FEAST OF PENTECOST

The Feast of Holy Pentecost is celebrated each year on the fiftieth day after the Great and Holy Feast of Pascha (Easter) and ten days after the Feast of the Ascension of Christ. The Feast is always celebrated on a Sunday.Feast of pentecost commemorates the descendent of the holy spirit on the apostles.They were filled with holy spirit in the room where they locked themselves up for fear of being arrested by the jews,but all of a sudden each of them noticed something like the tongue of fire on the head of each apostles and they were filled with holy spirit and started speaking in a different languages that everybody understands what each person is saying and from there,they went out and started preaching to everybody with a language that each person understands.Holy spirit is represented with a a white dove.

Speaking of different tongues by the apostles then can be seen as what christains regards as speaking in tongue in the present days and the holy spirit also came down with 7 gifts,These make the soul capable of taking in the special lights and inspirations He sends in a much higher way than what is had in ordinary graces. We do not notice much of any effects from these Gifts until we have advanced rather far in the spiritual life, for great docility and purity of heart are needed.The seven gifts of the holy spirits are as follows:wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, fortitude, piety and fear of the Lord.

These are the words from St Augustine about the holy spirit,

'There is no gift of God more excellent than this. It alone distinguishes the sons of the eternal kingdom and the sons of eternal perdition. Other gifts, too, are given by the Holy Spirit; but without love they profit nothing. Unless, therefore, the Holy Spirit is so far imparted to each, as to make him one who loves God and his neighbor, he is not removed from the left hand to the right. Nor is the Spirit specially called the Gift, unless on account of love. And he who has not this love, "though he speak with the tongues of men and angels, is sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal; and though he have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and though he have all faith, so that he can remove mountains, he is nothing; and though he bestow all his goods to feed the poor, and though he give his body to be burned, it profiteth him nothing."

PRAYER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT,

Come, Holy Spirit
In English
*Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.
V. Send forth Thy Spirit and they shall be created.R. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.
Let us pray. O God, Who didst instruct the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant us in the same Spirit to be truly wise, and ever to rejoice in His consolation. Through Christ our Lord.Amen.
In Latin
*Veni, Sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corda fidelium: et tui amoris in eis ignem accende.
V. Emitte Spiritum tuum, et creabuntur.R. Et renovabis faciem terrae.
Oremus. Deus, qui corda fidelium Sancti Spiritus illustratione docuisti: da nobis in eodem Spiritu recta sapere; et de eius semper consolatione gaudere. Per Christum Dominum nostrum.Amen.

NOVENA TO THE HOLY SPIRIT,

Friday after Ascension Thursday -- Saturday, the Vigil of Pentecost
This is the prototype of all novenas. It commemorates the nine days between the Ascension of Our Lord and the descent of the Holy Spirit on the first Pentecost Sunday. During this time Our Lady and the twelve Apostles prayed in the upper room for the coming of the Paraclete.
*O Holy Spirit, O my God, I adore Thee, and acknowledge, here in Thy divine presence, that I am nothing and can do nothing without Thee. Come, great Paraclete, Thou father of the poor, Thou comforter the best, fulfil the promise of our blessed Savior, Who would not leave us orphans, and come into the mind and the heart of Thy poor, unworthy creature, as Thou didst descend on the sacred day of Pentecost on the holy Mother of Jesus and on His first disciples. Grant that I may participate in those gifts which Thou didst communicate to them so wonderfully, and with so much mercy and generosity. Take from my heart whatever is not pleasing to Thee, and make of it a worthy dwelling-place for Thyself. Illumine my mind, that I may see and understand the things that are for my eternal good. Inflame my heart with pure love of Thee, that I may be cleansed from the dross of all inordinate attachments, and that my whole life may be hidden with Jesus in God. Strengthen my will, that I may be made comformable to Thy divine will, and be guided by Thy holy inspirations. Aid me by Thy grace to practice the divine lessons of humility, poverty, obedience, and contempt of the world, which Jesus taught us in His mortal life.
Oh, rend the heavens, and come down, consoling Spirit! that inspired and encouraged by Thee, I may faithfully comply with the duties of my state, carry my daily cross most patiently, and endeavor to accomplish the divine will with the utmost perfection. Spirit of love! Spirit of purity! Spirit of peace! Sanctify my soul more and more, and give me that heavenly peace which the world cannot give. Bless our Holy Father the Pope, bless the Church, bless our bishops, our priests, all Religious Orders, and all the faithful, that they may be filled with the spirit of Christ and labor earnestly for the spread of His kingdom.
O Holy Spirit, Thou Giver of every good and perfect gift, grant me, I beseech Thee, the intentions of this novena. May Thy will be done in me and through me. Mayest Thou be praised and glorified forevermore! Amen.

PRAYER FOR THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT,

*O Lord Jesus Christ Who, before ascending into heaven did promise to send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work in the souls of Your Apostles and Disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me that He may perfect in my soul, the work of Your grace and Your love. Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal, the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of Your divine truth, the Spirit of Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining heaven, the Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear my cross with You and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation, the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints, the Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable, and the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God and may dread in any way to displease Him. Mark me, dear Lord, with the sign of Your true disciples and animate me in all things with Your Spirit. Amen. (to be recited daily with the novena prayer).

May the holy spirit and the seven gifts that it gives be on us this pentecost and forevever.Amen

ASSCENSION OF CHRIST

Ascension signifies the day Christ ascended into heaven after rising from death or rather,it is the festival of remembering the physical departure of Jesus from the earth into heaven, 40 days after Easter,and this year's feast fall into workers day may 1st 2008.We could remember that after Christ rised from death after staying in the tomb for three days,he made himself visible to his apostles and some some other people.then feast of ascension marks the day Christ went to heaven and which shows that his apostles and some peoples stopped seeing him physical,physical i mean as a human,with body like a human,but as a catholic we still see christ in the form of consecrated host which turned into christ body and wine which also turnrd into christ blood after the priest has consecrated it during church service.it was also before christ ascension that he promised his apostles,that he will send the holy spirit to them,whom will guide and help them carry out their work of preaching and making christ knowned to every body,i pray we also fall into the category of people that will receive this holy spirit,ofcourse we fall among the category but it is left for us as an individual,to work towards that by avoiding sin and keeping the God's commandment so that the holy spirit will find a comfortable place to live within us.

On the other hand the ascension means the fulfilment of the scriptures, the perfect completion of the work of salvation, the perpetual triumph of good over evil and the victory over death,ascension also proves that though our master Jesus was tortured, ridiculed and finally killed, his death was of the most high profile. And he is now seated on the right of God and ever glorified..As if he christ has just left us physically,We need to faithfully and steadfastly stick to him to feel his pressence.

Finally, let us show our appreciation and devotion to him by bearing in mind his last words. “If you love me feed my sheep.”“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (lead an exemplary life wherever you are) Mark 16:15-18.