I’m not done with Pentecost yet. I know we are officially into “Ordinary Time” – an unfortunate name, I think. I know I should be selecting hymns according to the gospel of the day or, at the very least, hymns that pertain specifically to the hours. I just can’t do it. Our Sunday celebration of the Eucharist was so beautiful – so animated by the Spirit. I’m just not done singing the Spirit’s praises or proclaiming her marvelous deeds in salvation history. [The “her” thing is just my own bias – not a theological dogma, by any stretch.]
On Sunday the entrance procession included a banner of multi-colored ribbons wielded by Sister Denise. As we sang “Come Holy Ghost, Creator blest,” Sister moved the banner through the air over our heads, like the proverbial tongues of fire! All the hymns were killer – each one proclaiming a truth about God the Spirit.
The great “Fifty Days” of the Easter season call for pull-out-the-stops liturgy. It’s almost hard to maintain the energy and joy, but we do it because the Paschal Mystery is the salvific key to our very existence as “church” and the source of meaning for each Christian life. I know we have a novena to the Holy Spirit that precedes Pentecost. [For those of you raised after Vatican II, that’s a nine-day prayer in preparation for a great feast or in the hopes of a special blessing.] But once Pentecost FINALLY comes, it feels wrong to close the door on that wonderful breeze and go right into OT. If Pope John Paul II could add mysteries to the Rosary, maybe Pope Benedict XVI could create an Octave of Pentecost? What’s one less week of Ordinary Time when we can really celebrate the gift of the Spirit? - just one sister’s opinion, of course. I doubt the Holy Father has stumbled onto this blog, nor do I expect him to in the future. But, in our little convent in Richmond, it’s still Pentecost – just for a few more days.
Blessings and love to you all…
- Sister Vicki
http://www.sisterbloggers.blogspot.com/
On Sunday the entrance procession included a banner of multi-colored ribbons wielded by Sister Denise. As we sang “Come Holy Ghost, Creator blest,” Sister moved the banner through the air over our heads, like the proverbial tongues of fire! All the hymns were killer – each one proclaiming a truth about God the Spirit.
The great “Fifty Days” of the Easter season call for pull-out-the-stops liturgy. It’s almost hard to maintain the energy and joy, but we do it because the Paschal Mystery is the salvific key to our very existence as “church” and the source of meaning for each Christian life. I know we have a novena to the Holy Spirit that precedes Pentecost. [For those of you raised after Vatican II, that’s a nine-day prayer in preparation for a great feast or in the hopes of a special blessing.] But once Pentecost FINALLY comes, it feels wrong to close the door on that wonderful breeze and go right into OT. If Pope John Paul II could add mysteries to the Rosary, maybe Pope Benedict XVI could create an Octave of Pentecost? What’s one less week of Ordinary Time when we can really celebrate the gift of the Spirit? - just one sister’s opinion, of course. I doubt the Holy Father has stumbled onto this blog, nor do I expect him to in the future. But, in our little convent in Richmond, it’s still Pentecost – just for a few more days.
Blessings and love to you all…
- Sister Vicki
http://www.sisterbloggers.blogspot.com/
