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Our Lady of Victory
490 Charles Street
Gatineau, Québec
J8L 2K5
(819)986-3763
olv@videotron.ca
Mass: Sunday 9:00 AM
Thursday 10:00 AM |
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St. Malachy
3889 Route 315
Mayo, Québec
J8L 3Z8
(819)986-3763
olv@videotron.ca
Mass: Saturday 7:00 PM
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Fr. Albanus’ Reflections on the Sunday Liturgy |
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| Pentecost Sunday |
Pentecost literally means fiftieth. It is a feast celebrated on the fiftieth day after the Passover feast of the Jews and a feast celebrated on the fiftieth day after the feast of the Resurrection of Jesus (the New Passover) by Christians. The Jews celebrated it as the commemoration of the arrival of the Israelites at Mount Sinai and the receiving of the Law by Moses on their behalf. The Israelites celebrated it to thank God for having chosen them and giving them the Law to guide their lives. Despite the Law the old Israel did not always produce good fruits. For us Christians Pentecost marks the end and the goal of Easter season. It is a memorial of the day the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles and the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The first reading from the Acts of the Apostles described this event. By saying that the Apostles received the Holy Spirit on the Pentecost, St. Luke is teaching us that for us Christians, the Spirit has substituted the new Law for that of Moses. That new Law is the Law of the Spirit. It is the new heart, the life of God, which once it enters a person, transforms and changes that person into one capable of producing spontaneously the work of God. When one is filled with the Holy Spirit, something never heard of before begins to take place in one’s life; one loves with the same love as God loves. One does not need anyone to teach them (1 Jn: 3,9). The spirit is now the only Law of Christians.
The Holy Spirit is the Paraclete (Comforter, Helper, Encourager or Enabler). He works quietly in us and through us every day behind the scenes, in the basic activities of our lives and the lives of the people around us. He is quietly at work: in our taking on responsibilities that we once thought beyond us; in our refusing to let the greed of society take over our soul; in our giving thanks always even though times have been hard; in our rising above past failures and putting past hurts behind us; in our finding a central core of peace in the midst of turmoil; in an adult patiently teaching a child self-esteem and self-control; in the person sitting quietly beside a hospital bed; in a parent praying for a troubled son or daughter. The Spirit calls us to repentance, to turn our lives around; He calls us to Faith and to take up our cross and follow Jesus. However we look at the Holy Spirit, He is always our Helper, always helping us to be what God made us to be. He helps us to be truly great, namely, to be servants to one another. Likewise the Spirit promotes Jesus in our lives; He gathers us around the cross of Jesus; He changes our lives, helping us to be more patient and forgiving, to seek new beginnings in our relationships with one another and to let the power of God's love have the final say over the conflicts we get into. He is available to us every moment of every day as we face the choices between self-centeredness or being the God-centered people the Spirit has called us to be in Christ. Today is a great day to ask the Holy Spirit to rekindle in us the spirit of new life and enthusiasm, the fire of God's love. Let us repeat Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman’s favorite little prayer, “Come Holy Spirit:”
“Come Holy Spirit
Make our ears to hear
Make our eyes to see”
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