BIG C CATHOLICS

Pentecost is one of the most important feasts in the liturgical calender, celebrated on the 49th day (7 weeks) after Easter Sunday - or the 50th day inclusively. Pentecost falls on the tenth day after Ascension Thursday. Historically and symbolically related to the Jewish harvest festival of Shavuot or the day, fifty days after the Exodus, on which God gave the Ten Command-ments at Mount Sinai. Pentecost commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus as described in the Book of Acts. For this reason, Pentecost is sometimes described as "the Church's birthday". The story is recounted in the Acts of the Apostles, ( Acts 2:1 – 4 ) "On the day of Pentecost all the Lord’s followers were together in one place. Suddenly there was a noise from heaven like the sound of a mighty wind! It filled the house where they were meeting. Then they saw what looked like fiery tongues moving in all directions, and a tongue came and settled on ea

Thought of the Day God does not require of us extraordinary things. -- St. John Vianney 

Fr. Frank Pavone The letter to the Hebrews tells us that Jesus Christ made the sacrifice of Himself upon the cross “through the eternal spirit”. This makes sense, because the Holy Spirit is the bond of love between the Father and the Son, a love that is then poured out on us. It is in the Holy Spirit that we too have the power to love, which consists in giving ourselves away for the good of the other. “There is no greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends”. Such is to be our response to the unborn. We sacrifice our time, efforts, possessions, positions, and reputations, in order to save their lives. By filling us with this love, Holy Spirit unites the human family, whereas abortion divides it.

A new Gallup poll released Friday showed that slightly more Americans call themselves pro-life than pro-choice, continuing a trend of a more pro-life sentiment among Americans that began last year. According to the poll, which surveyed 1,029 adults May 3 - 6, 47% of Americans are pro-life, while 45% are pro-choice. Excellent, especially because the numbers represent an increase in the number of young people who identify themselves as "pro-life". So, this is good news but (there always seems to be a "but") ... Despite the increase in pro-life sentiment, the poll found that the number of Americans who view abortion as morally wrong actually dropped. In 2009, 56% of Americans found abortion as morally wrong, while in 2010, 50% found it morally wrong. The one-year 6% swing is suspect as is the apparent differentiation of the meaning of the word "pro-life" from the belief that abortion is immoral. In other words, there seems to be an inherent contradiction in t

WHAT IS PENTECOST? Pentecost is the great festival that marks the birth of the Christian church by the power of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost means "fiftieth day" and is celebrated fifty days after Easter. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WHAT HAPPENED ON PENTECOST? Ten days after Jesus ascended into heaven, the twelve apostles, Jesus' mother and family, and many other of His disciples gathered together in Jerusalem for the Jewish harvest festival that was celebrated on the fiftieth day of Passover. While they were indoors praying, a sound like that of a rushing wind filled the house and tongues of fire descended and rested over each of their heads. This was the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on human flesh promised by God through the prophet Joel ( Joel 2:28-29 ). The disciples were suddenly empowered to proclaim the gospel of the risen Christ. They went out into the streets of Jerusalem and began preaching to the crowds gathe

Thought of the Day All men and women are entrusted with the task of creating their own life: in a certain sense, they are to make of it a work of art, a masterpiece. --  St. John Paul II

Order out of confusion Fr. Rene Butler Remember learning about mixed metaphors, where two or more incompatible images are used to describe one thing? Years ago I saw a cartoon from the New Yorker magazine, where an executive speaking to his staff says, “Gentlemen, I smell a rat. I can feel it in the air. And I will nip it in the bud!” We seem to have a similar confusion about the Holy Spirit, presented in the New Testament as a dove, wind, fire, and called “Paraclete,” which in turn is translated sometimes as Comforter and sometimes as Advocate. The hymn “Veni Sancte Spiritus” calls on the Spirit to “melt the frozen, warm the chill,” just after describing the Spirit as “Grateful coolness in the heat.” But all this isn’t so strange as it might at first appear. The key lies in John 3:8 , “The wind blows where it wills… but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.” (See 1 Corinthians 12 , Galatians 5:22-23 for just a few examples.) The Spirit is “spontaneous,” unp