Happy birthday to our dear Church! We celebrate Pentecost this weekend. Jesus appears in front of the disciples and "breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.'" What a beautiful image! We see the institution of the sacrament of Reconciliation. I'll be the first to admit that I do not enjoy going to Confession, but when I leave, I always feel better. What about you?
Do you have any special traditions in your family to celebrate Pentecost?
Where in the tradition of the Roman Catholic Church you may see people dressing in red or decorating with red on Pentecost to symbolize the Holy Spirit (tongues of fire), our parish decorates in green (greenery, green vestments, green altar linens). In the Eastern Catholic Churches, the Saturday immediately preceding Pentecost Sunday is All Souls Saturday (it is the 5th All Souls Saturday, the other 4 being celebrated during Lent). On this day the faithful visit & decorate the graves of their ancestors & pray for the repose of their souls & their release from their sins. In memory of the dead, flowers, wreaths & green branches, all representing life & the liberation from death (resurrection) are used not only at the grave sites but also to decorate homes & churches. Green is used as it is the color of spring & summer, the color of life, & life is an attribute of the Holy Spirit, “the Lord & Giver of Life” who animates us all. May you all have a blessed Pentecost!
ReplyDeleteWe went to the vigil Mass this afternoon, and it turns out that there is a different set of readings for the vigil. But, I share your feelings about Confession. I don't love going, but I do love how I feel afterward. It's a blessing to have the opportunity to wipe the slate clean.
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