The Birthday of the Church

Happy Birthday Church,that is, best wishes for a great celebration to all of us members of the Church. The Church began with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit "on Mary and the Apostles," and all who were present with them in the Cenacle. The Acts of the Apostles tells us that after the Ascension of Jesus the early Christians, Apostles and the holy women and other first disciples of Jesus. Where they had been timid about their belief in Jesus as Lord, now they were all proclaiming to crowds of people the Good News of the Savior, Jesus of Nazareth. At the Ascension of Jesus he had promised that they "would be clothed with power from on high when the Holy Spirit comes to you." May we share in this same "Pentecostal" experience and rejoice in the gift which is the grace of God and membership in this Church. Let's ask to be "clothed with that power from on high. That power grants us the seven Gifts of the Spirit: wisdom, knowledge, counsel, fear of the Lord, understanding, piety and fortitude. We can always grow in these gifts which are also virtues.

Pope Francis tells us:

We are not Christians "part time", only at certain moments, in certain circumstances, in certain decisions; no one can be Christian in this way, we are Christians all the time! Totally! May Christ's truth, which the Holy Spirit teaches us and giveds to us, always and totally affect our daily life. Let us call on him more often so that he may guide us on the path of disciples of Christ. Let us call on him every day. I am making this suggestion to you: let us invoke the Holy Spirit every day, in this way the Holy Spirit will bring us close to Jesus Christ.

As we see in the Scriptures the Apostles were gathered with Mary and they all received the Holy Spirit. Sister Mary Ann Lorraine wrote about Mary, Queen of Apostles. Enjoy her enlightening words. Here is the link which I am typing and I hope you will be able to open. http://thomasfortoday.blogspot.com/2016/05/mary-and-holy-spirit.html Let us ask Mary, Mother of Jesus and Queen of the Apostles, to grant us each a new and deep Pentecostal experience of truly living in the Spirit! Have a Happy and Holy Pentecost as we celebrate our common Birthday together!

May with Mary

Today is only the second day of May. The weather is damp and a bit chilly, yet the sun is still behind all those clouds. We are OK with the rain, since April showers were missing most of the time. I planted some morning glory seeds last week and they have already sprouted in their window sill containers. I plan to put them in place at our Dedham, Massachusetts Pauline Book & Media Center. Today our Sisters in Pauline Books & Media shipping department are very happy. Our print run of the Pope's New Document, Amoris Laetitiae arrived this morning--jut as it was promised to us by the printers. See the little video: https://youtu.be/opNW_0WAm_Y.

Yesterday I spent my time on retreat preparing to spend this month well. Soon it will be the Ascension and the Novena to prepare for Pentecost. Our Redemptorist Chaplain reminded us yesterday of the importance of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Our Lady is the Spouse of the Holy Spirit, since Jesus was conceived in her through the Holy Spirit. Let us ask Mary for the grace to be truly attentive to the Holy Spirit's promptings in our lives. Years ago another Sister and I attended a catechetical conference in Indiana. The keynote speaker was a Bishop who told us to remember what we are saying as we make the Sign of the Cross. He suggested praying the Sign of the Cross like this: "in the name of the Father who created me, and of the Son who redeemed me, and of the Holy Spirit who sanctifies me." Using this format once in a while reminds us of how the Blessed Trinity informs and gives life to our lives. A great way to spend the month of May is by praying the Rosary. It is like carrying the whole gospel in your pocket. Each one of the Mysteries of the Rosary presents us with an episode from the lives of Jesus and Mary. Praying with our lips and meditating with our minds on the four kinds of Mysteries gives us so much spiritual help. If your day includes a lot of drive time, why not help your prayer life by using the Rosary CD's done by our Sisters, Daughters of St. Paul. Have a great start to this Month of Mary, Month of Pentecost and of the Holy Spirit. And of course, it is the month for Mothers too. Let's remember our heavenly Mother as well as our birth mother. God bless you! Sister Mary Peter