Pentecost Sunday
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves” (Mt 11:28-29).
The Lord invites us to find peace and joy in Him this Sabbath as we set aside time to worship and rest.
“Remember the sabbath day—keep it holy. Six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God.”
Sabbath comes from the Hebrew word “Shabbat”, which literally means “to stop.” Keeping holy the Sabbath is not just a commandment, but an invitation. An invitation from the Lord to stop our work, stop our worrying, stop our striving. An opportunity to fid rest and to be renewed. A chance to refocus on the things that truly matter - the Lord, family, community. In our culture, Sunday has become a day to “catch up” on everything that didn’t get done during the week, and any time left over is often seen as an opportunity just to “get ahead” for next week. But we Christians have a chance now to remember what it means to keep the Sabbath. During this pandemic the Lord is calling us back to Himself, offering us a chance to reclaim the gift of the Sabbath, reminding us again what it means to “keep it holy.”
A basic principle for observing the Sabbath is only to do things that can be considered “rest” or “worship”. Here are a few ideas to consider to begin more to enter into the Sabbath. Maybe pick just one thing to focus on this Sunday, then next Sunday keep that practice in addition to a second one. And then the next Sunday add a third, to slowly over time begin to enter into this great gift of the Sabbath more and more.
Keep the Lord at the center - read the Mass readings ahead of time, participate in Mass, make more time for prayer, spend some extra time in silence focusing on the Lord
Try not to work - resist the urge to check your email, or catch up on a few things, and leave it for Monday
Plan ahead - take care of what needs to be done before Sunday, so plan the rest of your week to make sure you get the laundry done, have gone grocery shopping, etc.so you don’t have to do any of it on Sunday
Spend the day “screen free” - try to stay off social media, internet news, and your phone as much as possible. If you can’t make it the whole day try to go for at least a few hours
Be intentional with others - if you live with others (ie. family, roommates), is there something you can do together like play a game or go on a hike? If you live alone, can you reach out to a good friend and catch up?
Leisure, not entertainment - try to do things that are life giving; binge-watching a favorite show or playing video games for hours rarely leaves anyone with a new zeal for life. Read a good book, go on a long walk, develop a hobby.
PARTICIPATE
“Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt 18:20). Each Sunday we are called to “keep holy the Sabbath” and although that may look different for right now we will still come together as a St. Ann community through the gift of technology.
MASS READINGS
GIVING
Take a few minutes to give to St. Ann Parish. Please give generously and sacrificially as an act of faith during these difficult times. You can give online:
After giving, offer ways to be generous of your whole self during this trying time for our world.
“Each must do as already determined without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you, so that in all things, always having all you need, you may have an abundance for every good work.”
PROCESS
“And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the holy Spirit…” (Acts 2:2-4)
As the Easter Season comes to an end with the Solemnity of Pentecost, we take a moment to reflect back upon the last few weeks. The Last Supper. The Agony in the Garden. The betrayal and arrest of Jesus. The trials before the High Priest and before Pilate. The sentencing to death. The carrying of the cross. The Crucifixion. The burial in the tomb. Three days later the glorious Resurrection of our Lord! A series of Resurrection appearances - to Mary Magdalene, to the disciples on the road to Emmaus, to the Apostles, to Thomas. Another miraculous catch of fish. A reconciliation with Peter. Jesus’ Ascension into heaven in glory to be seated at the right hand of the Father! And then the disciples wait.
Gathered in the Upper Room, the place where the Last Supper had been, Mary and the disciples did as the Lord had commanded them to “wait for the promise of the Father” (Acts 1:4). As they spent those days in prayer, what questions filled their hearts? What uncertainties burdened them? What fears surrounded them as they waited?
And suddenly, a rushing wind and tongues of fire as the Holy Spirit comes upon them! The One whom Jesus had promised. The One whom they had waited for. The Comforter, the Consoler, the Advocate comes. Everything changes. Peter begins confidently preaching to the crowds who were gathered and about 3,000 people convert and are baptized. The book of the Acts of the Apostles recounts the growth of the early Church, telling us of the Apostles going forth to work mighty deeds and miracles, bringing people to faith, and spreading the Gospel. No longer filled with fear and questions, but going forth boldly in power.
The Apostles had been with Jesus for three years, heard His teachings, seen His miracles, but it was this filling with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost that made all the difference. Fr. Dave Pivonka, TOR, in his video series on the Holy Spirit called “The Wild Goose is Loose” (https://thewildgooseisloose.com/) at one point says that “Jesus is not enough.” This can sound shocking and even wrong, and, yet it is something that Jesus Himself said: “But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you” (Jn 16:7).
Better for Jesus to go so that we can be filled with the Holy Spirit. But do we know the Holy Spirit? Do we give Him freedom to move in our life? The Holy Spirit wants to fill us as He did the disciples at that first Pentecost. He wants to equip us to be His witnesses in the world. He wants to lead us, comfort us, convict us. And so we pray, “Come, Holy Spirit, come.”
Practice
This week as a parish we will be praying a Novena to the Holy Spirit. A Novena is the name given to spending nine days of prayer for a certain need or intention. It is modeled after the nine days that the disciples and Mary spent praying and waiting after Jesus’ Ascension into heaven and before the Holy Spirit descended at Pentecost. Please join us in prayer for the Holy Spirit to move more in power at St. Ann and in each of our lives.
As part of the Novena we will be releasing a video each day including someone’s testimony about the Holy Spirit in their life as well as the Novena prayer for that day. The videos will be released through the St. Ann weekly email. If you haven’t yet subscribed please do so by going to stannparish.org to the very bottom of the homepage. You can also pray the novena by going to: https://www.praymorenovenas.com/novena-to-the-holy-spirit
We also invite you to consider attending “Cultivate” in-person or online on Wednesday, June 2, the day after the Novena ends. Cultivate is a monthly discipleship event with music, prayer, and a speaker. The focus in June will be the Holy Spirit!
Discussion Questions
Think about how you can continue to reflect on God’s word to you this week, and how you can invite others into the conversation. You can use the questions below for personal reflection, or to grow with others. Be creative! You could consider gathering with friends and family, or starting a group text, or a group FaceTime, to discuss the questions below.
What stands out to you from the readings this week? What might God be speaking to you at this time?
Did you have any reflections from the Great Commission and the St. Ann Vision Statement that we looked at last week?
We see at Pentecost that the Holy Spirit moved powerfully and evidently. Do you see the Holy Spirit still working in the world today? Why or why not?
How would you describe your relationship with the Holy Spirit?
Have you ever had an experience of the Holy Spirit? If so, what was that like?
What are your feelings on the statement that Jesus is “not enough”? (ref. Fr. Dave Pivonka as explained in the Process)
What does it look like for someone to live a life filled with the Holy Spirit? What could it look like in your life?
How open are you to having the Holy Spirit be more active in your life?