Sunday May 24, 2020
Seventh Sunday of Easter (A)
Preface of Ascension
Vestment: White
Today’s Rosary: Glorious Mystery

Enugu: Tomorrow is the 2nd Anniversary of the Episcopal Ordination of Most Revd Ernest Obodo 25/05/2018

 9-day Novena with fasting and prayers to the Holy Spirit in Preparation for Pentecost
 DAY 3: THE NAME, TITLES SYMBOLS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

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Entrance Antiphon  ct. Ps 27:7-9
O Lord, hear my voice, for I have called to you; of you my heart has spoken: Seek his face; hide not your face from me, alleluia.

The Gloria in excelsis (Glory to God in the highest) is said.

Collect
Graciously hear our supplications, O Lord, so that we, who believe that the Saviour of the human race is with you in your glory, may experience, as he promised, until the end of the world, his abiding presence among us. Who lives and reigns with you. .

 

 

FIRST READING
“All with one accord devoted themselves to prayer.”
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 1: 12-14)

[After Jesus was taken up into heaven,] the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away; and when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. All these with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.

The word of the Lord.

 

RESPONSORIAL PSALM  Psalm 27:1.4.7-8a (R. 13)
R/. I believe I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.
Or: Alleluia.

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life; 
whom should I dread? R.

There is one thing I ask of the Lord,
only this do I seek: to live in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord, 
to inquire at his temple. R.

O LORD, hear my voice when I call;
have mercy and answer me.
Of you my heart has spoken, 
“Seek his face.”   R

 

SECOND READING 
“If you are reproached for the name of Christ, you are blessed.”
A reading from the first Letter of Saint Peter (1 Peter 4:13- 16)

Beloved: Rejoice in so far as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or a wrong-doer, or a mischief- maker; yet if one suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but under that name let him glorify God.

The word of the Lord.

 

ALLELUIA  Cf. John 14: 15
Alleluia. I will not leave you orphans, says the Lord; I will come back to you, and your hearts will rejoice. Alleluia.

 

GOSPEL
“Father, glorify your Son.”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (John 17: 1-11a)

At that time: Jesus lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work which you gave me to do; and now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory which I had with you before the world was made.   I have manifested your name to the men whom you gave me out of the world; yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you; for I have given them the words which you gave me, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you did send me. I am praying for them; I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours; all mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you.”

The Gospel of the Lord.
 

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Today’s Reflection
The first reading describes how the apostles, together with Mary, the Mother of Jesus and other women are in the upper room, devoting themselves to prayer. They find their hope and consolation in being together and praying in the absence of their Master and Lord. Jesus passionately prays to his Father before his passion and death. His prayer is not so much for himself but for the disciples the Father has given him. He entrusts his disciples to the father saying, “For they are yours; all mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them.” St Peter in the second reading tells us that sharing in the sufferings of Christ is cause for rejoicing as it will lead to sharing in the glory of Christ. If we are subjected to reproaches for the sake of the name of Christ, it means that the spirit of glory and of God rests upon us. Being followers of Christ is not our choice, but it is God’s providential grace. We are God’s adopted children through the sufferings and death of Christ. We share in the sufferings of Christ, but destined to rejoice also in his glory. Lord, grant that we may find our hope and joy in living as a true community of faith and prayer.

 

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Personal Devotional: Day 24 of May Devotion

God is faithful to His words and promises. He does not fail and when we enter into any pact with Him, we should try to remain faithful also.

Our Mother Mary said yes to Him and her yes was yes until the end of her life. She stayed true to her commitment and she never compromised. We must learn from her to say ‘Yes’ to God whenever He wants to make use of us in this life. This is the surest way to show God that we love Him, that is, when we stay true and faithful to our commitment like our Mother Mary did.

Meditation: James 5:1-6

Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, give me the grace to say Yes to you always so that you can make use of me as a wonderful instrument of peace, love and unity in this life. Amen. *And May the Almighty God bless you: the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

 

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9-DAYS NOVENA WITH FASTING AND PRAYERS TO THE HOLY SPIRIT 
IN PREPARATION FOR PENTECOST

 DAY 3: THE NAME, TITLES SYMBOLS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

INTRODUCTION:
The Church has received the name Holy Spirit from ‘GOD” – ‘breath of God’ and professes it in Baptism – “baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. The name Spirit means breath, air, wind. This is the image Jesus used when speaking to Nicodemus: “Truly, truly, I say You, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” We all have been baptized and received a “share in the divine nature” (2 Pt 1:4), Still we fail to let this divine nature grow in us. Often we give way to the “works of the flesh”, described by St. Paul in Gals: 19-21 . Being aware of our resistance to the “Breath of God”, the Holy Spirit, let us ask pardon:

PRAYER POINT:
Pray for those who have heard the word but have refused to repent; that God would open their hearts to the wisdom of the Gospel of light.

Pray for our brothers and sisters who are backsliding in the faith.

Pray for the strengthening of new converts to Christianity and for those facing persecutions because of their faith in Christ, especially Christians in most parts of the world.

1. OPENING (Hymn to the Holy Spirit)

Invocation of The Holy Spirit
Come, O Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love.

V. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created
R. And you shall renew the face of the earth.
 

Let Us pray:
O God, who taught the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant that by the gift of the same Spirit we may be always truly wise and ever rejoice in his consolation, Through Christ Our Lord.

R/. Amen
 

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. (7x)

2. ACT OF CONTRITION – O my God, I am sorry and beg pardon for all my sins, and detest them above all things, because they have crucified my loving Saviour Jesus Christ, and, most of all, because they offend your infinite goodness; and I firmly resolve, by the help of your grace, never to offend you again, and carefully to avoid the occasion of sin.
 

3. PRAYER FOR THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY GHOST: (To be recited daily during the Novena)
O LORD JESUS CHRIST, Who before ascending into Heaven didst promise to send the Holy Ghost to finish Thy work in the souls of Thine Apostles and Disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me, that He may perfect in my soul the work of Thy grace and Thy love. Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom, that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal; the Spirit of Understanding, to enlighten my mind with the light of Thy Divine truth; the Spirit of Counsel, that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining Heaven; the Spirit of Fortitude, that I may bear my cross with Thee and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation; the Spirit of Knowledge, that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints; the Spirit of Piety, that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable; the Spirit of Fear, that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God and may dread in any way to displease Him. Mark me, Dear Lord, with the sign of Thy true disciples, and animate me in all things with Thy Spirit. Amen.
 

4. PRAYER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT:
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 may always be holy.

 

5. BIBLE READING: Romans  8: 6-11 and John 14: 16-17; 26-27

 

6. CONCLUDING PRAYER

LET US PRAY: (To be recited together by all)

Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I know that my body is Your Temple. I believe and trust that You are the source of life, Almighty God, our Creator. My whole body is filled with Your life and love. Lord Jesus, touch me with Your Precious Blood and wash away all my sins.

I ask Your forgiveness for every sin of mine. Heal me of all the hurts, anger, guilt feelings and all painful memories that linger in my deepest being. I have sinned, Lord, against You and against my neighbour. Jesus, You are present in the Eucharist. Lord, do come into my heart. While You are in my heart, I have nothing to fear, for You are the Son of God, and in my heart You are near.

In You is life, and in Your life, Lord Jesus, I find life. You touched the bleeding woman and healed her. Have mercy on me, Lord. It is You Who guide me with Your strength and make me righteous in Your presence. Lord, God, You are almighty. You are merciful. You have touched me and healed me of all my ailments of soul, mind and body. I thank You specially for bringing me closer to You, for loving and protecting me and for healing me completely. With deep faith in my heart, I adore You my loving Jesus Who with the Father and the Holy Spirit are God for ever and ever. Amen.

 

7. Closing / Concluding Hymn

 

From the Catholic Daily Reading Project