Pentecost Sunday, May 15, 2016
The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The statutes of the LORD are true, all of them just; more desirable than gold, than a hoard of purest gold, sweeter also than honey or drippings from the comb. (Psalm 19:10-11)
19 Joseph her
husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly. 20
Such was his intention when, behold, the
angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is
through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.
Even righteous people become afraid at times but Mark Shea a catholic writer points out that
Joseph being a devote Jew may have had Holy fear as the basis of his being afraid.
”Modernity assumes it was because he thought her guilty of adultery,
but the typical view in antiquity understood the text to mean he was afraid of her sanctity — as a pious Jew
would be afraid to touch the Ark of
the Covenant. After all, think of what Mary told him about the angel's words:
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will
overshadow you; therefore the Child to be born will be called holy, the Son of
God."[1]
We should follow the example of Joseph and be not afraid to take Mary into our home!
I know one small way I have taken Mary in my home
is to silently say a Hail Mary when I wash my hands to eat-praying, “Mary
help me not to wash your son’s blood from my hands as Pilot did. Help me to have no innocent blood on my
hands. Let me not wash off responsibility for others.”
Pentecost[2]
What is Pentecost? The solemn anniversary of the day on which the
Holy Ghost came down, under the appearance of fiery tongues, upon Mary the
Mother of Jesus, and His apostles and disciples, who were assembled in prayer
at Jerusalem. To express her joy at the descent of the Holy Ghost, the Church
sings, at the Introit of the Mass, The Spirit of the Lord hath filled the whole
earth, alleluia, and that which containeth all things, hath knowledge of the
voice, alleluia, alleluia. Let God arise, and His enemies be scattered; and let
them that hate Him fly before His face.
Why does the Church celebrate this day so solemnly? To praise and
thank God for sending the Holy Ghost, Who gave so many spiritual graces and
fruits to men.
Why did the Holy Ghost appear under visible signs? It was done to
attract attention, and to indicate outwardly what took place inwardly. The roar
of the mighty wind, according to the language of the prophets, pointed to the
approaching Godhead, and was intended to announce something extraordinary. The
appearance of tongues signified the gift of languages, and the division of them
the difference of gifts imparted by the Holy Ghost. The fire which lightens,
warms, and quickly spreads, denoted the love of God, the power and joy with
which the apostles, and mankind through them, should be filled, and indicated
the rapid extension of Christianity.
What were the effects of the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the
apostles? Being enlightened and made acquainted with all truth, freed from
all fear and faint-hearted ness, and undaunted, the apostles preached
everywhere Christ crucified, and for love of Him endured with joy all
sufferings. Their discourses were understood by all present, as if they had
carefully learned each particular language. From that time Christianity spread
with wonderful rapidity throughout the whole world. Pray the Holy Ghost to-day
to enlighten you also, to inflame you with holy love, and to give you strength
daily to increase in all goodness.
Why is the Holy Ghost called a spirit, and the Holy Spirit? Because
He proceeds from the Father and the Son, and is as it were, the Spirit of the
Father and the Son.
What does the Holy Ghost effect in men? He renews their hearts, by
cleansing them from sin, by imparting to them the sanctification and likeness
to God gained through Christ, together with all these supernatural gifts and graces
by which they can become holy and happy, and brings forth in them wonderful
fruits of sanctity.
Which are these gifts of the Holy Ghost? The seven following: 1.
The gift of wisdom, which teaches us to value the heavenly more than the
earthly, infuses into us a longing for the same, and points out to us the right
means to salvation. 2. The gift of understanding, which enlightens us to
rightly understand the mysteries and doctrines of our holy religion. 3. The
gift of counsel in doubtful cases, which enables us to know what to do or omit,
and what to advise others. This gift is particularly necessary for superiors,
for those who are changing their state of life, and for those who are entangled
in perplexing and unfortunate marriage relations. 4. The gift of fortitude,
which banishes all timidity and human respect, strengthens a man to hate sin,
and steadfastly to practice virtue; preferring contempt, temporal loss,
persecution, and even death, to denying Christ by word or deed. 5. The gift of
knowledge, by which the Holy Ghost enlightens us with an inner light, that we
may know ourselves, the snares of self-love, of our passions, of the devil, and
of the world, and may choose the fittest means to overcome them. 6. The gift of
piety and devotion, which infuses into us veneration for God and divine things,
and joy in conversing with Him. 7. The gift of the fear of God, that childlike
fear, which dreads no other misfortune than that of displeasing God, and which
accordingly, flees sin as the greatest evil.
Which are the fruits of the Holy Ghost? They are the twelve
following: 1. Charity. 2. Joy. 3. Peace. 4. Patience. 5. Benignity. 6.
Goodness. 7. Longsuffering. 8. Mildness. 9. Faith. 10. Modesty. 11. Continency.
12. Chastity. These fruits should be visible in the Christian, for thereby men
shall know that the Holy Ghost dwells in him, as the tree is known by its
fruit.
Whit Sunday[3]
The Dove
Like Ascension Thursday,
Whitsunday was once the occasion for several liturgical eccentricities. Many
medieval churches, for example, had a Holy Ghost Hole in the ceiling of
the church from which a large blue disk bearing the figure of a white dove
would swing slowly down to the congregation during the Mass sequence, Veni
Sancte Spiritus. Midway through the sequence, the disk would stop and from
the Holy Ghost hole would rain symbols of the Spirit: flowers, water, even
burning pieces of straw. A practice far less susceptible to excess, on the
other hand, is the use of beautifully carved and painted wooden doves in
the home. These figures would usually be suspended over the dinner table, and
would sometimes be encased in glass, having been assembled entirely from within
(much like the wooden ships assembled in bottles). The painstaking effort that
went into making these doves serves as a reminder to cherish the adoration of
the Holy Spirit.
The Blessed Dew
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