Speaking freely
Pentecost Sunday – A – May 28, 2023 Why is there so much focus today on the disciples speaking “in different tongues” (Acts 2:4) and on the crowd hearing them each “in his own language” (Acts 2:6)? Why is this … Read More
The climax of the liturgical year
32nd Sunday Ordinary Time – C My piano teacher taught me that getting the notes right wasn’t enough to make music. I had to keep in mind the musical “line.” Every piece typically begins with a theme, builds it to … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for Pentecost Sunday
Pentecost Sunday (at the Vigil Mass) – Saturday evening, 04 June 2022 Extended Form 1. Genesis 11:1-9. Psalm 33:10-11, 12-13, 14-15. 2. Exodus 19:3-8a, 16-20b. Psalm: Daniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56. OR Psalm 19: 8, 9, 10, 11. 3. … Read More
Nothing will ever be the same again
Pentecost Sunday – C Whenever the Holy Spirit is present and active, something changes. In the Eucharist, simple bread and wine are transformed into the body and blood of Christ. With a blessing, ordinary water becomes a font for eternal … Read More
Come and fill our hearts
Pentecost Sunday – C Whenever the Holy Spirit is present and active, something changes. In the Eucharist, simple bread and wine are transformed into the body and blood of Christ. With a blessing, ordinary water becomes a font for eternal … Read More
The Spirit of Truth will not be silenced
Pentecost Sunday – B Last year on Pentecost, protests broke out in Minneapolis and around the world in response to the torturous eight minute and 46 second recorded murder of George Floyd by a police officer. We all heard the … Read More
We need each other
Pentecost Sunday – A – May 31, 2020 I grew up in a diverse neighborhood, hearing several languages other than English on a daily basis. So it’s wonderful to see parish communities embrace multicultural elements in their Pentecost liturgies. As … Read More
Christ is not absent from the world
The Ascension of the Lord The solemnity of the Ascension draws our focus back to seeing Christ with the eyes of our hearts. With Thomas on the Second Sunday of Easter, we trained our eyes to see Christ’s presence in … Read More
Embrace the mystery of the Holy Spirit
Pentecost How do you picture the Holy Spirit? We can imagine a haloed bird hovering or “tongues as of fire.” We can sense the Spirit as wind in its many forms: breath, breeze, gusts, air. But how do you describe … Read More
Pentecost will not be tamed by our balloons
Readings for Pentecost Sunday, Mass during the day, Year B I would like to suggest that today’s popular image of Pentecost as the “birthday of the church” is not helpful. The problem comes when we start to associate the symbols … Read More