The Ostende Blog – Fr Christopher Young – Page 12 – Blog of the Traditional Latin Mass priest for the Diocese of Davenport

Davenport, Holy Family: High Mass 11:00am. Confessions and Rosary before Mass. Holy Face devotion and Fellowship Meal after Mass.

Iowa City, St Patrick: Low Mass with hymns. Confession and Rosary before Mass.

https://extraordinaryform.org/propers/Pentecost.pdf

Feast of Pentecost

By the descent of the Holy Ghost, the Christian Church is born today. Today Christ fulfills His promise of sending to His Apostles and His Church the Paraclete, the Holy Ghost. This coming is further proof that He has been glorified and that He sits at the right hand of the Father. By virtue of his death upon the cross, the Lord has merited the grace of sending the Holy Spirit. During His life on earth, and even in his mortal human body, Christ possessed the fulness of the Holy Spirit. Now that He is in heaven He prays for and effects the coming of the Holy Ghost, that we may grow in grace and holiness, that we may be strong and firm in faith, that we may reach perfection and share in the inheritance of Christ, our head. Since we are His members, He lives and works in us to the extent that the Holy Spirit lives and works in Him. For St. Paul, thus, ‘to live in Christ’ means the same thing as ‘to live in the Spirit’. ‘Baptism in Christ is baptism in the Spirit’. For this reason, St John can say, “ In this we know that we abide in him, and he in us: because he hath given us of his spirit.” 1 John 4:13

We have been elevated, in fact, to the divine life by Christ; but the Holy Ghost also took part in this operation. Where the Holy Ghost is not operating, there can be no body of Christ. However, the divine life is always given through Christ, the incarnate God. (we don’t first need to become ‘charismatic Catholics’ who have received the ‘second baptism in the Spirit’. When we allow Him to do so, He always sends us the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of love. The Spirit always binds us again firmly to the Father, so that we long and strive with all our strength to be true children of the Father and attain to perfect love. Therefore, the life of Christ which was implanted in our souls by Baptism (our Easter) cannot be made perfect without the coming of the Holy Ghost (our Pentecost).

So, Pentecost is the complement and completion of Easter. Easter gives us the beginning of supernatural life and incorporation into Christ. But this new life must unfold; it must be strengthened and enkindled into a burning fire which can resist all things; it must be imbued with a love stronger than death, so that it will be prepared to suffer all things for Christ, even the sacrifice of our life. This strengthening of our spirit is brought about by our baptism with the Holy Ghost at Pentecost. It is the spirit of Pentecost which makes the confessors and martyrs of the faith. It gives light, power, and unconquerable strength. This effect is visible in the apostles, who ‘went from the presence of the Council,’ we read in Acts 5:41, “rejoicing that they were accounted worthy to suffer reproach for the name of Jesus Christ.”

Pentecost is the birthday of the Church and of Christianity, the begin-ning of the New Dispensation, offered to all who are baptized into the New and reconstituted Israel. Man, having been touched by the Spirit, no longer lives according to the flesh, according to the principles and ideals of fallen human nature; he lives in the Spirit. He is instead filled with the light of truth and is guided by the Spirit of Truth Himself, the Holy Ghost. The generation of new men now sees all things in their proper place in the plan of divine providence and in their relationship to eternity.

In this spirit of truth and love the new generation of Christians is called to act for good and upright motives, to do only what is pleasing to the Father. It is a generation of spiritual men; not carnal men. Since they “walk in the Spirit,” we must also “walk in the Spirit.” (Gal. 5:25). To Christ they belong – and not the world – and with Christ they must crucify their flesh, together with its passions and lusts. They are not to be envious of one another, but practice mildness, patience, and charity (Gal. 5:26f). “22 But the fruit of the Spirit is, charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, longanimity, 23 Mildness, faith, modesty, continency, chastity. Against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified their flesh, with the vices and concupiscences. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”

In the baptism of the Spirit, which the Church receives at Pentecost, she is washed clean in the blood of Christ; she arises with Him; she is imbued with the fullness of new life. Today she stands with the divine dowry which Christ earned for her and gave to her. She is bright with the glow of eternal youth and fertility as she stands at the side of her heavenly bridegroom. Now she has been prepared for that arduous life for which she is destined upon earth. She has been prepared to share the life of her Bridegroom and to remain faithful to Him, in spite of all that might befall her; she is prepared to represent Him under all circumstances, and joyfully bring forth new generations of children.

Catechism_background to the event of Pentecost:

John 16:7f: “it is expedient to you that I go. For if I go not, the Paraclete will not come to you: but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he is come, he will convince the world of sin and of justice and of judgment. 9 Of sin: because they believed not in me. 10 And of justice: because I go to the Father: and you shall see me no longer. 11 And of judgment: because the prince of this world is already judged. 12 I have yet many things to say to you: but you cannot bear them now.

13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will teach you all truth. For he shall not speak of himself: but what things soever he shall hear, he shall speak. And the things that are to come, he shall shew you. 14 He shall glorify me: because he shall receive of mine and shall shew it to you. 15 All things whatsoever the Father hath are mine. Therefore I said that he shall receive of me and shew it to you.

our Propers at Mass today…
As a little group making its first public appearance (Epistle) amongst circumstances more fully described in the Acts of the Apostles, all were preparing “in prayer” with Mary.

Secondly, they were “all of one mind” under the leadership of Peter, thereby indicating the true marks of the Christian Church: Holiness in Jesus through Mary; unity, catholicity, apostolicity through reverence for the Pope, successor of Peter and Vicar of Christ.

The Gospel reveals how “We,” the Trinity, “will come” to the individual soul. The Omnipotence of God the Father is made manifest in our creation. The Wisdom of God the Son is made manifest in our redemption. The Love of God the Spirit is made manifest in our sanctification.

In the Offertory we ask God to confirm this work done in our soul on the day of our Baptism and Confirmation. We pray also to “relish” things of the Spirit (Prayer) and to benefit by our uniting with Christ and the Father through the Spirit of God.