One Anglican resource that is made for children, The Sunday Papers, always has a little note for parents on the back to help families garner a deeper understanding of the festivals of the year.

I especially loved this quote:

We do not have clear and emotionally affecting mental images of the Spirit, because the Spirit is the very power working within us that enable us to image and love the Father and the Son.  The Spirit is the voice of prayer, prayer through us when we turn with love and longing to our Creator and beg to be made new in the image of Jesus…..the Spirit is what connects us to each other and to God, so that a movement of atoms in my brain becomes living speech, understandable to you.  The Pentecostal images of fire, wind, and speech are all forces that move, invisibly, to animate and set in motion.

I love Pentecost. My favorite part in the whole Mass is the simultaneous speaking of The Gospel in many languages.  It is astonishing, confusing perhaps even, a most surprising liturgy.

What a beautiful three days it was:  the parish I attend was a sea of red, ( I know my Orthodox friends and some of my Christian brothers and sisters in the European countries were in green),  there were three chubby little infants baptized,  we participated in a beautiful liturgy with the most stunning music, and there was a lovely parish picnic afterwards.  The feast continued on Monday and Tuesday as well.

I enjoyed Rebecca’s sweet creations for Pentecost over at  Bending Birches:  http://bendingbirches2010.blogspot.com/2011/06/day-of-pentecost-whitsunday.html  Those are some lovely ideas to file away for those of you who would like to celebrate next year. Some more activities for celebrating The Feast of Pentecost can be found from Catholic Culture:  http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=102.  I also like this link from Seasons of Joy:  http://ourseasonsofjoy.com/?s=pentecost

For an Anglican perspective of The Feast of Pentecost, please see here:  http://fullhomelydivinity.org/  The musings on Whitsun 2011 explains the custom of the early morning walk in dew.  Other  Anglican  information about The Feast of Pentecost can also be found on the Full Homely Divinity website under the liturgical year tab.

I love those images of fire, wind, speech… images to carry as we are spiritual  beings on a spiritual journey to grow ever closer to God.

Many blessings,
Carrie