Bringing Heaven to Earth
Pentecost Sunday
Announcements for May 22, 2021:
New Jersey's bishops issued a joint statement this week on their expectations for people to return to Mass. You can read it here. The skinny is that the Sunday obligation to attend Mass will return June 5th.
OLMC Youth Ministry is meeting again on Friday, May 28 at 7:00pm in Gordon Hall. It is open to teens in grades 8 through 12.
Did you know that OLMC parishioners started a high school in the middle of a pandemic? They're excited to share the story of Lumen Gentium Academy with you at an in-person open house on May 25th.
Some of our ladies are hosting a Morning of Recollection for mothers on May 25th from 10:00am to 12:00pm. Contact the rectory for more information.
May's beyond-the-tithe opportunity is Peter's Pence, a collection for the Holy Father to provide emergency assistance to people in need. You can check it out here.
We've made major improvements to our Listen Everywhere system. If you need help hearing what's going on during Mass, check out our Pew Resources.
Check out the Parishioner Portal for more announcements.
Please be in touch with me if you need anything at all, or if you'd like to share any questions or concerns.
Dear Saints,
The readings, prayers, and hymns for the Mass of Pentecost Sunday reveal the importance and centrality of this event in the life of the Church.
In a bulletin article I wrote last year, I tried to situate Pentecost in its first-century context. It's a fascinating feast, but it's hard to do it justice in a short reflection.
In this email, I'd like to offer just one further point for your consideration: In Saint Luke’s description of Pentecost from the Acts of the Apostles, the wind blows down on the disciples in the opposite direction of Jesus’ being taken up into the clouds.
This isn't simply a physical description of the event. What the author of Acts wants us to see is that just as Jesus entered heaven in his Ascension, so now does the sheer energy of heaven itself infiltrate the earth in his sending the Spirit.
The direction of the wind serves as a sign that God himself fills the disciples' hearts (and, so, floods the world) with his Spirit.
This - not only the event of Pentecost 2,000 years ago, but also God's continued outpouring of his Spirit on Jesus' faithful followers today - is what brings heaven to earth. This is what accomplishes the reality we pray for in the Lord's Prayer: "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
Exciting? Absolutely! Let's join together in prayer and find our place in God's plan to bring heaven to earth!
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.
V. Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created.
R. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
I love you, my friends, and I look forward to seeing you soon.
In the Peace of the Risen Christ,
Father Daniel
δοῦλος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ
Preparing for Mass?
Check out this weekend's readings:
Pentecost Sunday
Pentecost
Jean II Restout, 1732