Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The Church this week is making a major transition in the liturgy. We are going from the Easter season into Ordinary Time, but with a very important step in between. And while it’s really weekend celebration, it’s hard to overstate the importance of Pentecost in the life of the Church. Sometimes referred to as the Birthday of the Church, this celebration of the coming of the Holy Spirit is worthy of our attention and further reflection.
There’s a bit of a challenge in our experience of Pentecost these days, liturgically speaking. Many of us know and appreciate the solemnity that comes in the Triduum and rightly so. Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday are all leading to the joy that is Easter and you can feel that momentum if you take part in any of the liturgies. However, there are vestiges of the same kind of thing that occur with Pentecost.
I’m too young to remember the old liturgical calendar, but it’s my understanding that Pentecost used to be celebrated over eight days, known as an octave, just like we still have for the likes of Christmas and Easter. There’s even an old, unverified story about St. John XXIII, in the immediacy of liturgical reforms of Vatican II, preparing to say a Mass for the Octave of Pentecost, not fully realizing that it was no longer that way. I say this, not to harp on the liturgical calendar or to petition to bring back the octave, but rather to demonstrate the importance Pentecost has, from those previous experiences.
There are two other things that speak to this, still within the liturgy. The first is the sequence of Pentecost, which happens after the first two readings but before the Gospel. The other sequences throughout the year, but most are optional. Not so with Pentecost. It’s necessary to sing or announce the praises of the Holy Spirit and to invite Him to be with us in our celebration and in our daily lives. And while it might seem a bit out of place, since we only do it at Pentecost, I hope that you might pay attention to it this year.
The final thing I’d like to point out about Pentecost in my letter, is really something more on my wishlist. Within the Missal and the Lectionary, there is an option to celebrate a Vigil. Now, it’s a little confusing, because our common experience is that there’s always a Vigil Mass for Sunday on Saturday evening. But the Pentecost Vigil is more robust and much closer to the Easter Vigil; with additional readings and prayers, helping to demonstrate the power of the Holy Spirit throughout salvation history and to remind us of His abiding presence in our lives of faith. Unfortunately, it’s tough to put it together and effectively communicate the change that would be the Pentecost Vigil. My hope is that maybe next year, we can bring it here to St. Charles.
Peace and Goodness,
Fr. Dan
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