Pentecost: Let the Holy Spirit Come

On May 28th, it will be Pentecost when we remember how the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles and on Mary, the Mother of Jesus, with fiery tongues, and they gained in wisdom and strength. Let us pray for His guidance and wisdom, daily.

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful
and enkindle in them the fire of your love.

V. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created.
R. And you shall renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray.
O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit,
did instruct the hearts of the faithful,
grant us in the same Spirit to be truly wise
and ever to rejoice in His consolation.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Pentecost Sequence

Where you are not, we have naught,
Nothing good in deed or thought,
Nothing free from taint of ill.
Heal our wounds, our strength renew;
On our dryness pour your dew;
Wash the stains of guilt away:
Bend the stubborn heart and will;
Melt the frozen, warm the chill;
Guide the steps that go astray.
On the faithful, who adore
And confess you, evermore
In your sevenfold gift descend;
Give them virtue’s sure reward;
Give them your salvation, Lord;
Give them joys that never end. Amen. Alleluia.

Holy Spirit reveals deep things of God

by Fred Schaeffer, OFS

"Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it so much as dawned on man what God has prepared for those who love him. Yet God has revealed this wisdom to us through the Spirit. The Spirit scrutinizes all matters, even the deep things of God." (1 Cor. 2:9b-10). What God has in store for those who believe in Him, comes to us by listening to the Holy Spirit. Without the assistance of the Holy Spirit we could not learn some of God's Gift to us, the gift he gives us when we are baptized and when we partake in the Sacraments. "The Advocate, the holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name--he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you." (Jn. 14:26)

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

• 742 "Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!"' (Gal 4:6). We call the Father "Abba" or "Daddy" as a child would call his father, this is a very special relationship, it is a famillial relationship (nothing formal about it). This is a gift of God to us.
• 743 From the beginning to the end of time,  whenever God sends his Son, he always sends his Spirit: their mission is  conjoined and inseparable. So God gives us his Spirit so that we can understand what his visiting to us is all about.
• 744 In the fullness of time the Holy Spirit  completes in Mary all the preparations for Christ's coming among the  People of God. By the action of the Holy Spirit in her, the Father gives  the world Emmanuel "God-with-us" (Mt 1:23). Mary is an integral part of God's family, and thus our Mother. Let us always include her in our prayers and conversations with God by the Holy Spirit. We need the Holy Spirit to understand these relationships in the spiritual sense.
• 745 The Son of God was consecrated as Christ (Messiah) by the anointing of the Holy Spirit at his Incarnation (cf. Ps 2:6-7). This again indicates that without the Holy Spirit, we could not understand what happened at his incarnation.
• 746 By his Death and his Resurrection, Jesus is constituted in glory as Lord and Christ (cf. Acts 2:36). From his fullness, he poured out the Holy Spirit on the apostles and the Church. At Pentecost, Our Lord made us understand what his Death and Resurrection truly accomplished, namely the salvation of people. If we continue to love God by not committing sin (through the help of the Holy Spirit) we will be with Him in Paradise.
• 747 The Holy Spirit, whom Christ the head pours  out on his members, builds, animates, and sanctifies the Church. She is  the sacrament of the Holy Trinity's communion with men.

Now that we have given to understand the role of the Holy Spirit, we can understand that one of our duties is to Evangelize, that is, to tell all people about God's love for us. I use the internet to accomplish that, others use the podium or a street corner, still others talk to people individually or have some Apostolate connected with their parish - no matter which way, without the assistance of the Holy Spirit, none of this would accomplish the right result.

So always be open to the groanings of the Holy Spirit, to those still words of wisdom, He makes known to us from time to time. Listen to Him, for the guidance of God, the love of the Holy Spirit, calls us constantly forth to love Him more and more.

Peace and all Good!

Fred Schaeffer, OFS

2011, Rev.  May 9, 2023

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