Parish of Sunday 9 June 2019 Newry Pentecost Sunday “Without the Holy Spirit,” said Ignatius of Laodicea (Orthodox strange images? All of them (except ‘dove’) have indeterminate Metropolitan, at the third assembly of the World Council of Churches at boundaries or no boundaries at all. They are reminders that we should Uppsala, in 1968) “God is distant, Christ is merely an historical figure, not dare to restrict the activity of the Spirit to a few things we can the Gospel is a dead letter, the Church is just an organisation, authority understand. is domination, mission is propaganda, liturgy is only nostalgia, and the O Dove, O Flame, O Water, Wind and Cloud…! work of Christians is slave labour. But with the Holy Spirit, Christ is O love that lifts us wholly into God! risen and present, the Gospel is a living force, the Church is a The Holy Spirit lives in us but is not confined in us. It is God; rather communion in the life of the Trinity, authority is a service that sets than being diminished in us, it “lifts us wholly into God,” as the poet people free, mission is Pentecost, the liturgy is memory and said. Any soul is for expansion, not constriction. Things that have no anticipation, and the labour of Christians is divinised.” soul - sticks and stones - are restricted entirely to themselves; plants have a certain ability to reach beyond themselves, for food and The Holy Spirit is the soul of the Church. The feast of Pentecost is an for propagating their species; animals still more. But human beings annual invitation to the Church to look into itself and discover its soul. are able to reach vastly beyond themselves and touch the depths of It is tempted, like all of us, to keep looking the other way. everything. This capacity is enlarged infinitely by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, so that we can touch even the depths of God. “The Spirit In one sense it is more natural to forget about one’s inner life and to searches all things,” St Paul wrote, “even the deep things of God. For get on with one’s work. If you are always worrying about your heart or who knows the thoughts of a person except the person’s own inner your liver, etc., you will not take risks or do a lot of work. A healthy spirit? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the person just goes to it. The Holy Spirit is the soul of the Church, and Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit there is a sense in which that Spirit likes to work unseen, undeclared. who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given “It is not those who say to me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ who will enter the kingdom us” (1 Cor 2:10). of heaven” (Matthew 7:21). Adapting Jesus' words we could say, It is not those who say ‘Holy Spirit!’ who will enter the kingdom of heaven. In a daring image the same poet, Jessica Powers, wrote that silence is It is those who live by the Spirit. During the 2nd Vatican Council an a sort of decoy of the Holy Spirit. Just as hunters attract the flying Eastern bishop complained that there was little mention of the Holy birds out of the sky by placing a plastic or wooden model of them on Spirit in the documents. But something tells us that talking about the the ground, we call down God's Spirit by our silence. Spirit is not the same thing as living by the Spirit. The decoy of silence, hope’s unuttered sigh, However, we do have to pay attention to that inner place, to see by that the Ultimate Silence what spirit we are being driven. If you never paid any attention to your drift down from the sky. health you would be asking for trouble. Today’s feast is a reminder. Fr Donagh O’Shea, O.P., But obviously there is much more to it than this. Traditional images of www.goodnews.ie the Holy Spirit are: Fire, Wind, Water, Cloud, Dove…. Why such Mass Times The Cathedral of St. Brigid’s Church, St. Mary’s Church, St. Catherine’s Church, Exposition of the Blessed SS. Patrick & Colman, Rooney’s Meadow Chapel Street Dominican Priory, Sacrament Hill Street Saturday Evening Sunday : 9.00am Dominic Street Cathedral: Monday, Tuesday, Sunday Mass Times: (Vigil Mass) : 7.30pm (Latin Mass) & 11.00am Saturday Vigil : 7.30pm Wednesday, Friday & Saturday Saturday Vigil : 6.00pm Sunday : 9.30am Friday : 7.30pm Sunday : 8.00am, 9.30am, 9.00am ‒ 11.00am. Sunday : 8.30am, 10.00am, (Po Polsku) 11.00am & 12.15pm Thursday 9.00am ‒ 6.00pm 12noon and 5.30pm. Monday : 7.30pm Weekday Mass Times : Sunday 1.00pm ‒ 4.00pm. Weekday Mass Times : Monday to Saturday 7.30am, St. Catherine’s: Blessed Monday to Friday : 8.30am 11.00am & 7.30pm Sacrament Chapel each day & 10.30am. 8.00am to 8.00pm. Saturday : 10.30am CONTACT DETAILS FOR THE PARISH OFFICE OFFICE HOURS AND CONTACT NUMBER FOR PARISH OFFICE All Baptisms, Marriages and appointments may be arranged by Opening Hours: 9.00am ‒ 4.00pm Monday to Friday calling the Parish Office. A Priest is available in the Parish Office 028 302 62586 from Monday to Friday 1.00pm ‒ 2.00pm and in Tel No: the evening by appointment. Email: offi[email protected] Website: www.newrycathedralparish.org PENTECOST SUNDAY when the Gospel was first proclaimed, INTRODUCTORY RITES fill now once more the hearts of believers. Congregation stands Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Entrance Hymn or All: Entrance Antiphon Wis 1:7 Amen. All: The Spirit of the Lord has filled the whole world THE LITURGY OF THE WORD and that which contains all things Congregation Sits understands what is said, alleluia. GREETING FIRST READING A reading from the Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11 Priest: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. When Pentecost day came around, the apostles had all met in All: Amen one room, when suddenly they heard what sounded like a Priest: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, powerful wind from heaven, the noise of which filled the entire and the love of God, house in which they were sitting; and something appeared to and the communion of the Holy Spirit them that seemed like tongues of fire; these separated and came be with you all. to rest on the head of each of them. They were all filled with the All: And with your spirit. Holy Spirit, and began to speak foreign languages as the Spirit gave them the gift of speech. PENITENTIAL ACT Now there were devout men living in Jerusalem from every nation under heaven, and at this sound they all assembled, Priest: Brothers and sisters, let us acknowledge our sins, and so each one bewildered to hear these men speaking his own prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries. language. They were amazed and astonished. ‘Surely’ they said ‘all these men speaking are Galileans? How does it happen that Priest: You were sent to heal the contrite of heart: each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Medes and Elamites; people from Mesopotamia, Judaea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phyrgia and Pamphylia, Egypt and Priest: You came to call sinners: the parts of Libya round Cyrene; as well as visitors from Rome ‒ Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Jews and proselytes alike ‒ Cretans and Arabs; we hear them preaching in our own language about the marvels of God.’ Priest: You are seated at the right hand of the Father to intercede for us: The word of the Lord Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. All: Thanks be to God. Priest: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. RESPONSORIAL PSALM Ps 103:1. 24. 29-31. 34. R cf. V.30 All: Amen (R) Send forth your Spirit, O Lord, THE GLORIA and renew the face of the earth. 1. Bless the Lord, my soul! All: Glory to God in the highest, Lord God, how great you are, and on earth peace to people of good will. How many are your works, O Lord! The earth is full of your riches. (R) We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, 2. You take back your spirit, they die, we give you thanks for your great glory, returning to the dust from which they came. Lord God, heavenly King, You send forth your spirit, they are created; O God, almighty Father. and you renew the face of the earth. (R) Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son, 3. May the glory of the Lord last for ever! Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, May the Lord rejoice in his works! you take away the sins of the world, May my thoughts be pleasing to him. have mercy on us; I find my joy in the Lord. (R) you take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer; SECOND READING you are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us. A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Romans 8:8-17 For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the People who are interested only in unspiritual things can never Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, be pleasing to God.