The following excerpt from Adrienne von Speyr’s, “Handmaid of the Lord” [pgs. 137-138] really gave me a new perspective on what exactly the coming of the Holy Spirit did for the Apostles; she has given me a fuller understanding of the freedom and authority they received, and why. She speaks of them as they wait and pray in the upper room:
They are not the whole of Christianity; there are many who are not among them. But they were set apart by the Lord during his lifetime and selected for service. They now know that they are to continue this service and, praying, they await God’s further instructions. For the moment they are still as if constrained. Each of them holds to what the Lord had shown and given him while still among them. Each one’s whole Christian existence is determined by the earthly words and deeds of the Lord, by an all-too-human — albeit grace-given — bond between him and the Lord.
And now, at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descends upon them: the Spirit which had spoken to them before through the mouth of the Lord is now bestowed on them as the Spirit of the Lord, which speaks to them of him and reveals him. Thus every merely earthly bond, every merely literal understanding of his words, is transformed into a spiritual freedom and a spiritual understanding from within. Henceforth none of them is limited to recalling what he personally had experienced with the Lord in order to possess a standard, a canon of the truth that he is to proclaim at the Lord’s command. Through the Holy Spirit each one receives a total image of the Lord, an understanding of the fullness of God. That makes them free and gives them the rights of maturity in dealing with the truth of the gospel. They are no longer held to a meticulously exact repetition of words handed down. They can themselves give shape to the message without fear of deviating from their mission. They may interpret the words without distancing themselves from their kernel. By the power of the Spirit who guides them they can also act with authority and independence in the priestly functions that the Lord, through his suffering, had acquired for them and given them. But this expansion of all personal powers, this coming of age of the individual Christian, goes hand in hand with a much profounder bond to the community of the Catholic Church; and the Church is embodied by the Mother of the Lord in its midst.
May you all have a beautiful and blessed Pentecost this year.
On the faithful who in You,
Trust with childlike piety,
Deign Your sevenfold gift to send.
Give them virtue’s rich increase,
Saving grace to die in peace,
Give them joys that never end. Amen. Alleluia.
Send down upon me, I beseech You, O Lord, the Holy Spirit, that, inspired and encouraged by Him, I may comply with the duties of my state, carry my crosses patiently, and grow daily in Christian perfection. Grant me, through the same Divine Spirit, the intentions of this Novena or what is most conducive to my eternal salvation and Your glory. Amen.
[From: Favorite Novenas to the Holy Spirit, by Rev. Lawrence G. Lovasik, S.V.D.]
Bend the stubborn heart and will,
Melt the frozen, warm the chill,
Guide the steps that go astray.
Holy Spirit, Spirit of Truth, come into my heart. Give to all peoples the brightness of Your light, that they may be well pleasing to You in unity of faith. Amen.
[From: Favorite Novenas to the Holy Spirit, by Rev. Lawrence G. Lovasik, S.V.D.]
Cleanse our souls from sinful stain,
Lave our dryness with Your rain,
Heal our wounds and mend our way.
Burn up, O Lord, my reins and heart in the fire of the Holy Spirit; that chaste of body and clean of heart, my service may be well pleasing to You. Amen.
[From: Favorite Novenas to the Holy Spirit, by Rev. Lawrence G. Lovasik, S.V.D.]
Novena Music: [It's gorgeous, and even if you don't speak French, I think you will understand much of it.]
Then Jesus took his disciples up the mountain, and gathering them about him, he taught them, saying:
Blessed are the poor…
Blessed are the hungry…
Blessed are those who mourn…
Blessed are the oppressed…
Then Simon Peter said, “Do we have to write this down?” And Andrew said, “Are we supposed to know this?” And James said, “I don’t have papyrus with me.”
And Philip said, “Will we have a test on this?” And Bartholomew said, “Do we have to turn this in?” And John said, “The other disciples didn’t have to learn this.” And Matthew said, “Can I be excused?” And Judas said, “What does this have to do with the real world?”
Then one of the Pharisees who was present asked to see Jesus’ lesson plan and inquired: “Is this lesson aligned with current standards? Does it address multiple intelligences? Where are your objectives in the cognitive domain?”
And Jesus wept.
[A teacher friend sent me this a few years ago. :) I just found it in a pile of papers - yes, I'm in clean-up-the-desk mode.]
Just look what ukok has done for us! Among the many artistic offerings on her site, she has recently created free downloadable/printable prayer cardsof the Holy Father’s monthly intentions.
Also, if you go to her special page for Free Prayer Cards and Bookmarks you will find a lovely selection of themes, including the Blessed Virgin and the Divine Mercy.
Thank you, ukok! Your creativity and generosity are much appreciated!
Nothing good by man is thought,
Nothing right by him is wrought,
When he spurns Your gracious Will.
Send down, I beseech You, O Lord, the Holy Spirit in His might, to the merciful purifying of my heart and to my sure deliverance from all danger. Amen.
[From: Favorite Novenas to the Holy Spirit, by Rev. Lawrence G. Lovasik, S.V.D.]
O most blessed Light Divine,
Let Your radiance in us shine,
And our inmost being fill.
May the Paraclete, Who proceeds from You, enlighten my mind, I beseech You, O Lord; and even as Your Son has promised, may He lead me into all truth. Amen.
[From: Favorite Novenas to the Holy Spirit, by Rev. Lawrence G. Lovasik, S.V.D.]
In hard labor You are rest,
In the heat You refresh best,
And solace give in our woe.
OGod, You bestowed the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. Grant to Your people the effect of their pious prayers, that on those to whom You have given grace, You may also bestow peace. Amen.
[From: Favorite Novenas to the Holy Spirit, by Rev. Lawrence G. Lovasik, S.V.D.]
Novena Music: (You may wish to save this one for sometime today when you can be alone, close your eyes, and let it be a meditation as you enter into prayer)
As glorious as was the Ascension, I feel a special kinship with, and grief for, the Apostles and Jesus’ disciples. If you have ever experienced a beloved pastor or spiritual director being taken out of your life, for example, and felt the pain, fear and loneliness of that loss, multiply it a gazillion times and try to imagine the depth of the emotions paralyzing Jesus’ followers as they watched Him being swept up by a cloud. Were they close to despair, I wonder. He promised to send the Comforter, the Paraclete, but in the meantime, how they must have agonized.
