THE CUSHION OF THE SPIRIT
INTRODUCTORY RITES
Gather as a family/ community; create an environment appropriate for prayer (dress appropriately - switch off your phones...).
We cannot gather as usual for the Eucharist. But we are conscious that Christ is present not only in the Blessed Sacrament but also in the Scriptures and in our hearts. Even when we are on our own, we remain part of the Body of Christ.
Place lighted candles, a crucifix, and the Bible on a covered table. These remind us of the sacredness of our time of prayer and could help us feel connected with our local worshipping communities.
You may sing or play an appropriate hymn. For instance:
The Sign of the Cross
Greeting and Introductory Words
L: The Lord invites us to the table of his Word: let us bless him for his goodness.
A: Blessed be God forever.
L: We celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost today: the descent of the Spirit on Mary and the Apostles. We celebrate the birth of the Church, our birthday.
We pray that we allow the Spirit to work in us to fill us with his peace, to make us one, and to strengthen us to proclaim the Good News. We ask Mary, who was with the Apostles at the birth of the Church, to continue to be with us and to intercede for us.
Penitential Rite
L: For the times we have not allowed the Spirit to work in us, we ask the Lord for his pardon.
Pause
L: Lord Jesus, you give us the Spirit who removes fear:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you give us the Spirit who forgives and heals:
Christ, have mercy.
A: Christ, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, your give us the Spirit who renews us in your love:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins,
and bring us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
Gloria
Opening Prayer
L: Almighty and ever-living God,
grant that the people
once scattered over the face of the earth
and divided by many tongues
may be gathered together by your Spirit
to confess your name with a single voice.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
A: Amen.
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
Readings
The readings are those assigned for the day in the Lectionary.
Preferably use a Bible/ Lectionary for reading.
Reading 1 Acts 2:1-11
Psalm Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34
Response God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or: Alleluia.
Reading 2 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13 or Galatians 5:16-25
Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful
and kindle in them the fire of your love.
Gospel John 20:19-23 or John 15:26-27; 16:12-15
Reflection on the Readings
Use one of the following ways to reflect on the readings.
Lectio Divina
Be with the disciples in that upper room behind locked doors. Become aware of your fears and anxieties. Then become aware of the Lord’s presence in your midst and hear him say: “Peace be with you.” Stay with your thoughts and feelings.
Sunday Snippets
A submarine, under test, had to remain submerged overnight. A terrible storm hit the coast and battered the ships in the harbour.
The next morning, when the sub resurfaced, the harbour master asked the captain: “How did the storm last night affect you?”
The captain looked at him in surprise: “Storm? We didn’t even know there was one!”
The sub had reached an area sailors call the “cushion of the sea.” Though the winds battered the ships at the harbour, they never stirred the deep waters; the submarine remained safe despite the turbulence around.
This is a good image of the peace that comes from the Spirit that Jesus promises his disciples. It does not remove the causes of worry, fear, and suffering, but it does not allow these to swamp the disciples.
The disciples had shut themselves behind closed doors after the crucifixion “for fear of the Jews.” That’s where Jesus finds them on “the first day of the week.” That’s where he finds them a week later even after he had given them his peace.
But on Pentecost, after they were “filled with the Holy Spirit”, when they experienced the “cushion of the Spirit,” they moved out to fearlessly proclaim Jesus crucified and risen.
The situation outside had not changed; it had worsened! The disciples faced persecution and death, and they “were scattered throughout the region of Judea and Samaria” (Acts 8:1). But they continued preaching the word – and how! The situation had not changed; the disciples had found the “cushion of the Spirit.”
We seek the peace that Jesus gave his disciples, that abides despite pain and suffering, anguish and fear. We need the peace that comes from remaining in the “cushion of the Spirit”. Then, we can move out of our “shut doors” to witness to the gospel.
Jesus gives us the Spirit and the peace that he gave his first disciples. Will I rest in the cushion of the Spirit? And then, filled with his peace—despite the turbulence that surrounds me—how will I proclaim Jesus and witness to him?
Questions to Ponder
Reflect on some (or all) of the following questions:
Reading 1: Everyone understood in his/ her own language what the apostles were saying. If/ when I am open to the Holy Spirit, would I have a deeper understanding of all that I hear? Am I open to “God’s surprises” or am I closed and fearful before the newness of the Holy Spirit?
Reading 2: What gifts has the Spirit given me and for what have they been given to me? What gifts have I used?
Gospel: The disciples were a transformed group after the Spirit’s arrival. Has the coming of the Spirit transformed me? In my life, do I see the Holy Spirit as dynamic and constant or only occasional?
The Creed
Prayer of the Faithful
L: God endows us with the gift of his own life by imparting the Holy Spirit. Let us come to him, alive and free in the divine presence, and pray: Lord, hear our prayer.
R: For the Church: that we may allow the Holy Spirit to guide us to continue the mission of Christ in our time, we pray…
R: For the world: that God may heal the divisions between women and men, poor and rich, and every race so that we may work together for the good of every person, we pray…
R: For peace: that God may inspire leaders and people to curtail violence, protect the innocent, and open dialogue between opposing groups, particularly in Israel-Palestine, we pray…
R: For all who are ill: that God’s Spirit of healing may touch them, strengthen their minds, bodies, and spirits, and restore them to wholeness, we pray…
R: For all who are overwhelmed by life: that, through the Spirit of hope, they may find new reasons to live this day and be gifted with a vision of all that could be tomorrow, we pray…
R: For all of us: that we may use the gifts of the Spirit to encourage one another on our journey of faith and build up the Body of Christ, we pray…
L: Father all-powerful, send your Spirit on each of us. Let him set us afire with his love and make all your people one body and one spirit. Through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen.
SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
The Lord’s Prayer
Spiritual Communion
A: Jesus, I know and believe in your real presence in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. It is you I desire to love and receive above all things. As I am unable to receive your sacramental presence now, come and be with me in heart and soul. Let my entire self be united with you as I welcome you again and know your loving embrace. Amen.
Post Spiritual Communion Reflection
John Foley’s hymn, One Bread One Body, celebrates our oneness in Christ, a oneness wrought by the Holy Spirit. Regardless of our birth or earthly status, we are equal in God’s eyes. We pray that we may truly be one bread and one body.
Watch One Bread One Body
or pray
Fear locked the door.
But real love entered in anyway,
bringing (within its wounds) God’s peace.
This peace went all around!
Lord, you breathed upon your disciples
and sent them everywhere, to all the earth,
out of love, not out of fear.
Come, Holy Spirit of life and love, to us,
and send us out to all corners of creation.
May we experience your fruit:
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
May we, though many, be one body in Christ.
CONCLUDING RITE
Concluding Prayer
L: God our Father,
the Holy Spirit has opened our hearts
to understand the Word of your Son.
May he give us the courage now
to bring the Good News to the poor
and to set one another free
from all injustice and hardness of heart,
that we may enjoy together
your forgiveness, your joy, and your peace.
Through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen.
Blessing
L: The Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and lead us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
L: Go in the peace of Christ.
A: Thanks be to God.
Conclude with a hymn. For instance:
