Receiving the Spirit
Dear Parishioners of Our Lady of Divine Providence Family of Parishes,
I hope you are enjoying the wonderful spring weather and had a lovely Mother’s Day last week. Please continue to keep our first communicants in your prayers, as we celebrate the final First Communion Mass in our Family of Parishes this weekend.
This weekend we celebrate the feast of the Ascension of the Lord. This event occurred 40 days after Easter, which is always on a Thursday, but in this Archdiocese the liturgical celebration is transferred to the following Sunday. The Feast of the Ascension trains us to orient ourselves upward to Heaven. The old phrase “aim small, miss small” applies well here. If we aim precisely at Heaven, it makes it much more likely that we will reach our target. If we don’t have a precise aim, however, our chances of missing go up. Jesus exhorts us that few have the strength to reach Heaven. Though it takes great strength to reach it, Heaven is not far from us. In reality, the Kingdom of Heaven is within us, if we choose to live a life of faith here and now.
The days between Ascension Thursday and Pentecost mark the original novena of the Church. A novena is nine days of prayer. After Jesus ascended into Heaven, the Apostles gathered in the upper room, the place of the Last Supper, in the royal palace above David’s tomb, and prayed around the Blessed Virgin Mary, for nine days. By her intercession, they received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
The saints tell us that in order to prepare to receive the Spirit, we should practice three virtues in particular: humility, interior silence, and generous sacrifice. Let’s keep their example in mind as we prepare for Pentecost. Jesus ascends into Heaven in order to make His Spirit universally available, so He becomes a life to be lived, even more than a person to be imitated. We can live His life, and possess His spirit, if we, like the Apostles, gather in dedicated prayer around the Blessed Mother.
Here are a few important updates about our Family of Parishes:
Preparations for the sale of the Assumption Rectory are well underway. Please see the Assumption page of our Family website for more details, and take advantage of the opportunities available. Thank you to all the dedicated volunteers who have made this process a great example of service and collaboration.
Though our Family of Parishes was set to begin Family Unity Discernment (FUD) this summer, this process has been blocked for the time being by the parish council of St. Bernard, who chose not to participate. I am meeting with the Archbishop this week to discuss our plan forward. We will need to complete the FUD process as quickly as possible to keep our parishes financially viable. I am keeping the finance councils and Family Pastoral Council updated… stay tuned for further updates on FUD in the bulletin and other Family communications.
Mark your calendars for the Feast of the Sacred Heart, June 12. On the eve of the Feast, the bishops of the US are consecrating America to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and asking all parishes and families to consecrate themselves. We will be doing our Family of Parishes consecration at the 7:00 PM Mass at St. Clare on June 12. Please visit the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop for details. Be sure to consecrate your families in union with the parishes and the Bishops!
The Logo of our Family of Parishes shows the Holy Spirit hovering as a dove above Mary’s head. Let us trust in the guidance of the Spirit. Prepare yourselves well for Pentecost. May the Holy Spirit fill our hearts and make us new!
Yours in Christ, with Mary,
Fr. Henry
