Holy Spiritual Renewal featuring Rev. Richard E. Dellos
Pastoral Plan of Spiritual Renewal at St. Joseph & St. Patrick Church Phase 1: The Blessed Virgin Mary The First Five Saturdays
Are you sick of turning on the news and seeing nothing but violence and mayhem? Well, there's something we can do to bring about peace.
My fellow Marian Fr. Seraphim Michalenko sometimes tells a story that a priest ministering in Japan shared with him in Rome. This priest was attending an international gathering of Christians from across the world, attended by foreign dignitaries. The ambassador from Japan approached the priest, verified that the priest served in Japan and was a Catholic priest, and then said, "War is your fault."
The priest was surprised and asked what the ambassador meant. The ambassador said, "You Catholics, all of you - we do not have peace in the world. It is your fault." The priest said, "Ambassador, why do you blame us?" The ambassador said, "I've read about this. The Lady came to you at Fatima, right? That's what you believe? She told you what to do to secure peace in the world. Well, there's no peace in the world, so obviously you Catholics haven't done it."
The priest had to acknowledge that the ambassador was correct, but still tried to protest, saying, "Isn't peace everyone's responsibility?"
The ambassador was vehement. "No, she came to you Catholics. Not to Buddhists. Not to Hindus. She came to you, and it is your responsibility."
That ambassador had more faith than a lot of Catholics! But he's right - Our Lady came and asked for specific things at Fatima. If we listened to her and did what she asked, there would be peace in the world. Among her requests were for us all to pray the Rosary every day, including peace in the world as one of our intentions; wearing the brown scapular; the consecration of Russia and each of us individually to Mary's Immaculate Heart; doing our daily duties; and making reparation for sins, especially by observing something called the Five First Saturdays of Reparation. ~ Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC
The practice of the First Saturdays consists of doing the following elements, performed with the intention of reparation, for five consecutive months: • Confession (shortly before or after the First Saturday - so long as the person receives Holy Communion in a state of grace); • Holy Communion received on the First Saturday; • the Holy Rosary, five decades recited sometime during the day; and • meditating for 15 minutes on the mysteries of the Rosary (one or more).
The Blessed Virgin Mary - Mary the Spouse of The Holy Spirit ANNUNCIATION LK1:26 The Angel Gabriel announces that Mary would conceive a child when the Holy Spirit would come upon her and the power of the Most High would OVERSHADOW her. Mary said yes and became Mother of God. At that moment she became the spouse of the Holy Spirit as she gave permission to the Holy Spirit to conceive Christ in her womb. At that moment there was a two-become one bond of the Holy Spirit like a marital union between Mary and the Holy Spirit. The deep bond had already begun at her Immaculate Conception in the womb of her mother St. Anne. Because of that union, the Holy Spirit can now work and act thru Mary to sanctity the human race. Now Mary who would become our spiritual mother and mother of the whole Church can help form us into “another Christ”. She helps to unite everyone to the Body of Christ forming each person into a more fully mature member of the Body.
By our own fiat we allow her to accomplish her motherly mission in us so we can become holy. May we all be formed into “other Christs” by the Holy Spirit and Mary His spouse. May Mary and her spouse work a masterpiece of grace within our souls.
As Mary gave permission to the Holy Spirit to conceive Christ so may we give permission to our spiritual mother to help form, help grow and devote us and nurture us into other Christs. Mary, complete your motherly task in us in union with and by the power of your spouse, the Holy Spirit.
When we all give permission to Mary to do her work in us together with her spouse the Holy Spirit, so we can become holy. Then we are ready for Marian consecration. What a joy it is to be consecrated to Jesus thru Mary!
The Overshadowing of The Holy Spirit Genesis - The Spirit of God hovered/overshadowed the pre-existent matter to create a beautiful world of order and beauty from the chaos. Exodus - The cloud overshadowed the ark in the Sinai desert. Luke - The Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary at the annunciation when she became the mother of God and the spouse of the Holy Spirit. By her prayers, she helps us to be open to the Holy Spirit, to be led by the Holy Spirit, to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit, to be docile to the Holy Spirit, to be obedient to the Holy Spirit.
The same Holy Spirit who overshadowed us at the Baptism, Confirmation and the First Pentecost will overshadow us at the New Pentecost! In these Eucharistic prayers, the priest extends his hands over the Gifts of Bread & Wine as he invites the Spirit, i.e. His outstretched hands are made to hover over the gifts, overshadowing them as the calls down the Spirit. Prophecies ~ God will pour out His Spirit Is 44, 3 “I will pour my Spirit on your descendants, my blessing on your children. They shall grow like grass where there is plenty of water; like poplars by running streams.” Ez. 36, 27 – “I shall put my Spirit in you and make you keep my laws and sincerely respect my observances.” Joel 3, 1 – “I will pour out my Spirit on all mankind. Your sons and daughters shall prophecy; your old men shall dream dreams and your young men see visions.” Now – This prophecy was fulfilled in the New Testament, first at the Baptism of Jesus, when the Spirit descended like a dove, the Father’s voice was heard and Jesus was baptized in the River Jordan as He reaffirmed His commitment as Son of God and pledged to go to the cross and resurrection for our salvation. Later His Body would receive the Spirit (as predicted) when Jesus actually died on the cross and rose from the dead. Jesus breathed on the Apostles after the resurrection so that they could receive the Holy Spirit. The Spirit came in a mighty way to Mary & the Church at the event of Pentecost, 50 days after the resurrection.
The Coming of the Advocate Jn. 16: 4-7 “I did not tell you this from the outset, because I was with you; but now I am going to the one who sent me. Not one of you has asked, “Where are you going?” Yet you are sad at the heart because I told you this. Still I must tell you the truth: It is for your own good that I am going because unless I go, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go I will send Him to you.
When Jesus dies on the cross, He goes to the Father. He is risen from the dead and goes to the Father. Now He sends another advocate, the Holy Spirit, as He promised. He gives up His Spirit on the cross and breathes the Spirit on the apostles on Easter Sunday. He sends the Spirit on Pentecost and beyond. We can receive the same Spirit whenever we call upon Him.
What the Popes have said on praying for a new Pentecost: 1. 1962, Pope John XXIII envisioned a kind of new Pentecost as a fruit of Vatican II. “Renew your wonders in this our day as by a new Pentecost” that together with Mary, following the lead of St. Peter, it may advance the kingdom or reign of the Divine Savior.
2. 1975, Pope Paul VI, “How wonderful it would be if the Lord would again pour out the Charisms to make the Church fruitful. The Holy Spirit is the source of Spiritual Fervor, the agent and goal of the new evangelization. We know there is no salvation for the world today except in a new outpouring of this gift of God. If you ask what is the greatest need of the Church - the primary and ultimate need is the Spirit, an eternal fire of Pentecost.
3. John Paul II, the Charismatic dimension of the Church, which we have forgotten in a way, is a constitutive dimension of the Church. The institutional and charismatic aspects of Church are co-essential to the Church’s constitution. So, open yourselves docilely to the gifts of Spirit. Accept gratefully and obediently the Charisms which the Spirit never ceases to bestow on us. The need for a new evangelization necessitates a rediscovery of the power of the Spirit as the first Christians experienced it on the day of Pentecost.
What Pope Benedict says on praying for a new Pentecost: “Upon all of you I invoke an outpouring of the Holy Spirit’s gifts so that in our time too we may have the experience of a renewed Pentecost.”
Pope Benedict calls for a culture of Pentecost. He frequently identifies the mission of Jesus to “baptize in the Holy Spirit”. Jesus was revealed as the one who came to baptize humanity in the Holy Spirit. Christ’s entire mission is summed up in this, to baptize us in the Holy Spirit.
We shall invoke the Holy Spirit confidently asking God for the gift of a new Pentecost for the Church and for humanity in the third millennium.
“Let us rediscover the beauty of being baptized in the Holy Spirit. Let us be aware again of our baptism and confirmation, sources of grace that are always present. Let us ask the Virgin Mary to obtain a renewed Pentecost that will spread in everyone the joy of living and witnessing to the gospel.”
When in New York City he said that he came to implore from God the grace of a new Pentecost for the Church in America. “May tongues of fire, combining burning love of God and neighbor with zeal for the spread of God’s kingdom descend on all present.”
What Pope Francis says on praying for a new Pentecost:
“May the mother of the redeemer and mother of the Church obtain through her intercession a renewed outpouring of God’s Spirit upon the Church and upon the world. Today’s liturgy is a great prayer which the Church in union with Jesus raises up to the Father, asking Him to renew the outpouring of the Spirit.” (Feast of Pentecost) “May each of us cry out to the Father and implore this gift.
The Holy Spirit is the soul of mission. The fire of Pentecost releases an ever new energy for mission, new ways to proclaim the message of salvation. With Mary our Mother let us implore ‘Come Holy Spirit’.” In Christ, Rev. Richard E. Dellos
