ASCENSION DAY is this Thursday 13th May, and there are TWO Masses at All Saints Benhilton:
7.30 p.m. Low Mass with Choral Anthems
PENTECOST SUNDAY is the 23rd May.
AND IN BETWEEN . . .
is a special time of prayer for evangelisation, reflecting the experience of the first disciples who were told by Jesus at his Ascension that they were to proclaim the Good News to ‘all nations’.
But he also told them that they should first go back into Jerusalem and wait in prayer for the ‘promise of the Father’ - the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Only then would they be able to fulfil what God asked of them, not relying on their own strength, but on the power, the strength and the courage given to them by the Holy Spirit.
That’s why in the Catholic tradition we pray for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit (the ‘Pentecost Novena’) between Ascension Day and Pentecost.
Under the name THY KINGDOM COME, this has evolved into a global prayer movement inviting Christians of all traditions to do the same, and to pray for more people to come to know Jesus. There are many different ways this might be done . . . using prayers from a prayer book, old or new; praying with our families each day; going to Mass daily during the week as well as on Sundays.
There are these helpful resources online:
1. THE PENTECOST NOVENA
The booklet can be downloaded and printed from HERE.
The podcasts are HERE
2. A CHILDREN’S PRESENTATION WITH THE CHEEKY PANDAS
Suitable for family catechesis or in a larger group. Download from HERE
During these days, let us all pray for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in our communities, and let us pray for those we know and love to find new life in Jesus.
0 comments:
Post a Comment