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Novena to the Holy Spirit, Day 1
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The Medjugorje Message: The Ascension
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| Photo by Bernard Gallagher http://crownofstars.blogspot.com/ |
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"A Time For Miracles"
Published on Apr 3, 2014
When Artie Boyle, the father of thirteen from Boston, Massachusetts, was diagnosed with deadly lung cancer, he and his family were devastated. As a last resort, he traveled to the village of Medjugorje in Bosnia to seek a miraculous healing.
"A Time For Miracles" documents Artie's emotional journey into the unknown and the remarkable series of events that forever changed his life.
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PRAYING IN LOSSES
"I tell you truly: you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices; you will grieve for a time, but your grief will be turned into joy." -John 16:20
When Jesus' disciples prayed in the upper room after His Ascension and before the first Christian Pentecost, they probably prayed with a sense of loss. Although Jesus had promised that He would not leave them orphaned (Jn 14:18) and that He would be with them always (Mt 28:20), Jesus' disciples couldn't understand what He meant, for the Spirit had not yet been received and the Church not yet born.
When we pray with a sense of loss, our prayer may sound the same but it is prayed on a different level. For instance, after Paul saw Sosthenes violently attacked and beaten by the Corinthians (Acts 18:17), he naturally lost any sense of security. He realized he could be killed at any moment. When he prayed "Come, Holy Spirit," he probably prayed it on a deeper level than most of us are accustomed to. I remember seeing a widow pray, "Come, Holy Spirit," a couple of hours after her husband's death. She received the Spirit as never before since she prayed for the Spirit as never before. I've seen people lose their health and lose the unity in their marriages. When these people, in their loss, pray, "Come, Holy Spirit," all heaven breaks loose.
When we think we've lost everything, we can pray for the Spirit and receive more than we can ever ask for or imagine (Eph 3:20). Come, Holy Spirit!
Father, on this first day of the Pentecost novena, I cry out to You in the pain of loss.
"Do not be afraid. Go on speaking and do not be silenced, for I am with you." -Acts 18:9-10
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Novena to the Holy Spirit Day 2
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Pope Francis to Inaugurate Charismatic Convocation in Rome's Olympic Stadium
Vatican City, (Zenit.org) Deborah Castellano Lubov | 8724 hits
For the first time in history, a pope will visit the Rome Olympic Stadium for an international charismatic renewal convocation, the Vatican has announced.
This Sunday, Pope Francis will attend and meet members of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal Movement in its 37th National Assembly. The June 1-2 gathering is expected to draw some 50,000 people from over 50 countries.
The theme of the event, comprising prayer, testimonies, and dialogue, is “Repent! Believe! Receive the Holy Spirit!”. The Holy Father is expected to arrive at 5 p.m.
At a press conference to launch the event at Vatican Radio’s headquarters in Vatican City Wednesday afternoon, Archbishop Filippo Iannone, vicegerent of the diocese of Rome, Salvatore Martinez, president of Rinnovamento nello Spirito (RNS), the Italian branch of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, and Guido Improta, an advisor on Rome's mobility, transport and other logisitical details, discussed preparations.
Archbishop Iannone said it is a good forum for the faithful, who may not speak the same language, to experience the Spirit, and noted the importance of “welcome” and “mission”.. He said those gathered will learn to welcome their encounter with the Spirit and to live it out in their lives and communicate it to others.
Event organizer Salvatore Martinez said some other movements and ecclesial communities will participate and share the Spirit in this meeting as ecumenical delegations - Evangelicals and Pentecostals - are "really interested to see what is happening in the Catholic Church."
The Catholic Charismatic Renewal is a popular international movement within the Catholic Church which centers on the Holy Spirit, and is often known for its outside-of-Mass worship, such as faith healings and speaking in tongues. Though attracting many followers, the movement has been met with some criticism by those who believe its worship focuses more on emotions and non-liturgical experiences than on communion with Christ in the Eucharist.
In an interview with ZENIT, Martinez said the Holy Father enthusiastically agreed to participate in this event. Noting a nearly 40-year history of this convocation, Martinez explained: “We had wanted to move the convocation to be in the center of Italy, in the center of Christianity. When I was speaking to the Pope in a private audience in September about our desire to transfer this convocation to Rome, the Pope said: 'I'll come.'"
Martinez said the event "brings no news. The word renewal means to restore, redefine, what is the physiological existence of the Church, the Gospel, faith.” He continued that "this is the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit again giving evidence publicly, as was done on the day of Pentecost."
The call of this meeting -- "Repent! Believe! Receive the Holy Spirit!" -- is, therefore, appropriate for this meeting which desires “all believers and non-believers to ask, at an event like this: 'What is happening, and what can we do?'" he said.
The speakers noted the significance of the meeting’s timing for two reasons: the first is that it begins exactly one week before Pentecost, and the second is their view, as noted Archbishop Iannone, that “in this time of crisis something like this could really help unify” divisions among people.
The archbishop said the diocese of Rome is “very happy to host the initiative,” believing it will bring "many fruits," and recognising the fortuitous timing, falling so close to Pentecost.
The prelate observed that although people of different languages will be together, the Spirit will allow them to "talk the same language: that of faith," thus, making this event a "Pentecostal experience."
“If people who will participate in this meeting with the Pope can return to their homes renewed in the Spirit and full of hope, so they are able to confront the difficulties that life presents to us today, the event will be a success,” he told ZENIT.
Whether the problems are social, economic, work or family related, he said, he believes the event and the Pope's presence will give people new hope.
To address the more technical issues, Guido Improta assured those present that those with special needs and disabilities will be accommodated. Giving an example, he said buses will be available to transport the handicapped.
He recognized that Rome is used to organizing large events "but every time is a new challenge." Improta added that although this "is a major effort, we like to do so because Rome is also the city of the Pope.” Therefore, he said as organizers we should be up to facing these challenges in order “to accommodate the Pope and all those who want to come and share with him moments of reflection and prayer."
On Sunday, June 1, the event will run from 10:30 am to 6:45 p.m. Presentations will be given by Cardinal Angelo Comastri, archpriest of St. Peter's Basilica, and Father Raniero Cantalamessa, preacher of the Papal Household.
In the afternoon, Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, will celebrate a Mass moments before the arrival of the Holy Father at 5 p.m.
Elements to be included in the second day, running from 10 a.m. to 6:45 p.m, are charismatic prayer, as well as Salvatore Martinez speaking on Pope Francis as an outgoing missionary. A Mass presided by Cardinal Agostino Vallini, vicar of Rome, will follow.
Witnesses to the origins of RNS will also speak, as well as a first-hand witness to a miracle, Sister Briege McKenna, who was miraculously healed in Mass at age 24 and is known now for her charisma intercession for healing.
The presidents of the Catholic Fraternity of Charismatic Covenant Communities and the International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Service also are expected to attend.
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Novena to the Holy Spirit Day 3
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Novena to the Holy Spirit Day 4
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Pope Francis meets the Movement of the Holy Spirit Renewal
Streamed live on Jun 1, 2014
Pope Francis meets the partecipants in the 37th National Conference of the Holy Spirit Renewal, in Rome.
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![The Pope at Rome's Olympic stadium]( "The Pope at Rome's Olympic stadium")
Francis at Rome’s Olympic Stadium: “The devil wants to destroy the family”
(©REUTERS) THE POPE AT ROME'S OLYMPIC STADIUM
Today Francis addressed 52 thousand faithful at the Charismatic Renewal gathering at Rome's Olympic Stadium: “The elderly are the Church’s wisdom and yet they are cast aside”
GIACOMO GALEAZZIROME“At first I thought Renewal was a samba school,” the Pope joked and the whole stadium roared with laughter. Then he warned: “When someone thinks they are important, that’s when the plague hits.” Finally, he kneeled down as faithful prayed at the end of his speech, asking the Lord to bless him, just as Francis had asked of them to do straight after his election on 13 March 2013, from the central Loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica.
“Someone is missing here, possibly the most important people: grandparents. They are the guarantors of our faith.” Francis’ words totally threw the organisers of the Charismatic Renewal Convocation (Renewal in the Spirit – RNS), who only expected four people to speak at today’s meeting at the Olympic stadium: a priest, a young boy, a married couple and a disabled person.
“Like good wine, the elderly have freedom given to them by the Holy Spirit,” the Pope said, recalling the presentation of Jesus in the Temple, where he met two elderly people, Simeon and the prophetess Anna. “The elderly are the Church’s wisdom and yet we cast them aside,” the Pope said. That elderly lady, Anna, canonized “gossip” because instead of gossiping, she went around saying that the Saviour had come. Grandmothers and grandfathers are our wisdom and strength.” “May the Lord always give us elderly people who pass onto us the memory and wisdom of the Church and the sense of joy with which Simeon and Anna greeted promises from afar,” Francis said.
He asked the thousands of priests gathered to “be close to the people and to God.” “Lord, look at your people who await the Holy Spirit; look at the young; look at the families; look at children; look at the sick; look at priests; at the consecrated men and women; look at us bishops. Look at everyone and grant us that holy inebriation, the inebriation of the Spirit, which allows us to speak in all languages, the languages of charity, always standing by the side of those brothers and sisters who need us. Teach us not to fight over power, teach us to be humble, to love the Church more than our party, to receive the Spirit, Lord send your Spirit upon us.”
After recalling the masses he celebrated in Buenos Aires with RNS, the Pope said: “Thank you. I feel at home with you.” “Married couples are sinners just like everyone else, but they want to continue with love, in all its fecundity. They continue in the faith, bearing children.” This was Francis’ response to the words pronounced by a young bride who greeted Francis on behalf of all families. “Let us pray to the Lord and ask him to protect the family in the crisis with which the devil wants to destroy it,” the Pope said. “Families are the domestic church where Jesus grows in the love of a married couple, in the lives of their children. This is why the devil attacks the family so much,” Francis explained. The devil doesn’t want it and tries to destroy it. The devil tries to make love disappear from there.”
Francis crossed a section of the stadium pitch on foot to get to the stage. He was accompanied by the president of RNS, Salvatore Martinez and the Regent of the Papal Household, Fr. Leonardo Sapienza. Some of the delegates who stood along the course which had been marked out for the Pope, shook his hand. In the meantime, the crowds cheered, sang and called out Francis’ name. In his brief greeting to the Pope, Martinez reminded faithful that Francis wanted them to call out Jesus’ name, not his.
Martinez started singing “Jesus is Lord” in Spanish and Francis joined in. “Holy Father,” RNS’ president continued, “clearly there are no football teams here today, no Roma, no Lazio; our coach is the Holy Spirit and you are our captain, you are the one proposing the team strategy: if we send Jesus onto the pitch, we’ll win. Everyone will win, above all the sick.” “You kept your word when we said that after thirty six years we wanted to move our Convocation from Rimini to Rome and you said to us: “I’ll come”,” Martinez said to Francis. But keeping our word meant asking for a miracle of love: 1300 volunteers worked to get the stadium ready last night.” The crowds exploded into joyful cheering at these words and Martinez continued: “The great gift is the unity which will be the sign of our credibility. We were born with Paul VI, we grew up and matured with John Paul II and now here we are with you. Pentecost is not some red number in the calendar. This is an open-air cenacle. Pray for us and over us.”
A number of cardinals were present on the pitch (including Comastri, Vallini, De Giorgi and Rylko) and bishops (Gänswein, Fisichella and D'Ercole among them). “Only one word comes to mind which I would like to communicate to you priests,” Francis said: “closeness. Closeness to Jesus Christ in prayer and in worship. Closeness to the Lord and closeness to the people, the people of God who have been entrusted to us.”
Finally Francis sent out an appeal: “ Seek the unity of Renewal, the unity that comes with the Trinity and I shall be waiting for all you charismatics, from all around the world, to celebrate your great jubilee together, on Pentecost 2017, in St. Peter’s Square.” A reference to the movement’s roots, traced by Cardinal Suenens, one of the Council’s greats and by Bishop Helder Camara.”
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THE INCARNATION AND THE CHURCH
"No sooner had He said this than He was lifted up before their eyes in a cloud which took Him from their sight." -Acts 1:9
Jesus' Ascension seemed to have ended our time to benefit from His Incarnation. We could no longer see God face to face, hear Him, and touch Him. However, Jesus had promised that He would not leave us orphaned (Jn 14:18). He would be with us always (Mt 28:20), and it is better for us that He go.
Jesus knew that His apostles would not understand His Ascension, so He told them to remain in Jerusalem. Within a few days, they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5). They obeyed the Lord after His Ascension and "returned to Jerusalem filled with joy. There they were to be found in the temple constantly, speaking the praises of God" (Lk 24:52-53). "Together they devoted themselves to constant prayer" (Acts 1:14).
After nine days of prayer, 120 of Jesus' disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:15; 2:4). They baptized 3,000 people that day (Acts 2:41), and the Church was born. This newborn Church eventually came to be recognized as the body of Christ, the continuation and development of Jesus' Incarnation (e.g. 1 Cor 12:12; Eph 1:23).
Pray for nine days (a novena) for the Holy Spirit to come and guide you to all truth (Jn 16:13), especially the truth about His Incarnation and the Church.
Father, I accept Your grace to pray for nine days. Come, Holy Spirit!
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Medjugorje Message from Our Lady of June 2, 2014 to Mirjana
Dear children, I call you all and accept you as my children. I am praying that you may accept me and love me as a mother. I have united all of you in my heart, I have descended among you and I bless you. I know that you desire consolation and hope from me because I love you and intercede for you. I ask of you to unite with me in my Son and to be my apostles. For you to be able to do so, I am calling you, anew, to love. There is no love without prayer - there is no prayer without forgiveness; because love is prayer - forgiveness is love.
My children, God created you to love and you love so as to forgive. Every prayer that comes out of love unites you with my Son and the Holy Spirit; and the Holy Spirit illuminates you and makes you my apostles - apostles who will do everything they do in the name of the Lord. They will pray with their works and not just with words, because they love my Son and comprehend the way of truth which leads to eternal life. Pray for your shepherds that they may always lead you with a pure heart on the way of truth and love - the way of my Son. Thank you.
My children, God created you to love and you love so as to forgive. Every prayer that comes out of love unites you with my Son and the Holy Spirit; and the Holy Spirit illuminates you and makes you my apostles - apostles who will do everything they do in the name of the Lord. They will pray with their works and not just with words, because they love my Son and comprehend the way of truth which leads to eternal life. Pray for your shepherds that they may always lead you with a pure heart on the way of truth and love - the way of my Son. Thank you.
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All Night Pentecost Vigil To The Holy Spirit
Borromeo Church
178 Dexter Street, Providence, RI 02907
Wishes all a Happy Feast of Pentecost
The Pentecost Vigil will also be dedicated in memory of our beloved late Father. John Randall
1928 - 2011June 7 and 8
All-night vigil from 11pm to 6am will end with the celebration of the Holy Mass at 6am
Music and Worship we be led by John Police and the Saint Charles Hispanic Ministry.
For more information call 401-421-6441
Share the good news with friends.
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Novena to the Holy Spirit Day 5
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Charismatic Catholics pray over Pope Francis
Published on Jun 3, 2014
Pope Francis joined more than 50,000 charismatic Catholics for a rally Sunday at Rome's Olympic Stadium.
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GETTING INTO TROUBLE
"The Holy Spirit has been warning me from city to city that chains and hardships await me." -Acts 20:23
The Holy Spirit repeatedly warned St. Paul that chains, hardship, and even martyrdom awaited him. Although this would result in Paul suffering persecution and death (Acts 20:24), the Spirit compelled him to finish his race and complete his service to the Lord. The Holy Spirit warns us of trouble and then gets us into it.
If we're going to receive the Spirit in a new Pentecost, we must volunteer to get into the Holy Spirit's kind of trouble. For instance, some nurses who receive the Spirit this Pentecost will quit their jobs rather than be silent about their hospitals performing abortions. Some teachers who have a true Pentecost will be fired because they prayed publicly in a public school. Some Christians who receive the Spirit this Pentecost will be persecuted or even killed because they have tried to lead others to Christ in Muslim, Communist, or secular humanistic countries.
The Holy Spirit will get us into a certain kind of trouble. If we're willing to get into that trouble, we will receive the Holy Spirit this Pentecost.
Father, may my love for You make me willing to suffer and die for You.
"Eternal life is this: to know You, the only true God, and Him Whom You have sent, Jesus Christ." -Jn 17:3
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THE GIFT OF TEARS
"They began to weep without restraint." -Acts 20:37
If you receive the Holy Spirit in this Pentecost novena, you will probably feel both more joyful and more sorrowful than ever before. St. Paul, in his life in the Spirit, proclaimed and commanded: "Rejoice in the Lord always! I say it again. Rejoice!" (Phil 4:4) Also, Paul, in his life in the Spirit, was often in tears. He stated: "Do not forget that for three years, night and day, I never ceased warning you individually even to the point of tears" (Acts 20:31). "After this discourse, Paul knelt down with them all and prayed. They began to weep without restraint, throwing their arms around him and kissing him" (Acts 20:36-37). These tears of Paul and of the Ephesian Christians were not tears of joy but of sorrow. Life in the Spirit is sorrowful, often tearful.
Under these conditions, will we decide to renew our Baptisms and Confirmations, let the Spirit be stirred into flame in our lives, and receive new Pentecosts? Because no one wants to repeatedly shed tears of sorrow, we are tempted to say "Go, Holy Spirit" rather than "Come, Holy Spirit." The Holy Spirit respects our freedom. He will not force His love on us. We know that the Spirit moves where He wills (see Jn 3:8), but in many ways the Spirit only moves if we will.
Because of the Lord's love for you, decide to accept the joy and sorrow of life in the Spirit. Come, Holy Spirit of tears!
Father, "Oh, that my head were a spring of water, my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night" for love of You and Your people (Jer 8:23).
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Novena to the Holy Spirit Day 7
Gentleness
(c) Mary TV 2014
J.M.J
June 5, 2014
Novena to the Holy Spirit Day 7
Dear Family of Mary!
Today we pray for gentleness!
September 2, 2008 "Dear children, Today, with my motherly heart, I call you gathered around me to love your neighbor. My children, stop. Look in the eyes of your brother and see Jesus, my Son. If you see joy, rejoice with him. If there is pain in the eyes of your brother, with your tenderness and goodness, cast it away, because without love you are lost. Only love is effective; it works miracles. Love will give you unity in my Son and victory of my heart. Therefore, my children, love."
Love works miracles! Gentleness is love in action.
Novena to the Holy Spirit Day 7
Gentleness
Let us bow down in humility at the power and grandeur of the Holy Spirit. Let us worship the Holy Trinity and give glory today to the Paraclete, our Advocate.
Oh Holy Spirit, by Your power, Christ was raised from the dead to save us all. By Your grace, miracles are performed in Jesus' name. By Your love, we are protected from evil. And so, we ask with humility and a beggar's heart for Your gift of Gentleness within us.
Despite the gravity of our sins, oh Lord you treat us with Gentleness. Dear Holy Spirit, give us your power to treat all in our lives with the Gentleness of the Saints.
Amen.
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, through Christ Our Lord,
Amen.
Find the Original Here: http://www.praymorenovenas.com/novena-to-the-holy-spirit/#ixzz33OFGoe9W
In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
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Pentecost Is Soon To Come
"After I have been with You all this time, you still do not know Me?" -John 14:9
Philip and James followed Jesus for years but abandoned Him in His hour of need (Mk 14:50). Even after seeing the risen Jesus on several occasions (see 1 Cor 15:7), they remained locked up because of the weakness of their faith (Jn 20:26). Eventually, they strongly believed in Jesus, became His witnesses even to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8), and did works far greater than Jesus did (Jn 14:12).
What years with Jesus and several resurrection appearances did not do was done by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Throughout this year, Lent, and Easter season, we may have been treading water. We may be going nowhere fast and have even less of a faith-commitment to the Lord than years ago. He has done great things for us, but we haven't responded in faith and love.
However, we have hope; Pentecost is soon to come. The Spirit will convict (Jn 16:8), free, and heal us. He will be stirred up in us and send us out from behind the locked doors of the upper room to all creation to be Jesus' witnesses. The glory and victory of Easter are still available for those who will repent, believe, and receive the Holy Spirit of Pentecost.
Father, stir into flame the Spirit I received at Baptism and Confirmation (2 Tm 1:6).
"I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and in which you stand firm. You are being saved by it at this very moment." -1 Cor 15:1-2
After receiving the Holy Spirit in the upper room, both St. Philip and St. James boldly followed the footsteps of Jesus, even to death as martyrs.
Spirito Santo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-CNEJZJ59s
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Novena to the Holy Spirit Day 8
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