Skip to main content

Pentecost Sunday

Pentecost Sunday:


Pentecost Sunday is a day filled with the Holy Spirit and all His gifts and fruits. Today we celebrate the birthday of the Catholic Church, when the Holy Spirit descended to remain with us as our advocate and guide, and filled the apostles with His gifts; empowering them to begin their mission of spreading the faith. At the end of Mass last week, when our priest reminded us to wear red to help celebrate Pentecost the following week, I began thinking about the color red. As I contemplated this liturgical hue, I found it interesting that not only is red the liturgical color worn to represent the Holy Spirit, but it is also the color that is worn on the feast days of martyrs. Could it be that red is used for martyrs not just to symbolize their blood that was shed for Christ, but also because they'd been emboldened by the gifts of the Holy Spirit— wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, fortitude, piety and fear of the Lord? That amongst all the gifts, the Holy Spirit filled them with fortitude—a courage to be countercultural and steadfast in their faith and love of the Lord and His Bride the Church? When we wear red, is it a reminder to us to embrace the Holy Spirit and His gifts, and like the holy martyrs, to not be afraid to live the Christian life? As my family and I celebrate Pentecost this year, and wear our red to Mass, I cannot help but contemplate these questions, and as I do, feel closer to the Holy Spirit. I hope that as you and your family celebrate Pentecost, the Holy Spirit's descent and the birthday of the Church, that you will draw closer to Him and be empowered by his graces and gifts!     

Celebrate with Food:

Make red Jello and whipped-cream parfaits topped with raspberries or strawberries, and add a birthday candle in celebration of the Church's birthday as well as to represent the flames of the Holy Spirit appearing above the heads of the apostles. Stick a spoon in your parfaits and tape a paper dove on it to represent the Holy Spirit. As you serve your parfaits, sing "Happy Birthday" to the Church and enjoy your yummy party treats! Here is my template with spoon-size doves you can print off and use.   


Celebrate with a Craft: 

Make a paper dove with the gifts of the Holy Spirit written in flames and hang it on your fridge or above your kitchen table. Here is a template, with the gifts of the Holy Spirit written in the flames, as well as a blank version I created that you can print and use. 

Here are what the templates look like:

Directions:  
  • Print off the Holy Spirit and flame template of your choice
  • Color the flames red, yellow, and orange 
  • Cut out the flames and the paper dove
  • Glue the flames to the wings and tail of the paper dove
  • Hang your Holy Spirit dove on your refrigerator or above your kitchen table  
As an alternative—you can attach magnets to the back of your paper dove and to each flame and then let your children move the flames and dove together on your refrigerator as you teach them the gifts of the Holy Spirit. 

Celebrate with a Prayer: 

As a family, say the traditional "Come Holy Spirit" Prayer: 

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 Thou shalt renew the face of the earth. Amen. 

Additional Resources: 

Here is an article, from Loyola Press, the lists and defines the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, as well as a list of the fruits of he Holy Spirit.  


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saint Teresa of Avila

Saint Teresa of Avila: Feast Day October 15th (My rendition of François Gérard’s painting “Teresa of Ávila”  1827) "Let nothing disturb you. Let nothing make you afraid. All things are passing. God alone never changes. Patience gains all things. If you have God, you will want for nothing. God alone suffices.”  It's been a while since I've written a blog post, and as I reflect upon the words of Saint Teresa of Avila's "Serenity Prayer" above, I cannot help but find comfort in them. Living in a time when everything in the world seems to be turned upside down, and logic and truth abandoned, the wisdom of Saint Teresa offers hope, consolation, and peace.  Teresa of Avila lived in a time similar to our own. Born in the 16th century, she witnessed a world that contained globalism, political conflicts, and religious tensions following the Protestant Reformation. Yet during this turmoil, she trusted in God. She lived a life of contemplation, excelled in writing and p...
Post a Comment
Read more

Saint Margaret Mary

Saint Margaret Mary: Feast Day October 16th  “Look upon yourself as a tree planted beside water, which bears its fruit in due season; the more it is shaken by the wind, the deeper it strikes its roots into the ground.” ~ Saint Margaret Mary ~ Faith is a gift—an undeserved and valuable grace granted by the Holy Spirit. Each of us has the capacity to seek The Way, The Truth, and The Life, for this longing has been inscribed within our hearts. Yet, in our free will, we have the choice and ability to ignore and turn from this divine call. Like the image of the tree Saint Margaret Mary describes above, if we seek Jesus and are rooted in our faith, nothing can shake us. Our water is the Church, and Jesus, in the Holy Eucharist, is who makes our roots deep and strong enabling us to withstand the winds of the world and produce good fruit in His name.  Jesus offers us so many opportunities to find Him, and so many ways to live with Him in Heaven. In the 1600s, He appeared to Saint Mar...
Post a Comment
Read more

Saint Wenceslaus

Saint Wenceslaus: Feast Day Sept. 28 I’ve heard the Christmas carol “Good King Wenceslaus” practically every Christmas and played the song on the piano too, but I never knew he was a saint until recently.    When I looked Saint Wenceslaus up and read about him, I learned he was from Bohemia and was a duke and not a king. He was declared a king after his death and proclaimed a saint soon after as tales of his virtue, piety, and care for the poor spread. Today as my family celebrated “Good King Wenceslaus’s” feast day, we took a Christmas theme approach, since,  the lyrics of his Christmas carol mention him looking out the window on the Feast of Saint Stephen (The first Christian martyr whose feast day is December 26th). Craft: While listening to the Christmas carol “Good King Wenceslaus,” we made  paper snowflake patters . There are a variety of printable templates at this link that are easy to use. I then discussed with my kids that each snowflake is different and un...
Post a Comment
Read more