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Pentecost Sunday
No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit
ENTRANCE ANTIPHON
The Spirit of the Lord fills the whole world. It holds all things
together and knows every word spoken by man, alleluia.
PENITENTIAL RITE
The feast of Pentecost reminds us that the Holy Spirit is living
and breathing in the Church today just as he has always done. The Holy Spirit
guides us and gradually unfolds the will of God to us. The Holy Spirit is a
spirit of love, a spirit of truth, a spirit of goodness. And the Holy Spirit is
a spirit of change, a spirit of reform, a spirit of power. So let us start
asking him to change us, transform us and make us worthy for this Eucharistic
sacrifice.
I confess...
Glory to God...
OPENING PRAYER
Let us pray. God our Father, let the Spirit you sent on your
Church to begin the teaching of the gospel continue to work in the world through
the hearts of all who believe. We ask this...
FIRST READING
(The Acts of the Apostles describes the first Pentecost
experience of the disciples during which the Holy Spirit came upon them in a
mighty way and transformed them into an active and Spirit-filled community with
charisms and gifts.)
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles (2:1-11)
When the day of the 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.”
This is the Word of the Lord
PSALM (103)
Response: Send forth your Spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of
the earth.
Bless the Lord, my soul! Lord God, how great you are. How many are your works, O
Lord! The earth is full of your riches.
R./
You take back your Spirit, they die, returning to the dust from
which they came. You send forth your Spirit, they are created; and you renew the
face of the earth. R./
May the glory of the Lord last for ever! May the Lord rejoice in
his works! May my thoughts be pleasing to him. I find my joy in the Lord. R./
SECOND READING
(St Paul tells us that the Holy Spirit is active in people. We
are all baptized into one body, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit. It
is the same Spirit who is the source of different kinds of gifts, services and
workings.)
A reading from the First Letter of St Paul to the
Corinthians(12:3-7,12-13)
No one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit. Now
there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of
services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of working, but it is the
same God who inspires them all in every one. To each is given the manifestation
of the Spirit for the common good.
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the
members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For by one
Spirit we were all baptised into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all
were made to drink of one Spirit.
This is the Word of the Lord
ACCLAMATION
Alleluia, alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your
faithful, and kindle in them the fire of your love. Alleluia!
GOSPEL
(Jesus speaks of the function of the Spirit in the lives of the
apostles. The Holy Spirit will be an advocate, testifying to Jesus, guiding the
disciples into all the truth, and glorifying Jesus in all his actions in the
world.)
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St John (20:19-23)
On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors
being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood
among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he
showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw
the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent
me, even so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and
said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are
forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord
I believe...
PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL
Cel:
Jesus tells us that if we pray, his Father who is all good will give us the Holy
Spirit. Let us pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon each of us, our
families, our parish, our Church and the entire world, saying:
Response: Send forth your Spirit and we shall be renewed.
1. “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s
Spirit dwells in you?” Lord, we pray that the Church, the body of Christ, be
filled with the Holy Spirit so that all of us may experience renewal and change
in our lives. R./
2. “God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, enabling
us to cry, ‘Abba! Father’!” Lord, we pray that the Holy Spirit may fill the
lives of those consecrated to you through baptism, confirmation, holy ordination
and religious profession. R./
3. “God’s love has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit
who has been given to us.” Lord, we pray for families. May each family be a
place where love, respect, sharing, acceptance and unity flourish. R./
4. “No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit.”
Lord, we pray for our non-Christian brothers and sisters. May they truly
experience the presence and working of the Holy Spirit in them and come to
realize the ineffable worth of knowing Jesus’ redeeming love. R./
5. “It is the Holy Spirit who teaches us to pray.” Lord, we pray
for the sick, the lonely and the suffering people. May they experience hope and
comfort in the Spirit who strengthens them. R./
(pray for local and personal needs)
Cel: Loving Father, we pray that all of us
experience a new Pentecost in our lives so that with the power of the Spirit we
may be able to know, love and imitate Jesus your Son and our Lord. We ask this
in the name of Jesus Christ.
PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS
Lord, may the Spirit you promised lead us into all truth and
reveal to us the full meaning of this sacrifice. Grant this...
PREFACE (P 28)
Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and
everywhere to give you thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Today you sent the Holy Spirit on those marked out to be your
children by sharing the life of your only Son, and so you brought the paschal
mystery to its completion.
Today we celebrate the great beginning of your Church when the
Holy Spirit made known to all peoples the one true God, and created from the
many languages of man one voice to profess one faith.
The joy of the resurrection renews the whole world, while the
choirs of heaven sing for ever to your glory:
All: Holy, holy, holy...
COMMUNION ANTIPHON
They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke of the
great things God had done, alleluia.
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Father, may the food we receive in the Eucharist help our eternal
redemption. Keep within us the vigour of your Spirit and protect the gifts you
have given to your Church. We ask this…
Liturgy & Life
On Pentecost day the apostles, who received the Holy Spirit
experienced the most profound change. The ordinary, fear-stricken, ignorant
fishermen became the most sublime theologians. The Spirit endowed them with a
wisdom and power that no other power on earth could counter or defeat.
And, on receiving the Holy Spirit the apostles set out to preach
the Gospel, beginning from Jerusalem and going to the far ends of the earth.
Only a short time before the Pentecost experience, they were a timid group,
huddled together in a small room. But on that day, Peter, being filled with Holy
Spirit, delivered the most eloquent speech in history by which more than 3000
people became Christ’s followers. The apostles took the missionary mandate of
Christ literally and went about preaching Jesus joyfully and courageously.
However, Pentecost is not a one - off event that happened in the Church 2000
years ago. It is something that continues to happen in the Church and in the
world day after day. Each day is a Pentecost, because each day the Spirit
descends upon us. Each day we are filled with his power and love. Each day we
are being empowered by the Spirit to bring the good news to the people.
Pentecost is also going on right within our hearts. The Holy
Spirit continuously works in us, leads us and guides us. Each baptized person
needs to constantly become aware of, affirm and appreciate the Holy Spirit
within. In other words, it is important that we wake up to the presence of the
Spirit.
It is the power of the Spirit that guides the leaders of the Church to teach and
live the message of Jesus in a world that is moving towards godlessness,
hopelessness, violence and the culture of death. The Holy Spirit also actively
fills the hearts and minds of the people during the celebration of the
Sacraments and other important events.
It is the Holy Spirit who empowers thousands of faithful in
various parts of the world to stand firm on the face of severe persecutions and
trials. In places like Iraq, India, China, North Korea and Vietnam, Christians
who are subjected to such persecutions do not abandon their faith in Christ, but
stand firm in the most exemplary and heroic manner only because of the power of
the Spirit in them. They prove the words of the Lord in their lives: “Watch out
for yourselves. They will hand you over to the courts. You will be beaten in
synagogues. You will be arraigned before governors and kings because of me, as a
witness before them. When they lead you away and hand you over, do not worry
beforehand about what you are to say. But say whatever will be given to you at
that hour. For it will not be you who are speaking but the Holy Spirit (Mk13:9,
11).
Each of us, like the first disciples, is sent out with the good
news. If we are serious about our faith, we also have to be serious about living
and sharing it with others. That means, being subjected to various types of
trials, persecutions, ridicule and rejection, as the Lord had foretold long ago.
Today is a great day to ask the Holy Spirit to rekindle in us the spirit of new
life and enthusiasm, fortitude and fear of God, the fire of God’s love and the
joy of being a true Christian.
This was Cardinal Newman’s favourite little prayer:
“Come Holy Spirit
Make our ears to hear
Make our eyes to see
Make our mouths to speak
Make our hearts to seek
Make our hands to reach out
And touch the world with your love. AMEN.”
–Fr Joe Eruppakkatt, SSP
June 2009
READINGS OF THE WEEK
Psalter Week 1
01 Mon (R) St Justin (mem) Tob 1:3;2:1-8/ Ps 111:1-2,3-4,5-6/ Mk
12:1-12
02 Tue (G) Tob 2:9-14/ Ps 111:1-2,7-8,9/ Mk 12:13-17
03 Wed (R) Sts Charles Lwanga & Comps, (mem) Tob 3:1-10,16-17a/
Ps 24:2-3,4-5b,5c&7c&6-7,8-9/ Mk 12:18-27
04 Thu (G) Tob 6:10-11;7:1,9-14;8:4-9/ Ps 127:1-2,3-4-5a&c/ Mk 12:28b-34
05 Fri (R) St Boniface (mem) Tob 11:5-17/ Ps 145:1-2,6c-7,8-9,8c&9c-10/
Mk 12:35-37
06 Sat (W) St Norbert, Tob 12:1,5-15,20/ Ps Tob 13:2,6-8/ Mk 12:38-44
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