Preparation for Pentecost
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The Ascension of Jesus into heaven takes place 40 days after Easter. Even though that was yesterday the Church celebrates the Ascension this Sunday so more people can celebration.
Some wrongly think that Jesus ascends because His mission is fulfilled and Pentecost begins the mission of the Spirit. But this is incorrect.
What is Pentecost really? It’s about the joint mission of both Jesus and the spirit continuing in us.
Pentecost is the birth of the Church which means the birth of Jesus in the souls of believers. That is why we are Christians, we are Christ bearers. Pentecost kicks off a new reality of Christ living in Christians and continuing His mission through them.
That is why when Saul otherwise known as St. Paul was persecuting the Church, Jesus appeared to him saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
At the annunciation, when the Holy Spirit brought Jesus into the womb of Mary, she became the church at its very origin. At the first Christian Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit brought Jesus into the souls of the Apostles, they became part of his Mystical body, which is the church.
So whenever you say, I wish the church would do this or that, remember, you are the church. You take responsibility.
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Pentecost highlights the coming of the Holy Spirit because it is the Holy Spirit who brings Jesus to us. Now here is the key. The Holy Spirit brings Jesus to us through Mary. This is the way God always works. The first time the Holy Spirit brought Jesus into the world at the Annunciation in Luke chapter 1, the Spirit did so through Mary and Mary conceived Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. God will work according to the same pattern at Pentecost where the Holy Spirit will bring Jesus to the souls of the Apostles with and through Mary.
That is why right after the Ascension, Acts chapter 1:14 the Apostles gather around Mary for nine days of intense prayer because, as St. John Paul II said, “Her discrete, yet essential presence indicates the path of birth from the Holy Spirit.”
It will be her cooperation with the Holy Spirit that will result in Jesus coming into the souls of the apostles in a new and powerful way. That is why every time we pray the rosary, we gather around Mary, so that we too can receive Jesus in our souls.
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St John Paul II wrote concerning Mary’s presence and role at Pentecost: Mary’s prayer has particular significance in the Christian community. It fosters the coming of the Holy Spirit, imploring his action in the hearts of the disciples and in the world. Just as in the Incarnation the Spirit had formed the physical body of Christ in her virginal womb, in the Upper Room (at Pentecost) the same Spirit came down to give life to the Mystical Body. Thus, Pentecost is also the fruit of the Blessed Virgin’s incessant prayer, which is accepted by the Paraclete with special favor because it is an expression of her motherly love for the Lord’s disciples. In contemplating Mary’s powerful intercession as she waited for the Holy Spirit, Christians of every age have frequently had recourse to her intercession on the long and tiring journey to salvation, in order to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit in greater abundance.” St. John Paul II, Theotokos Woman Mother Disciple p. 198-199.
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Following the example of the Apostles we are encouraged to gather around Mary in more intense prayer for these nine days leading up to Pentecost. Many members of our movement have been doing this already.
Peter and Becca Northcott of Topeka, KS host a monthly dinner and Rosary event. They share a meal then sit in the living room and listen to the Rosary podcast. There are usually a dozen families with lots of babies and toddlers. Becca invites fallen away Catholics or non-Catholics – all are welcome.
Greg Bower of Spring, TX, hosts public Rosaries at his parish, livestreaming them as well. Chris and Lisa Berry from Overland Park, KS will be hosting a cul-de-sac Rosary this summer.
Frank and Lainie Snider from Bentonville, Arkansas have started a couples Rosary after their 5:00 PM Sunday mass.
Bell Moore of Langley, WA shares the podcast and prays the Rosary every Friday at her church that livestreams the Mass AND the Rosary following that. All are invited!
Matt and Theresa Clark of Eudora, KS bought a former Baptist church and host Friday night game nights and Rosaries for all who want to come. — Hey, we should all buy a protestant church and invite people to pray the rosary with us.
Teachers Rachel Wardian of Omaha, NE and Amanda Foltz of Garnett, KS pray the Rosary with their students every day!
Renee Washburn hosted a birthday party for her friend and included praying the Rosary.
Jack Oxley and Christine Jisa (pronounced YEEsha) have been hosting a Tuesday Crew at Holy Spirit in Overland Park, KS.
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In a homily on Pentecost Pope Benedict emphasized: “Prior to the Ascension into Heaven, Jesus ordered them "not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father" (cf. Acts 1: 4-5); that is, he asked them to stay together to prepare themselves to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit...To stay together was the condition laid down by Jesus in order to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
The Fatima prayer that we pray at the end of each decade is our mission statement. To save souls from the fire of hell and to lead all souls to Heaven. But to do this, we must stay together. This is the mission of the Movement of the Holy Family. But to carry out this mission we need an increase of the life of Jesus and the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit.
For this Jesus says the same thing to us as to the Apostles: “stay together” gather together around Mary for more intense prayer.
That is exactly what we are going to do Sunday May 23rd, Pentecost. We are having a Rosary tailgate at the Fiorella Event Center in OPKS. Bring your lawn chair, food, beverage of your choice and we will gather in friendship, good conversation and then we will pray the Rosary with Archbishop Naumann, asking Mary and the Holy Spirit to bring Jesus to us in a new and greater way so that He may continue his saving mission through us.
(The tailgate had not yet been invented at the time of Jesus. If it had been Jesus would have told them to wait and tail-gate. We have that advantage over the Apostles.)