R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever loves me will keep my word, says the Lord,
and my Father will love him and we will come to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Jesus said to his disciples:
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
And I will ask the Father,
and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always,
the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept,
because it neither sees nor knows him.
But you know him, because he remains with you,
and will be in you.
I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
In a little while the world will no longer see me,
but you will see me, because I live and you will live.
On that day you will realize that I am in my Father
and you are in me and I in you.
Whoever has my commandments and observes them
is the one who loves me.
And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father,
and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”

Today, May 13^th, is the feast of Our Lady of Fatima.  In 1917 The Blessed Mother appeared to the three peasant children and asked the world to pray the rosary for the conversion of sinners and for peace in our very troubled world. Keep the rosary in your pocket, and pray every chance you get.

To all the mothers present a happy Mothers’ Day. In the words of Pope Saint John Paul II, “You have sheltered within yourselves a unique experience of joy and travail.  You are like God’s own smile upon the newborn child.”  On this Mothers’ Day a gift has been made to Right to Life for you to have a blessed carnation.  Thanks for being a mom. May the Holy Spirit be with you always.

And we have First Communion today at Saint Anthony and next week at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Basilica.  In the Second Eucharistic prayer we pray over the gifts of bread and wine, “Let your Holy Spirit come upon these gifts like dewfall that they become the body and blood of Jesus Christ.” What a joy for us all to see the children receive Jesus in the Eucharist!

That prayer, “Let the Holy Spirit come down like dewfall,” is essential for our lives.  Philip the deacon brought the Catholic Church to the city of Samaria in the name of the Risen Christ.  And soon after they received the Holy Spirit.  In today’s Gospel the Risen Christ tells the apostles that he is going to go back to Heaven, but he leaves the Holy Spirit with us.

So the Holy Spirit is present in the primitive Church.  It is now with us in today’s Catholic church.  For example, in the great state of Ohio some seek an amendment to our constitution which is dangerous and unjust and contrary to the sacredness of all life. The Holy Spirit breaths upon this Church of ours to stand against unjust laws in the making in own backyard.

Pray at the Mass we offer that the Holy Spirit of Truth may come upon us all like the dewfall, gently but powerfully.  And there will be great joy in our life.

Monsignor Michael J. Cariglio, Jr., Pastor, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Basilica – Saint Anthony Parish

Philip went down to the city of Samaria
and proclaimed the Christ to them.
With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip
when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing.
For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice,
came out of many possessed people,
and many paralyzed or crippled people were cured.
There was great joy in that city.

Now when the apostles in Jerusalem
heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God,
they sent them Peter and John,
who went down and prayed for them,
that they might receive the Holy Spirit,
for it had not yet fallen upon any of them;
they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Then they laid hands on them
and they received the Holy Spirit.

R. (1) Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth,
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God, “How tremendous are your deeds!”
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
“Let all on earth worship and sing praise to you,
sing praise to your name!”
Come and see the works of God,
his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has changed the sea into dry land;
through the river they passed on foot;
therefore let us rejoice in him.
He rules by his might forever.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare
what he has done for me.
Blessed be God who refused me not
my prayer or his kindness!
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Beloved:
Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts.
Always be ready to give an explanation
to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope,
but do it with gentleness and reverence,
keeping your conscience clear,
so that, when you are maligned,
those who defame your good conduct in Christ
may themselves be put to shame.
For it is better to suffer for doing good,
if that be the will of God, than for doing evil.

For Christ also suffered for sins once,
the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous,
that he might lead you to God.
Put to death in the flesh,
he was brought to life in the 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.