better late than never
"On our festival of Pentecost, the feast of Weeks, a fine dinner was prepared for me, and I reclined to eat." —Tobit 2:1
Possibly your Pentecost celebration two weeks ago left something to be desired. Tobit had a similar problem. When Tobit celebrated Pentecost, he lived in exile. Tobit's Pentecost meal was interrupted when he found the body of a strangled, murdered man and hid him in his house so that he could bury him in secret after nightfall (Tb 2:3-4). Under these conditions, Tobit's Pentecost was turned into mourning (Tb 2:6). He ate his food in sorrow and wept (Tb 2:5, 7). Then things got worse, as Tobit was blinded in a freak accident (Tb 2:10).
Your Pentecost was probably not that bad, but was it very good? Were you filled with the Holy Spirit? Have you led or even tried to lead many others to a saving love for Jesus? If not, go back to the beginning of Lent. Repent in ashes, and fast as Jesus fasted. Renew your baptismal promises as the Church did on Easter Sunday. "Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38).
Pentecost does not have to be over; we can do it over. Come, Holy Spirit!
Prayer: Father, may I not settle for anything less than Pentecost.
Promise: "The Stone rejected by the builders has become the Keystone of the structure. It was the Lord Who did it and we find it marvelous to behold." —Mk 12:10-11
Praise: Marcellinus is said to have converted not only his jailer and the jailer's family, but also his executioner.
Reference: (To help bring Pentecost into your participation in the Mass, order our booklet, Celebrating Mass in the Power of the Spirit.)
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Ralph J. Lawrence, November 12, 1996
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, December 10, 1996