
Let me only know Your Will.

Love; Joy; Peace; Patience; Kindness; Goodness; Faithfulness; Gentleness; Self-Control

Live these in your life and they shall prepare you for eternity in Heaven.

Deacon Mark Izzo, Permanent Deacon, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Basilica – Saint Anthony Parish

Today we celebrate the feast of Pentecost. We celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit among the Apostles gathered, full of fear. This marks the beginning of the Church.  Like the disciples on that first Pentecost, this last year with all the effects of our crazy world and the continuing fears that come with it, this has been a time of waiting.  A time for the Holy Spirit to renew the face of the earth.

We are to welcome the Holy Spirit into our hearts and lives to give hope to the hearts that are frightened. Today’s Gospel tells of how Jesus gave the gift of the Holy Spirit to his Disciples. Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit into the Disciples and by doing so he recreates them. Jesus’ life-giving breath illustrates the breath of God given to human beings at the beginning of creation when God breathes life into the clay and made humans a living creation. It is because of this divine will that we have the power to forgive and thus continue Jesus’ saving mission.  We are the embodiment of the risen Lord in our world today. We are recreated by the Holy Spirit and the sign of this recreation is forgiveness.

The Feast of Pentecost reminds us that there is an important connection between the gifts of peace and forgiveness and the action of the Holy Spirit. We are reminded that the Church is called to be God’s reconciling presence in the world. This reconciling presence is also to be a way of life for Christians. In situations of conflict, we are to be agents of peace and harmony among all people.

Jesus greets his disciples with the gift of peace.  “Peace be with you,” he says.  Jesus then instructs his Disciples to continue the work that he has begun: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”  He breathes the Holy Spirit upon the Disciples and sends them to continue His work of reconciliation through the forgiveness of sins.

     As we celebrate this great feast of the Church’s fifty days after the resurrection of Jesus, how have we been a sign of reconciliation in our families, in our world, in our church community and among people of faith everywhere? Have we been an instrument of God’s peace to everyone we meet?  I challenge you to ask yourselves during this week, how are we on this Pentecost are to experience and appreciate the transforming, sanctifying, and strengthening presence of the Holy Spirit within us.

Deacon Anthony Falasca, Jr., Permanent Deacon, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Basilica – Saint Anthony Parish

When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled,
they were all in one place together.
And suddenly there came from the sky
a noise like a strong driving wind,
and it filled the entire house in which they were.
Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire,
which parted and came to rest on each one of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak in different tongues,
as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem.
At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd,
but they were confused
because each one heard them speaking in his own language.
They were astounded, and in amazement they asked,
“Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans?
Then how does each of us hear them in his native language?
We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites,
inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia,
Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,
Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene,
as well as travelers from Rome,
both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs,
yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues
of the mighty acts of God.”

R. (cf. 30) Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
How manifold are your works, O LORD!
the earth is full of your creatures.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
may the LORD be glad in his works!
Pleasing to him be my theme;
I will be glad in the LORD.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
If you take away their breath, they perish
and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Brothers and sisters:
No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit;
there are different forms of service but the same Lord;
there are different workings but the same God
who produces all of them in everyone.
To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit
is given for some benefit.

As a body is one though it has many parts,
and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body,
so also Christ.
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body,
whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons,
and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.

It has long been a Catholic understanding that when circumstances prevent one from receiving Holy Communion, it is possible to make an Act of Spiritual Communion, which is a source of grace. Spiritual Communion is an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament and lovingly embrace him at a time or in circumstances when one cannot receive Him in sacramental Communion. The most common reason for making an Act of Spiritual Communion is when a person cannot attend Mass. Acts of Spiritual Communion increase our desire to receive sacramental Communion and help us avoid the sins that would make us unable to receive Holy Communion worthily.

Spiritual Communion Prayer

My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.

I love you above all things and I desire to receive you in my soul.

Since I cannot at this moment receive you sacramentally,

Come at least spiritually into my heart.

I embrace you as if you were already there

And unite myself wholly to you.

Never permit me to be separated from you.

Amen.