Western Oregon
Catholic Charismatic Renewal
The Pentecost Novena is the first of all novenas, nine days of prayer. After Jesus’ Ascension into heaven, He commanded His disciples to come together in the upper room to devote themselves to constant prayer (Acts 1: 14). They prayed for nine days before receiving the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.
The image from the Gospel is that of Jesus breaking the bread. This is the Eucharistic gesture par excellence. It is the distinctive sign of our faith and the place where we encounter the Lord who offers himself so that we can be reborn to new life. This gesture also challenges us. Up to that point, lambs were sacrificed and offered to God. Now Jesus becomes the lamb, offering himself in sacrifice in order to give us life. In the Eucharist, we contemplate and worship the God of love.
Pentecost is celebrated as the birthday of the Catholic Church. It marks the day when the Holy Spirit came to the Apostles in the upper room. After that, the Apostles went out into the streets and boldly proclaimed the Gospel of the Lord.
As we celebrate the feast of the Ascension of the Lord, the Scriptures teach us that genuine faith is a way of life in community. The feast of the Ascension reminds us that our vocation is to continue being and seeking God with us, "until the end of the age."
The Easter Vigil is the “Mother of All Vigils. “Easter Sunday, then, is the greatest of all Sundays, and Easter Time is the most important of all liturgical times. Easter is the celebration of the Lord’s resurrection from the dead, culminating in his Ascension to the Father and sending of the Holy Spirit upon the Church.
Every year on this day, Ash Wednesday, the Church begins a spiritual journey, a renewal of her existence and a rediscovery of her life with God. The journey is rooted in the words that we will hear in a few moments when ashes are placed on us: "Turn away from sin and believe in the Gospel." It is the message of Christ himself: turn away from darkness, evil and death and begin walking towards light, goodness and life.
The Advent season is a time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds to Christ’s second coming at the end of time and to the anniversary of Our Lord’s birth on Christmas. From the earliest days of the Church, people have been fascinated by Jesus’ promise to come back. But the scripture readings during Advent tell us not to waste our time with predictions. Advent is not about speculation. Our Advent readings call us to be alert and ready, not weighted down and distracted by the cares of this world (Luke 21:34-36).
Newsletter: On Saturday, June 3, 2017, Pope Francis spoke to the tens of thousands of faithful who gathered at the Circus Maximus in Rome, Italy. They were there to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. Here is the text of his speech.
