Last Minute Pentecost Plan

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Years ago, I wanted to start making the Church year come alive, so before the days of Pinterest, I searched blogs for ideas to celebrate Pentecost. It seemed a good day to choose, following the joys of Easter. At least some decor would be easy, right? Candles and red cloths to symbolize the Holy Spirit, and what to eat? I decided to bake a cake, cover it in white frosting, and add sliced strawberries to symbolize the tongues of fire that appeared over the Apostles’ heads. (no photo evidence exists, sadly! I scoured all my photo files on my computer and couldn’t find a picture of the cake)

It was beautiful and simple. It’s one of the only non-Christmas and non-Easter liturgical year celebrations that has made an impact on me. That Pentecost set the desire in my heart to live more liturgically in our home, and ever since then, I’ve tried, struggled, failed, and sometimes succeeded to bring the feasts of the Church alive in the walls our domestic church. If these last several years (probably 9 years) have taught me anything about my capabilities and my vision for liturgical celebrations, it’s that I’ll never have a “Pinterest” party, I think cupcake Rosaries are a bit over the top for a family (I mean, 50 cupcakes? Who eats all those?), and that I’d really like our family’s celebration of feasts to settle into the hearts of my children. I want our celebrations to reflect the beauty of the feast, the saint, the life of the Holy Family. I want my family to appreciate the Church year more because of our small celebrations, and carry the graces of the day with them forever. I also know that the more I stress (because that’s what I do) about fun party elements and songs and quirky traditions, the less authentic it feels to me and the less I enjoy bringing the year to life in our home. That’s me. The small things I can do with my sanity in tact include some festive decorations, some food, and prayers chosen for the day during our bedtime prayers. (There are several other moms who do a lovely job with fabulous parties for family and friends to enjoy. I think that’s a special charism given them, it works wonderfully for their family and I LOVE to see their pictures. It’s been a gift for me to realize I’m not gifted with their particular charism and that’s OK. If you like those elaborate party ideas, go visit Kendra’s blog. And while I’ll never host a party like hers, I’d love to attend one. 😉 Her posts always are informative, so definitely read even if you’re not going to throw a huge Hooley party.) 

All that said, I haven’t been inspired or motivated to celebrate very many feasts in the recent years. Life has been busy, our hearts have been handling lots of things, and adding celebrations of feasts has taken a big backseat. 

I honestly just want to simply start living a more vibrant faith life at home, so once again, I’m starting with Pentecost. I need to find and pull out Jenna’s “Lazy Liturgical” for a few ideas, but I’ve been daydreaming a few ideas that I hope to do and wanted to share with anyone else looking for a few Pentecost ideas to try in their home. Yes, I’ll wear red. Yes, we’ll eat strawberries. We’ll light fire with the grill for dinner (I hope–busy soccer weekend for us) and candles for fun. These small details spark the imagination (I hope!) to consider that which we cannot see: the Holy Spirit itself. 
freshly picked from a local berry patch!
I’m going to update our prayer space with this printable prayer and a red cloth, for a visible reminder that Pentecost is different from the days we’ve been living since Easter. If I’m feeling ambitious and brave (I’ll be honest, sometimes I get rolled-eyes and groans when I suggest we do certain things), we’ll read the account of the first Pentecost from the book of Acts. During our evening prayer, I’ll offer a prayer that the Holy Spirit will bless our family with increased graces and gifts this year.

I found a few simple-enough ideas while browsing Pinterest, so assuming I have time, I’m going to make these sweet doves.

photo credit: origami instructions

This page is great for kids who like to color.

Look to Him and Be Radiant

I also saw a great idea to light candles in the center of your table, and label them (if you’re that ambitious!) with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. For our table, I’m setting the bar low and I’ll light as many candles as I can find, which at the moment equals three candles which are on our prayer table. The flame alone is a great symbol of the Holy Spirit.

So that’s it for me this year. Candles, red decor, prayer, and red fruit. Maybe the dove origami if I’m truly inspired and have the time. What will you do to celebrate Pentecost?  

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