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When the Holy Spirit inspires artists to create art with, through and in Him, their creations touch our inner selves. They are not only beautiful but also imbued with a mystical essence which gives them spiritual power. When light shines through stained glass windows, they can lift our souls up from our own narrow miserable awareness into His presence as we contemplate them. Light is more powerful than darkness and beautiful colourful glass works of art can touch us with a mystical, heavenly light that moves our hearts and souls towards God. No wonder stained glass windows were developed in the Middle Ages as a way of teaching illiterate parishioners the basic Christian message and inspiring them to live holy, prayerful lives. see more

Partly because of the visual drama, this is one of my favorite scenes from the Bible: " 1 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, 2 and it filled the entire house in which they were. " Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, 3 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, 4 as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim. " ( Acts 2:1 - 4 ) It's also part of what we read during Mass this morning: Acts 2:1 - 11 ; 1 Corinthians 12:3 - 7 , 12 - 13 ; John 20:19 - 23 .... More at A Catholic Citizen in America

Pentecost  Juan de Flandes Museo del Prado [ Web Gallery of Art ] Pentecost Sunday, at the Vigil Mass (Saturday evening) Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa)  [This link is to the readings for the Vigil Mass and for the Mass on Sunday] Pentecost Sunday, Mass During the Day Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa)    [This link is to the readings for the Vigil Mass and for the Mass on Sunday] Gospel   John 20:19-23   ( New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition , Canada)  When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace

Here’s a hanging done a few years ago for Pentecost based upon a Russian Icon. I like this one as it shows Mary in the center – some icons show the disciples around a central figure, who is Cosmos, representing the people of the world that are in sin and darkness. Personally, I feel that Mary would have been there, as the first one the Holy Spirit came upon for the Incarnation of Christ.  I've also heard that when we see the flames on the heads of the disciples, we are to see that as an overflowing from the fire that has been ignited within.   

When light shines through stained glass windows, they can lift our souls up from our own narrow miserable awareness into His presence as we contemplate them.  Light is more powerful than darkness and beautiful colourful glass works of art can touch us with a mystical, heavenly light that moves our hearts and souls towards God. No wonder stained glass windows were developed in the Middle Ages as a way of teaching illiterate parishioners the basic Christian message and inspiring them to live holy, prayerful lives. pieter coecke van aelst When the Holy Spirit inspires artists to create art with, through and in Him, their creations touch our inner selves. They are not only beautiful but also imbued with a mystical essence which gives them spiritual power. read more  

This quote is the opening portion of a beautiful prayer to be recited during the Liturgy of the Hours, Morning Prayer on the Solemnity of Pentecost. The line "with the power of a mighty wind" has always given me pause. By inviting the Holy Spirit into our lives, things will never be the same.  A mighty wind's power transforms the landscape in ways that cannot be imagined in advance.  This Pentecost, let us ask the Father to send the Spirit to transform our lives according to his good plan!  Click here for more Pentecost Quotes!

Readings for the Sixth Sunday of Easter 2014: Acts 8:5 - 8 , 14 - 17 1 Peter 3:15 - 18 John 14:15 - 21 Sixth Sunday of Easter 2014 By Deacon Lawrence N. Kaas May 25, 2014 In an anonymous e-mail, we are told a story we need to hear on this Memorial Day weekend. It's about an old man and his wife sitting in the parking lot of a supermarket. The hood is up on their car. Evidently they were having engine problems. A young man in his early 20s with a grocery bag in his arms walks in the direction of the older couple. The older gentleman emerges from his car and takes a few steps in the young man's direction. He points to the open hood and asks the young man for assistance. The young man puts his grocery bag into his expensive SUV, turns back to the old man and yelled at him: "you shouldn't even be allowed to drive a car at your age." And then with a wave of his hand, he gets into his car and speeds out of the parking lot. The old gentleman pulls out h

This post is by way of making amends to St Anthony of Padua. I must confess that he impinges on my life only when I can't find something. He has never failed me. I do thank him when I find the lost object - and then forget him till the next time. On one occasion when I was doing a mission appeal in the west of Ireland I was chatting with the sacristan. We got around to St Anthony and how he had helped both us of. She then mentioned something that for the life of her she couldn't find. We both prayed to this saint from Lisbon, Portugal, but associated with Padua, Italy. Then we found the lost object - right in front of us in the sacristy! The hymn above was written by a Filipino Franciscan friar, Fr Mariano Montero OFM, and sung at the shrine of St Anthony in Sampaloc, Manila.   This great saint is a doctor of the Church and was known as 'The Hammer of Heretics' . Here is an extract from his writings, part of the reading for the saint's feast day in the Office o

I have always thought of Pentecost as an ending because it concludes the great season of Easter. However, today I was reminded by the priest at Mass in his homily that Pentecost is actually a beginning; it was one of those aha moments .  With the coming of the Holy Spirit, something new was started~first and foremost the Church. But something new was begun in each of the Apostles as the gift of the Holy Spirit was breathed into them by Christ. They went and did things they never had before, probably never thought of before. I somehow suspect that like most things Jesus told His Apostles, they probably didn't quite get what He meant when He told them He would sent another Advocate, the Paraclete. It probably wasn't until after Jesus ascended and after Pentecost that they understood more fully what He meant. As Father reminded us in his homily today, there are no endings in Christ. His Passion, Death and Resurrection conquered death. He tells us that He makes all things new and

I hope each of us has had the experience of loving someone so much that words fail us when we try to express that love. Or perhaps a simple "thank you" just doesn't seem like an adequate response to a great gift someone has given you. Similarly, someone may have asked you to pray for them but you find yourself at a loss for exactly what their real prayer need is at that moment. Or, closer to home, we know that we ourselves have a deep down need for healing in some corner of our being but we have no idea where or what that corner is. In each of these situations and so many many more, the gift of tongues which the Holy Spirit gave me gratuitously years ago has helped me alot. Often, especially after receiving Communion, repeating 'thank you' with all my heart just doesn't seem like enough. Often people, some of whom I've never met, ask for my prayer support. I can easily respond to these intimate moments of prayer because I let the Holy Spirit speak for me &

Pentecost, El Greco, painted 1596-1600 Readings for Vigil Mass The Vigil Mass has its own prayers and readings. You will find them in the lower part of the page that the link above opens. The texts for the Mass During the Day should not be used on Saturday evening, though many priests seem to be unaware of this. Pentecost is one of a number of feasts that have a Vigil Mass. A Vigil Mass is not an 'anticipated Mass'. It is a liturgical celebration in its own right, for a specific day and time. Participation in the Vigil Mass fulfils our Sunday obligation.   The readings here are from the Jerusalem Bible, used in the lectionary in Australia,, England & Wales, Ireland, Scotland. Readings for Mass During the Day Gospel, John 20:19-23 (Jerusalem Bible) In the evening of the first day of the week, the doors were closed in the room where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews. Jesus came and stood among them. He said to them, ‘Peace be with you’, and showed them his