Preparing for a New Pentecost

Easter Time runs from Easter to Pentecost. During these days, the liturgy takes for its first reading, texts from the Acts of the Apostles. It begins by recalling the forty days after the resurrection that Jesus spent appearing to his disciples, up to his ascension. At this point, the disciples are instructed: not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for, “the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak; … in a few days you will be baptized with the holy Spirit.” After the Ascension, they entered the city, went to the upper room where they were staying, and devoted themselves with one accord to prayer. I have said much about “Baptism In the Holy Spirit” throughout this blog. In this post, I will provide links to some of these references. In one of the parishes in which I served, I develop a yearlong series of Eucharistic Devotions that were devoted to prayer for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. The complete series was recorded, 13 in all, and I have them posted on this blog. I would like to suggest that you might find in them, especially #10, #11, #12, #13, a unique resource for a prayerful preparation for Pentecost. Each is just over one hour in length, complete with music, scripture, meditation and instruction; as well as the printed text of the group prayers. These recordings are primarily a “listening” experience. You might think of yourself as now being there, joining with those who first gathered in the presence of the Eucharist, seeking the gift of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. The recordings are of good quality, so you might want to choose a listening device that will compliment your listening experience. You might also consider the time and place that will provide an environment free from interruption. May it be a true prayer experience, rich in God’s grace, for you. Here is the link to the Eucharistic Devotions Page. [… LINK …]

In Acts, there are five accounts of the actual moment when those praying, received the Baptism In the Holy Spirit. In the year, 2013, Our posts, that followed Easter, included meditations on these passages, as well as prayers for the Baptism of the Spirit. On the Special Series Page, I have listed the links to these posts.  Special Series Page [… LINK …]