Catholic Prayer: Prayers between Ascension and Pentecost

Description:

On Ascension Day the Lumen Christi is taken from the dining room table to signify that the Lord has ascended. In the days when the Faith was flourishing, the Sunday after the feast of the Ascension was called "The Sunday of the Roses," the name given from the custom of strewing the pavements of the churches with roses, as an homage to Christ who ascended into heaven when the earth was in the season of flowers. Why cannot we in our day have roses in our homes, make an offering of flowers to our church, or take roses from our gardens to one infirm or sick? Here are some prayers and meditations to be said in the family between the Ascension and Pentecost Sunday.

Prayer:

Father:	God ascends amid shouts of joy, Alleluia.
Family:	The Lord, amid trumpet blasts, Alleluia.
Father:	Let us pray. O King of glory, Lord of hosts, this day You ascended triumphantly above all heavens. Leave us not orphans, but send upon us the Promise of the Father, the Spirit of Truth.
Family:	Alleluia.
Father:	Only-begotten Son of God, having conquered death, Thou didst pass from earth to heaven! As Son of Man seated in great glory on Thy throne and praised by the whole angelic host, grant that we who in the jubilant devotion of our faith, celebrate Thine Ascension to the Father, may not be fettered by the chains of sin to earthly loves. And may the aim of our unceasing prayer be directed toward the heavens whither, after Thy Passion, Thou didst ascend in glory.
Family:	Amen.

One of the simplest ways we have found for young children to prepare for Pentecost is by meditating on the mysteries of the Chaplet of the Holy Spirit. We reflect on one mystery a day.

Opening Prayer: Sign of the Cross. Act of Contrition.

First Mystery
Jesus is conceived by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary. Meditation: The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee. Therefore the Holy One to be born shall be called the Son of God (Luke 11:35).
Prayers: One Our Father and Hail Mary; seven Glory be to the Father.

Second Mystery
The Spirit of the Lord rests upon Jesus.
Meditation: When Jesus was baptized, He immediately came up from the water. And behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending as a Dove and coming upon Him (Matthew 3:16).
Prayers: One Our Father and Hail Mary; seven Glory be to the Father.

Third Mystery
Jesus is led by the Spirit into the desert.
Meditation: Now Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit about the desert for forty days, being tempted the while by the devil (Luke 4:11).
Prayers: One Our Father and Hail Mary; seven Glory be to the Father.

Fourth Mystery
The Holy Spirit in the Church.
Meditation: Suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a violent wind blowing, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak of the wonderful works of God (Acts 2:2, 4, 11).
Prayers: One Our Father and Hail Mary; seven Glory be to the Father.

Fifth Mystery
The Holy Spirit in the souls of the Just.
Meditation: Or, do you not know that your members are the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you? Do not extinguish the Spirit. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption (1 Cor. 6:19; 1 Thess. 5:19; Eph. 4:30).
Prayers: One Creed, Our Father, Hail Mary; seven Glory be to the Father.

For older children there is the Novena to the Holy Spirit published by Liturgical Press; it includes prayers and readings for mediation in preparation for the feast. For spiritual reading and meditation: A New Pentecost and The Spirit Prays In Us, are also available from The Liturgical Press.

Prayer Source: Family Customs: Easter to Pentecost by Helen McLoughlin, The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota, 1956