Good morning from sunny Joy Valley! The birds are singing, the flowers are really starting to show their colors, and the valley is lush and green! The Lord is blessing us with beautiful weather this weekend and we are thrilled!
Just a reminder, we’d love for you to join us today for the Eucharistic Retreat at the Marian Center from 10am to 2pm. Fr. Peter Wigton will lead us, starting with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at 10am, on a wonderful retreat focusing on Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament! (Click on the link above for more details.)
Tomorrow is Pentecost! We have been enjoying 50 celebratory days of Easter and it concludes with tomorrow’s feast, when the Holy Spirit descends on those gathered in the Upper Room.
In today’s Cause of Our Joy, we will be focusing on Pentecost and sharing a few other timely things that caught our eye this week!
So, without further ado, let’s get into this!
Pentecost
If we read the Mass readings for tomorrow, we note that there is a sung sequence called Veni, Sancte Spiritus, which translates to “Come, Holy Spirit.” In this sequence, we pray for the Spirit’s “sevenfold gifts.” But what are the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit? This piece has a nice, brief explanation of the gifts.
Pentecost and the Eucharist
The Feast of Pentecost is linked to the Eucharist in a profound theological way. This article from Catholic Exchange explains how Pencecost is a Eucharistic Event.
Here is a small excerpt from the article citing Pope Benedict XVI’s apostolic exhortation, Sacramentum Caritatis, confirming the Eucharistic importance of Pentecost:
In the account in Acts, the Spirit descends on the Apostles gathered in prayer with Mary on the day of Pentecost (cf. 2:1-4) and stirs them to undertake the mission of proclaiming the Good News to all peoples. Thus it is through the working of the Spirit that Christ himself continues to be present and active in his Church, starting with her vital centre which is the Eucharist.
Celebrating Pentecost with Kids!
If you have children or grandchildren, it’s always great to include them in the liturgical year so they can anticipate all the joy of the Church calendar too! As we have mentioned before, we really like “Catholic Icing”–a website by a Catholic mom who always has such great ideas for the kids! If you want to talk to your kids about Pentecost, we recommend checking out this link.
If you would like a fun way to explain the Fruits of the Holy Spirit with them, this link has some cute ideas.
Wedding Season
Wedding season is upon us–a time for blushing brides and giddy grooms to commit to a lifetime of love, sacrifice, and growing in holiness! Do you know someone who was recently engaged or is planning a wedding? We found this resource for planning a Catholic wedding to be helpful.
Weddings are a time for joining two families together, a time for uniting what was previously separate. This story tells of a father’s encounter with the beauty of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church through his son’s wedding. It’s a wonderful read.
Ordination Season
Along with all the weddings that are coming up, we also have the joy of priestly ordinations! We both hope to be the mother of a priest (if it be God’s will)! Just as the world needs good, holy marriages and families, it needs humble, faithful priests, too! This article from Catholic Exchangeexplains why we should have hope for the future of the Church. It’s a beautiful piece that made us want to pray for our priests and seminarians even more!
Summertime Ideas
Now that most children are on summer vacation, moms and dads are looking for things to do as a family over the next few months. If you are able, taking a family vacation can be a wonderful experience. It got us thinking- what if you combined a vacation with a pilgrimage? We found a list of 100 pilgrimage sites in the United States to visit this summer that provided some inspiration and a state-by-state listing!
Looking to unplug and reconnect with the kids? This list of 10 summer ideas for the Catholic family is great.
Marian Minute
Last year, Pope Francis declared that on the first Monday after Pentecost, a new feast day in honor of Our Lady, would be added to the Liturgical Calendar– Mary Mother of the Church. This year that falls on Monday, June 10. This is an important feast day as Mary is a mother to all. We found this article, which does a great job explaining this feast and the theology behind it.
Saint Spotlight
On Thursday, June 13, we celebrate St. Anthony of Padua, patron saint of lost articles. His intercession is credited with many miracles involving lost people, lost things and even lost spiritual goods. He was also known to be a gifted speaker and upwards of 30,000 people would gather to hear him preach. Perhaps one of the most well-known and incredible stories passed down about St. Anthony is when he was challenged on the True Presence of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. To learn more about this story and the life of St Anthony, read this article from Catholic Straight Answers.
On a side note, when his body was exhumed to transfer to a shrine being built in his honor some time after his death, his tongue was found to be incorrupt.
Marian Center Update
TODAY! Eucharistic Retreat with Fr. Peter Wigton from 10-2 at the Center
June- August– Eucharistic Miracles of the World Exhibit at the Center with guided tours at 11:00, 1:00, and 3:00.
Friday, June 28th– Community Potluck and Family Night. Dinner starts at 6:00.
To Christ Through Mary,
Katie Moe and Lori Mercer
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