Pentecost prayer vigil
The Jesuits have issued an invitation to everyone to join a half-hour online Pentecost prayer vigil on Saturday, May 30, at 7 pm Irish time. This is a direct response to the Covid-19 crisis affecting the entire human community. What better response than to pray together, “Come, Holy Spirit, and renew the face of the earth!” It will bring together the Ignatian family and Jesuit and Ignatian networks throughout the world in more than 100 countries. It is hoped that people will join their brothers and sisters, in spirit and in prayer, at this unique moment in human history.
The half-hour prayer vigil, taking place on the eve of Pentecost, will have a flow of testimonies, artistic expressions, combined with symbolic and interactive moments. It will take place at three separate times to accommodate the global Ignatian family across time zones. Join the online community at 8:00 PM (Asia Pacific, Manila time), 8:00 PM (EMEA, Rome/Madrid time), or 8:00 PM (the Americas, New York/Santiago Time). Irish people can join the Ignatian family at 7:00 PM. The vigil will be broadcasted through social media channels. Click here for links and more information ».
Fr James Hanvey SJ, of the Jesuit Curia in Rome, says:
“In some way, we are hoping that this ‘Pentecost network’ will allow us to experience the extraordinary gift of solidarity in mission that is the life of the Society of Jesus and our companions in the mission. From each corner of the world, united in prayer we can experience the deeper reality of the Holy Spirit which gathers us, sustains and inspires us in our service of Christ and His Church for ‘the life of the world.’”
Fr Hanvey continues:
“This year the Covid-19 pandemic has given our Pentecost prayer, “come Holy Spirt and renew the face of the earth” a new urgency. It has made us aware of our fragilities and the deep inequalities that wound us all; it has shown us our vulnerability and our poverty. Above all this, however, it has shown us the extraordinary generosity of so many people and their capacity for selflessness.
Their light shines through all the darkness. We know that we need the gift of the Holy Spirit to re-create and renew this light; to bind us in a deeper universal community in our need and in our hope. This community can only live from prayer, that prayer which the Spirit places in the hearts of us all. It is the prayer of faith which overcomes the terror of the void and brings forth new life.”
People are asked to come to the vigil with an open heart, their prayer intentions, and a candle that they will light. Between now and May 30, they are asked to pray daily for God’s Holy Spirit to come powerfully among us. They can invite their friends and networks to join the vigil, and they can share their own prayers in advance on social media with #IgnatianPentecost and #TogetherAMDG.
