Friday, May 30, 2014

Novena for Pentecost

REMINDER: today starts the novena for Pentecost. During these nine days, we join with Mary and the Apostles to wait and pray for the coming of the Holy Spirit. I hope to add a longer reflection soon, but for now a link to the traditional novena prayers will suffice. These are available in devotional books and on several sites; this catholicism.about.com page also has the convenient feature of a daily email alert. Sign up tonight to receive the "correct" daily reminders to end the novena on Pentecost Sunday.
Pentecost mosaic from the Rosary Basilica in Lourdes. Image from Wikimedia Commons

Since I neglected to post on Ascension Thursday, I'll link also to someone else's meditations and questions on this mystery. (Scroll down to find quotes from several saints and blesseds.)

This always feels like a strange, still time of the Liturgical Year to me. I'm thinking now about the quotes from St. John Chrysostom and others from the link above, but still the Feast of the Ascension somehow eludes me. Do I take for granted the wonder and mystery of Christ's ascension to His heavenly glory? Why does this feast feel like such a let-down from Easter? The Paschal Candle (representing the Risen Christ) is put out and out of sight. The angels speak to the apostles who, a moment ago were still asking about the restoration of an earthly kingdom--"why stand you looking up to heaven?" (Acts 1:11). Christ goes to send the Paraclete, to prepare a place for us, and to enter into His glory. I pray I can understand and love this feast better than I have done.

In living anew these mysteries each liturgical year, we do confront not only Christ's glory and triumph, His teaching and His love for His followers, but also the disciples' limited understanding, their feelings at the loss of Christ's physical presence on earth, their pondering His words during the mental and spiritual trial of waiting. During this time, we imitate, through our novena, the Eleven who were reunited in that upper room "persevering with one mind in prayer with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus and with His brethren" (Acts 1:14). How hard they must have prayed! How sacred was their waiting! How important was this time to ready them for all the missionary action of the rest of their lives!

(Taking this perhaps rather too personally: I suspect that part of the reason this is not my favorite part of the liturgical year is that this is one time when I particularly can't avoid admitting what I don't know, or rather that I don't know what I don't know. And my path is not clear; I am not in control; I must be still, pray, and wait for the grace of the Holy Spirit. Oh, and when that comes, I ought to respond fully--acting upon that grace. My pride gets in the way. It doesn't like all that. Mea culpa. Pray for me.)

5 comments:

  1. Abandonment to Divine Providence by Fr. de Caussade is a great book that I come back to when the path isn't so clear.

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    1. Thanks for the recommendation. I know I read it once. Probably time to revisit that.

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  2. The last paragraph makes me think of Socrates. He was the wisest man in the world because he knew that he knew nothing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_know_that_I_know_nothing

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    1. Thank you for making Socrates "relatable to me"--as the young 'uns say. :)

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  3. From my RSS feed: http://www.birminghamoratory.org.uk/the-lord-and-giver-of-life/

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