Thursday, June 5, 2014

Come, Holy Spirit!

Fill the hearts of Your faithful,

And enkindle in them the fire of Your love!


Early depiction from the Rabbula Gospels, 6th century

Do you realize that every time we celebrate Mass, we not only experience the re-presentation of Christ's sacrifice on Calvary, but we also experience the re-presentation of Pentecost?  We not only gather together as the ancient Hebrews did, in a holy place, to rejoice in the presence of the Lord among us, but like the Apostles, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we ourselves are also filled with His presence! 




The Mass is the fulfillment of Jesus' high priestly prayer, which He made to the Father on our behalf before entering into His Passion (John 17),  "that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us."  At Mass, Christ is present not only among us, in the Word and in the Eucharist, but also dwells in the priest and in us, the people, who are gathered in Christ's name and enter into communion with Him-- and therefore into communion with one another as His body!