would you die for pentecost?
"When the day of Pentecost came it found them gathered in one place." —Acts 2:1
Father Otto Rauschenbach, a Maryknoll missionary in South China, was killed by bandits on May 14, 1945. Because of the war, Father Otto had to hide in the mountains. He knew that if he came out of hiding, he was risking his life. Yet Father wanted to celebrate Pentecost with his people so he tried to return to his parish (cf Lk 22:15). However, he was murdered before he got to his parish and before he could celebrate Pentecost Mass.
Would you risk your life to celebrate Pentecost? Do you believe that a new Pentecost is so essential for your life that it is worth dying for? Pentecost is essential because, without the Holy Spirit of Pentecost, we:
- will not be united (see Gn 11:7ff; Acts 2:8ff) and the world will not believe in Jesus (Jn 17:21),
- will not prophesy, that is, we will not receive messages from God (Jl 3:1; Acts 2:17-18),
- will not pray as we ought (Rm 8:26),
- will not have the power to witness for Jesus (Acts 1:8),
- cannot say: "Jesus is Lord" (1 Cor 12:3) and therefore cannot be saved (Rm 10:9),
- cannot please God (Rm 8:8), and
- will not have the Spirit's gifts or fruit (1 Cor 12:4ff; Gal 5:22ff).
We need Pentecost and we need a new Pentecost now. "Receive the Holy Spirit" (Jn 20:22).
Prayer: "Come, Holy Spirit, come! And from Your celestial home shed a ray of light divine! Come, Father of the poor! Come, Source of all our store! Come, within our bosoms shine!" (Pentecost sequence)
Promise: "All of us have been given to drink of the one Spirit." —1 Cor 12:13
Praise: Praise the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, our Hope!
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Robert L. Hagedorn, October 9, 2003
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, October 14, 2003