Begin to pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit  from 14th May until Pentecost on 22th May

On May 4, 1897, Pope Leo XIII proclaimed: “We decree and command that throughout the whole Catholic Church, this year and in every subsequent year, a novena shall take place before Whit-Sunday (Pentecost), in all parish churches.” 

(Encyclical: On the Holy Spirit, para. 13) 


 
 SUGGESTED SCRIPTURE READINGS IN PREPARATION 
FOR THE FEAST OF PENTECOST

 
Numbers 11: 24-30; 27: 12-23
Judges chapters 15 and 16 
Wisdom chapters 7 and 8
Ezekiel chapters 2 and 3; 11: 14-21; 36: 23-32; 37: 1-14; 47: 1-12
Isaias 11: 1-9; 44: 1-5
Joel 3: 1-5
Psalm 51 and 91
Luke 3: 15-22; 4: 18-19; 11: 14-26; 12: 10-12; 24: 44-49
John 3: 1-21; 7: 37-39; 4: 1-42; 14: 16-31; 15: 26-27; 16: 8-15
Romans chapter 8
I Corintians chapter 12 and 14
Ephesians chapter 5


Fr. Rufus Pereira on Pentecost

Read one of the Bible passages from the above given readings, if possible with the Psalm 51 then pray the 3rd. Glorious mystery of the Holy Rosary (Coming of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles) asking the intercession of Mother Mary and pray the following prayer:


PRAYER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT
 

God, Holy Spirit, 
third person of the Holy Trinity,
love of the Father and the Son,
living water that fills every heart
with love peace and joy, 
power that comes to empower everyone
to be strong and powerful,
I give myself completely to you
that you may come and enter into me
and take complete possession of my life,
give me power and grace to live 
an authentic Christian life
according to the Holy will of God.

I consecrate to you now and forever,
my heart, my intellect and my will,
my thoughts and my desires,
my plans and my ways,
my words and deeds with
my entire soul and body and 
ask You to lead my life with Your
virtues, gifts and charisms.

I open my heart completely to you
that you may freely enter into me 
and find abode in me.

(Pause a while and silently pray for few minutes, experiencing the infilling of the Holy Spirit
and begin to praise and thank God for the gift of the Holy Spirit. You must feel that 
the Spirit has already possessed your life).

I thank you, Holy Spirit, 
for having come to me as a person
to guide me and to lead me,
as a power and grace to
strengthen me always.
Thank you Father, thank you Jesus, thank you Holy Spirit!!
 

Read Psalm 91 or sing a song of thanksgiving.

 

WAIT UPON THE HOLY SPIRIT"

Ever loving God decided to give a portion of His Spirit to mankind so that they would be His children and heirs forming themselves to be special people of His own.

"Then afterward I will pour out my spirit upon all mankind. Your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions; even upon the servants and handmaids, in those days, I will pour out my spirit. And I will work wonders in the heavens and on the earth, ..."(Joel 3: 1-3a; Acts 2: 17-19a).

"For those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you receive a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, 'Abba, Father'. The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, ..." (Rom 8: 14- 17a).

"But you are, 'a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises' of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were 'no people', but now you are God's people; you 'had not received mercy' but now you have received mercy" (I Pet 2: 9-10)

It is fulfilled when Jesus sent His Spirit on the apostles first, then on the Church in Jerusalem, Samaria, and Ephesus; and to all individuals, peoples and nations.

"And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, 'receive the Holy Spirit' " (Jn 20: 22)

"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 appear 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" (Acts 2: 1-4).

Peter and Paul came to Samaria to pray over the believers for the gift of the Holy Spirit. "Then they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit" (Acts 8: 17).

When Paul arrived in Ephesus, he found the believers not even knowing the Holy Spirit; he instructed them about the Holy Spirit. "And when Paul laid his hands on them, the holy Spirit came upon them and they spoke in tongues and prophesy" (Acts 19: 6).

At the conversion of Saul, Ananias entering his house laid his hands on him and prayed "Saul my brother, the Lord has sent me, Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came, that you may regain your sight and be filled with the holy Spirit" (Acts 9: 17).

"While Peter was still speaking these things, the holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the word" (Acts 10: 44).

Today, also individuals, families, societies and nations need to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit is the life breath in every Christian to live a holy, truthful and authentic life according to God's will by keeping His statutes and commandments. The Holy Spirit imprints in the heart of a believer a nature to love God in keeping His commandments.

"I will give them a new heart and put a new spirit within them; I will remove the stony hearts from their bodies, and replace with a natural heart, so that they will live according to my statutes, and observe and carry out my ordinances; thus they shall be my people and I will be their God" (Ez 11: 19-20). "I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them upon their hearts" (Heb 8: 10).

Every Christian receives the gift of the Holy Spirit in his/her life by baptism in the Church, the body of Christ. Now, those who are baptised should ask themselves the following questions to find out if they are in the Spirit or not.

a) Have you lost the presence and experience of God by loosing the Spirit by grave sins? (Psalm 51: 13)

b) Have you grieved the Holy Spirit by your unloving behaviour? (Eph 4: 30)

c) Have you quenched the Holy Spirit by not praying, not receiving the sacraments in the Church? (I Thess 5: 19)

d) Have you opposed the Holy Spirit by not yielding to His actions and functions coming through the Word of God because of your arrogant, self-righteous and proud attitude? (Acts 7: 51).

e) Do you lie to the Holy Spirit by a deceitful life? (Acts 5: 3, 9).

f) Are you led by the desires of the flesh and the world or by the Holy Spirit? (Gal 5: 16-17).

g) Are you concerned about the things of the flesh or concerned about the things of the Spirit? (Rom 8: 5-6).

h) Have you started your life in the Spirit and now ended up in the flesh? (Gal 3: 3).
 

If you have lost the Spirit, quenched the Spirit, opposed the Spirit, lied to the Spirit and now living in sin according to the flesh and the world, this is the time to come to the Lord Jesus (Church) with a good confession. Jesus will forgive your sins and receive you with love in His arms and fill you again with His Spirit.

"Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the Kingdom without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh and what is born of the spirit is spirit" (Jn 3: 5-6).

"For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of food and drink, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Rom 14: 17).

"I will not reject anyone who comes to me" (Jn 6: 37).

"Let anyone who thirst, come to me and drink" (Jn 7: 37).

"I will ask the Father and he will give you the Spirit, the Spirit of truth, to be with you always" (Jn 14: 16-17).

"In a few days, you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 1: 5). "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1: 8).
 

(On these days of Novena or triduum, you may spend more time in prayer thirsting and asking for the Holy Spirit and reading text on the Holy Spirit from the holy Bible. If possible try to read books on the Holy Spirit and to come to know more about the Holy Spirit. Before making a good confession, try to reconcile with all and restore the broken relationships. On these days make an effort to go daily for the holy Mass and receive Holy Communion. Fasting and mortification will make your prayer doubly effective and meritorious. If possible give a part of your money or income for the poor or for works of evangelisation..).
 
 

LIFE IN THE FLESH AND IN THE SPIRIT

A life without the Holy Spirit:
 

Is empty and void in despair and sadness

Is vexed and tossed by temptations and enticements

Is weak and desperate in the flesh with sinful attachments

Is broken and wounded with anger and unforgiveness

Is in bondages of passing lust and passions

Is in darkness and blindness not knowing the right way

Is in perversity, licentiousness and immorality

Is a life crushed with pains and sickness

Is a life where God is a Distant Being

Is a life where Christ is only a historical past

Is a life where the Gospel and God's words are veiled

Is a life where laws and commandments are meaningless and coarse

Is a life where the Church is a mere secular institution

Is a life where prayer and liturgy are dead

Is a life where virtues and holiness is foolishness

Is a life where duties and responsibilities are burdensome

Is a life where ministries and missions are mere professions
 
 

Whereas a life with the Holy Spirit:
 
 

Is meaningful and worth living

Is challenging and vibrant

Is a life with Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, God with us

Is a life in the Kingdom of God

Is a life where one is led in the Way, the Truth and Life

Is a life of peace, joy and consolation

Is a life of power and grace

Is a life of holiness according to God's will

Is a life of authenticity and truthfulness

Is a life in the Church the mother who cares

Is a life where authority and commandments become easy

Is a life where burdens become light and yokes easy

Is a life where prayer and sacraments become part and parcel of life

Is a life where one hears God's voice in the Holy Scriptures

Is a life where one finds answer to all his problems

Is a life where one finds the healing touch of the Divine Master

Is a life where one's soul burns with love for God and others

Is a life witnessing Jesus Christ always and everywhere

Is a life that brings the thirsty neighbours to the Living Water

Is a life burning out for Jesus and His Kingdom

Is a life that finds a seat in the eternal banquet. AMEN

(Author : Fr. James Manjackal)

Pope Francis: The Holy Spirit opens our hearts to the Lord

(Vatican Radio May 6th-2013)- The Holy Spirit was the subject of Pope Francis’ Homily during morning Mass at the Casa Santa Martha Monday. The Holy Father also stressed that it was important for Christians to examine their conscience on a daily basis.
Present at the Casa Santa Martha was the Archpriest of St Peter’s Basilica, Cardinal Angelo Comastri who concelebrated Mass with Pope Francis. Also present were employees from the complex of St Peter’s Basilica who listened as the Pope focused his Homily on the Holy Spirit.

Pope Francis said that the Holy Spirit whom Jesus called the “Paraclete” was the Person of God who is always there to protect us and support us.
The Holy Father underlined the importance of the Holy Spirit in our lives by saying that without this presence, our Christian lives cannot be understood.
Pope Francis went on to describe the sort of life one would have without the Holy Spirit. It would be a religious life, he said, a compassionate life of someone who believes in God but without the vitality that Jesus wants for his disciples.

The Spirit the Pope continued, “bears witness” to Jesus , so that we can give it to others.
Turning his attention to the first reading, the Holy Father recalled the beautiful story of a woman called Lydia whose heart was opened so as to pay attention to the words of St Paul. The Pope explained that it is the Holy Spirit that opens our hearts to know Jesus. The Spirit prepares us for our encounter with Jesus, he leads us down the path of Jesus and works in us throughout the day and throughout our lives.

The Pope then invited people to examine their conscience at the end of the day because it is in this way, he added that we can see how Jesus worked in our hearts.

Concluding his Homily, Pope Francis “asked that people be granted the grace to become accustomed to the presence of the Holy Spirit, this witness of Jesus who tells us where Jesus is, how to find Jesus, what Jesus tells us.” The Pope continued by saying, we should get into the habit of asking ourselves, before the end of the day: 'What did Holy Spirit do in me? What witness did he give me?” Because, the Holy Father said, he is a divine presence that helps us moving forward in our lives as Christians.
 
 

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