23 May 2021

Praying in Pentecost 2021:
96, Images on the Day of Pentecost

‘Come Holy Spirit’ … the holy water stoup in the Chapel of Saint John’s Hospital, Lichfield (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Patrick Comerford

During the Seasons of Lent and Easter this year, I took some time each morning to reflect in these ways:

1, photographs of a church or place of worship that has been significant in my spiritual life;

2, the day’s Gospel reading;

3, a prayer from the prayer diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel).

The fifty days of the Season of Easter come to an end today, the Day of Pentecost. My photographs this morning are a collection of photographs from churches, while my photographs for the rest of the week are from six churches in the ‘Major Churches Network,’ churches once known as the ‘Greater Churches’ in England – large parish churches that had

As this series of reflections comes to an end, or moves to a new phase, my photographs this morning (23 May 2021) include images of the Holy Spirit and of Pentecost from a variety of churches in England, the Czech Republic, Ireland and Italy: Lichfield, London, Prague, Tara (Co Meath) and Venice.

‘The Day of Pentecost’ or ‘The Descent of the Holy Spirit’ by Titian in the Church of Santa Maria della Salute in Venice (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

John 15: 26-27, 16: 4b-15 (NRSVA):

[Jesus said to his disciples:] 26 ‘When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. 27 You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning.

4b ‘I have said these things to you so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you about them.

‘I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, “Where are you going?” 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. 7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgement: 9 about sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; 11 about judgement, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.

12 ‘I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.’

Evie Hone’s window in Saint Patrick’s Church on the Hill of Tara, Co Meath, has images of the Pentecost interspersed with images of Saint Patrick (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Prayer in the USPG Prayer Diary:

The Prayer in the USPG Prayer Diary today (23 May 2021, Pentecost) invites us to pray:

Almighty Lord,
May we be filled by the Holy Spirit,
And spread your Good News across the nations.
Let us celebrate the diversity of humankind,
Using language as a gift not a barrier.

Yesterday’s reflection

Continued tomorrow

The Church of the Holy Spirit in the grounds of Prague Castle and Prague Cathedral (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org

The Holy Spirit in a fresco in a side chapel in Westminster Cathedral (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

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