LITURGY IN FOCUS

BREAKING OPEN THE WORD

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows him. But you know him, because he remains with you, and will be in you.” (John, 14)
The great feast of Pentecost, celebrated 50 days after Easter, commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on Mary, the Apostles and the followers of Jesus. The church celebrates this feast with exuberance and joy. The Spirit poured forth the gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord and the fruits of joy, peace, patience kindness gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, self-control. This is the feast of the birthday of the Church.

Pentecost Behind Closed Doors

The Gospel of John
Unlike the other Gospel writers, for St. John, the Holy Spirit was given to Mary and the Apostles on the same day as Christ’s resurrection. The risen Jesus breaks into the midst of the closed-off and fearful disciples to offer them peace. Before all else, this gift of peace comes in the form of forgiveness. This is the first encounter of the Risen Lord with the disciples who had abandoned and betrayed him.
Their locked doors were a sign of their lack of faith. And even then, Christ breaks through it all with the offer of peace. This is a profoundly humbling moment, a reminder of Jesus washing their feet. As he greets them with peace, they know all too well that they don’t deserve his acceptance. They have proven themselves cowards and traitors, and he’s proclaiming his love for them just as they are.
The risen Lord appears in their midst in the most unexpected way. He shows them his hands and his side, signs of an irrevocable past. Nothing can change what happened. But just as truly as he is free from death, he offers them freedom from being determined by their past.

We preach the gospel of forgiveness

Forgiveness is an encounter of love. It springs from the belief that the past can be redeemed and its effects can be redirected without a passive acceptance of injustice and without the vengeful arithmetic of “an eye for an eye.”
This is the Gospel the Spirit impels the disciples to preach. They can preach forgiveness only because they have experienced it. If it was humbling to be forgiven by the risen Christ, it was also empowering. Pope Francis says “No one can strip us of the dignity bestowed upon us by Christ’s boundless and unfailing love. With a tenderness which never disappoints, but is always capable of restoring our joy, he makes it possible for us to lift up our heads and to start anew”.
The community born out of Pentecost is a community of the forgiven who are commissioned to forgive. These are people who must never forget either their origin or their destiny: They are a gathering of the frail and failing called to strengthen one another. The community born out of Pentecost must cultivate what Pope Francis calls “the arduous art of reconciliation,” an art which requires grace and the support of a community.
Whenever we greet each other with peace, we are challenged to remember the meaning Jesus gave that word. “The peace of Christ be with you” is the greeting of sinner to sinner- Christian to Christian- as forgiven forgivers. It is a blessing that calls us to humility and generosity in equal measure. It is a blessing that we can make real only in communities enlivened by the breath of the Spirit.

Explanations of Pentecost for children

Pentecost: Animated Children’s Bible
(Holy Tales)

The Holy Spirit Comes

God Sends the Holy Spirit
(Saddleback Kids)

Pentecost

The Holy Spirit Comes

A Creative Take on Pentecost

Acts 1-7

We Didn’t Start the Fire

Explanations of Pentecost for adults

The Day of Pentecost

Pentecost
(Catholic Online)

Pentecost and the Seven Gifts with Cardinal Wuerl
(Catholic Online)

Pentecost video

The Seven Gifts of the Spirit
(Pope Francis)

History of Pentecost
(Explained in the Holy Land)

The Upper Room
(Explained in the Holy Land)

Music that celebrates Pentecost

“Come Holy Spirit”

Traditional Pentecost music

“Veni Sanctae Spiritus”
(Gregorian Chant — Pentecost Sequence)

“Veni Creator Spiritus”
(Gregorian Chant)

Liturgical Pentecost music

“Spirit of God/ Spirit Blowing Through Creation”
(Marty Haugen)

“Send Down the Fire”
(Marty Haugen)

“Send Us Your Spirit”
(David Haas)

“Send Us Your Spirit”
(Dan Schutte)

“One Spirit, One Church”
(Kevin Kiel)

“Envia Tu Espiritu — Send Out Your Spirit”
(Bob Hurd)

Classical Pentecost music

“Pentecost Cantata”
Bach

“I Will Sing with the Spirit
(John Rutter, Georgia Boys Choir)

“EvEry Time I Feel the Spirit”

Pentecost Sacred Dance — Spirit Sing

“Nella Fantasia
(Il Divo)

(Italian Lyrics)
Nella fantasia io vedo un mondo giusto
Li tutti vivano in pace e in onesta
Io sogno d’anime che sono sempre libere
Come le nuvole che volano
Pien’ d’umanita in fondo all’anima
Nella fantasia io vedo un mondo chiaro
Li anche la notte meno oscura
Io sogno d’anime che sono sempre libere
Come le nuvole che volano
Pien’ d’umanita
Nella fantasia esiste un vento caldo
Che soffia sulle citta, come amico
Io sogno d’anime che sono sempre libere
Come le nuvole che volano
Pien’ d’umanita in fondo all’anima
(English Lyrics)
In my imagination I see a fair world,
Everyone lives in peace and in honesty there.
I dream of souls that are always free,
Like the clouds that fly,
Full of humanity in the depths of the soul.
In my imagination I see a bright world,
Even the night is less dark there.
I dream of souls that are always free,
Like clouds that fly.
In my imagination there exists a warm wind,
That breathes on the cities, like a friend.
I dream of souls that are always free,
Like clouds that fly,
Full of humanity in the depths of the soul.
“Nella Fantasia”
(Celtic Woman)