Dearly beloved Brothers, and Sisters,

The feast of Pentecost is close at hand. Once again we are going to celebrate the solemn descent of the Holy Spirit upon Our Lady and the Apostles who were united in prayer for nine full days in the upper room as the Acts of the apostles account it: "After Jesus had ascended into heaven, the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet near Jerusalem. Entering the city, they went to the upstairs room where they were staying…Together they devoted themselves to constant prayer. There were some women in their company, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers" (Acts 1, 12-14).

The nine-day retreat the apostles made in the upper room with Our Lady and other disciples disposed them to receive the promised Holy Spirit, the "Paraclete", the advocate, the consoler, the helper. And they were no more the same. There came a radical transformation in their lives. Fear was replaced by courage. St. Peter, for example, who was so afraid to confess before a servant girl on that first holy Thursday night was now preaching, teaching and even challenging the authorities publicly. "It was you who accused the Holy and upright One, you who demanded that a murderer should be released to you while you killed the Author of life…" (Acts 3, 14-15).

The rulers and elders were "astonished at the fearlessness shown by Peter and John considering that they were uneducated laymen; and they recognised them as associates of Jesus" (Acts 4, 13). Peter and John continued: "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight for us to obey you rather than God. Surely we cannot help speaking of what we have heard and seen" (Acts 4, 19).

The apostles went beyond any human limits in their apostolic and missionary zeal since the Pentecost experience: "The apostles for their part left the Sanhedrin full of joy that they had been judged worthy of ill-treatment for the sake of the name" (Acts 5, 41). Nothing and nobody could separate them from the love of Christ: "Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Trial, or distress, or persecution, or hunger, or nakedness, or danger, or the sword?…For I am certain that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor powers, neither height nor depth nor any other creature, will be able to separate us from the love of God that comes to us in Christ Jesus, our Lord" (Rom 5, 31-39).

St Paul also tells us that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. If we take the Bible seriously and go over page by page we see that the "Ruha Yahweh" i.e. the Breath of God, the Holy Spirit, was always at work in all of God’s activities and interventions. The same Holy Spirit that descended upon Our Lady and the apostles descended upon each one of us at our baptism and then again at our confirmation. As Christians and as religious in particular all our words, actions and activities are to be subjected according to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and to be led by Him. So much so that the apostles could say at the first Jerusalem Council: "It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and ours" (Acts 15, 28). St. Augustine prayed: "Breathe into me, Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy; Move in me, Holy Spirit, that my work too may be holy; Attract my heart, Holy Spirit, that I may love only what is holy; Strengthen me, Holy Spirit, that I may defend all that is holy; Protect me, Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy".

Three things the apostles did before they made any important decisions regarding the New Way: they prayed, they fasted and they discussed together and then discerned God’s will. The apostles and the disciples no longer lived for themselves or for their own interests but for Christ and for others. Even when they had to go through severe trials, terrible sufferings and hardships, they experienced profound peace and abiding joy.

The apostles prayed constantly. Before their eyes and in their transfigured memories they had the example of Jesus praying from the first day they met Him till He was taken away from the visible horizons of their lives. Not only Jesus prayed but he also taught the apostles the art of prayer. Prayer became their life-breath. "Now it happened that He (Jesus) was in a certain place praying, and when He had finished one of His disciples said: ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples…" (cf. Lk 11, 1-13).

No longer they were able to lead their lives for the Master, no longer they could remain faithful to their Master if they did not pray. Praying meant asking, consulting, clarifying, forgiving, and even being merciful. It was not one more among many things they did; prayer became the heart and the soul of their life and work. Prayer for them was like breathing. The moment one stops breathing, one starts dying. "Pray at all times and in all places….", the apostles instructed the Christians.

Second means was fasting and bearing all hardships for the spread of the Gospel: "I have done more work, I have been in prison more, I have been flogged more severely, many times exposed to death. Five times I have been given the thirty-nine lashes by the Jews; three times I have been beaten with sticks; once I was stoned; three times I have been shipwrecked, and once I have been in the open sea for a night and a day; continually travelling, I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from brigands, in danger from my own people and in danger from the Gentiles, in danger in the towns and in danger in the open country, in danger at sea and in danger from people masquerading as brothers; I have worked with unsparing energy for many nights without sleep; I have been hungry and thirsty, and often altogether without food or drink; I have been cold and lack clothing. And, besides all the external things, there is, day in day out, the pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. If anyone weakens, I am weakened as well; and when anyone is made to fall, I burn in agony myself" (2Cor 11, 23-29).

And the third effective means the apostles used to solve their given problems, whether small or big, was by way of discussion and dialogue. After having fasted and prayed they came together to speak, not to fight and to argue, but to discuss, discover and discern the will of God in humility and charity. They no longer lived for anything except to do the will of God in love until they died for the same.

Our Novena week in preparation for the feast of Pentecost must have at least these three elements: prayer, fasting and dialogue. It begins on Ascension Thursday and ends on Pentecost Sunday. Concretely it means two Fridays of fast: Friday after Ascension and Friday before Pentecost.

Regarding prayer we try to keep a silent, prayerful atmosphere during these nine days of Novena, staying with Our Lady and the apostles in the upper room.

As it is also a time for intense prayer; praying especially for our enemies, for growth in holiness and for good and holy vocations, for one’s own intentions etc. Also when praying, trying to pray with greater attention and devotion.

Our dialogue can be done in two ways through:

1. Family prayer: "Family that prays together stays together"
2. Family dialogue: "Dialogue is another name for Charity" (Pope Paul VI)

For the coming eleven days, that is from Ascension Thursday to Pentecost Sunday we will use the Litany to the Holy Spirit. Let us pray for each other and for all. Happy and holy feast of Pentecost to all. Love and prayers. God bless you. Fr. Sebastian M.C.

N.B. Please read if you have time: Catechism of the Catholic Church, Nos. 683-747

Days in Miami: June 8-9-10 (full) – free for LMC meetings

June 11^th leave for NANAGUA (Nicaragua) at 11.15 a.m. by American Airlines (AA-971)

NICARAGUA – June 11(Monday), arrival time 12.04

LOS ANGELES – June 15, arrival time 9.39 p.m. by AA 207

NEW YORK - June 19, arrival time 4.30 p.m. (JFK) by SY 472

June 22 - M.C. Contemplative Sisters Jubilee(Bronx) and LMC meeting