Forty days after Jesus rose from the dead in His Resurrection, He ascended into heaven.

Today is the fortieth day of Easter, known as Ascension Thursday.

The diocese in which you live will determine if you celebrate the Ascension today or this coming Sunday.

Jesus promised the Apostles He would not leave them alone. He would send the Holy Spirit — the Advocate, the Comforter, the Paraclete — to give them the power to proclaim the Gospel to the entire world.

After the Ascension, the Apostles waited for the Lord’s promise to be fulfilled.

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away; and when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. All these with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers (Acts 1:12-14).

Ten days after the Ascension, on the feast of Pentecost, they received the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4).

Pentecost is celebrated fifty days after the Resurrection.

This year it’s celebrated on June 8th.

To prepare for Pentecost, many Christians pray a novena to the Holy Spirit.

The novena in honor of the Holy Ghost is the oldest of all novenas since it was first made at the direction of Our Lord Himself when He sent His Apostles back to Jerusalem to await the coming of the Holy Ghost on the first Pentecost… To encourage devotion to the Holy Spirit, the Church has granted the following indulgences:

“…Those who make a private novena in honor of the Holy Spirit, either before the Solemn Feast of Pentecost or at any other time in the year, may also gain a partial indulgence for themselves or as an offering for the intentions of the faithful departed.” (Catholictradition.org)

I invite you to join our brothers and sisters in prayer!

Begin: May 30th

End: June 7th

Below is a prayer I discovered last year. I encourage you to pray it for the next nine days, and every day after.

Invocation to the Holy Spirit

Come, Holy Spirit,
come by means of the powerful intercession
of the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
Thy well-beloved spouse.

(Repeat 3x each day)

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Reminder:

First Friday is June 6th

First Saturday is June 7th