Seventh Sunday of Easter (A), 24.05.20: Bonfire of grace
Readings: Acts 1:12-14; Psalm 26(27):1,4,7-8; 1 Peter 4:13-16; John 17:1-11 In today’s particularly sublime Gospel reading, we are listening to Jesus praying to the Father as if he were already in heaven. The text is taken from chapter 17 of St. John’s Gospel which is actually still part of the...
Some reading material, 27.05.20
Why Jesus Changes Everything: A Meditation on the Cross https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2020/05/extraordinary-evangelization-in-extraordinary-times Dana Gioia: “Poetry is fundamental to Christian identity” Unorthodox and the Modern Myth of Origins
The Mission of the Holy Spirit in the Church, 27.05.20
The text below is taken from “Lumen gentium” (“The Light of the Peoples”), the Second Vatican Council’s dogmatic constitution on the Church. When the Son completed the work with which the Father had entrusted him on earth, the Holy Spirit was sent on the day of Pentecost to sanctify the Church...
A homily of Pope Benedict XVI on the Ascension, 26.05.20
PASTORAL VISIT OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVITO CASSINO AND MONTE CASSINO EUCHARISTIC CONCELEBRATION HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI Cassino, Piazza MirandaSunday, 24 May 2009 Dear Brothers and Sisters, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem...
Always rejoice in the Lord, 26.05.20
The text below is from a sermon by St. Augustine. The Apostle commands us to rejoice, but in the Lord, not in the world. For, you see, as Scripture says, whoever wishes to be a friend of this world will be counted as God’s enemy. Just as a man...
Opening Hymn for Mass this Wed-Thurs-Fri: Veni, Creator Spiritus
For the days mentioned, we will sing a traditional plainchant hymn invoking the Holy Spirit. Singing it unites us with the millions who, over the centuries, have used this hymn at Pentecost. Jesus tells us that every scribe of the kingdom brings from his treasure-house “things both new and old.”...
Pope Francis’ letter on this 25th anniversary of Pope St. John Paul II’s Encyclical on Christian Unity, called “Ut unum sint”, 25.05.20
Letter of the Holy Father Francis to the President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity for the 25th Anniversary of the Encyclical Letter Ut unum sint, 25.05.2020 The following is the letter sent by the Holy Father Francis to the president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting...
Pope Francis announces a jubilee year of creation, and provides a special prayer, 25.05.20
During his recitation of the Regina Caeli prayer yesterday in St. Peter’s Square in Rome, the Pope announced that, on this fifth anniversary of his Encyclical “Laudato si”, there would be a year-long celebration of various kinds to raise awareness and promote action in favour of the created world. Here...
The living water of the Holy Spirit, 25.05.20
The text below is taken from the Instructions to Catechumens by St. Cyril of Jerusalem (313-386 AD). The first time I read it, probably in 1976/1977, it thrilled me. Even after all these years, I often go back to it and draw from it both in my own prayer life...