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| *picture from www.flickriver.com |
When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were.Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.
Acts 2:1-4
Today we celebrate Pentecost, the birthday of the Church!
It reminds me of my Confirmation and how we all receive the Holy Spirit and His gifts. All of these great things are at the tips of our fingers if only we ask for them. Through the Holy Spirit, we are given all we need to become more holy and grow in our relationships with Christ.
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So even though Jesus left us to go back to Heaven, He didn't really leave because He is physically present with us in the Eucharist and He also sent His Advocate the Holy Spirit to guide us in all we do.
The Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will
send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I
told you. John 14:26
From my experience, I think we tend to focus more on God the Father and God the Son, but we don't really think about the Holy Spirit that much. We have an image of God the Father as the great omniscient and omnipotent Judge (and don't tell me you don't usually think of an old man sitting on a throne). Our image of Jesus the Son is very vivid because we know all the stories about Him in the Bible and we have pictures and crucifixes in our homes and churches to remind us of our Savior who was fully human yet completely divine. But we don't really envision the Holy Spirit as anything other than a dove or a flame. This is a shame because we know
He is so much more than that.
The book of Hebrews even says that the Holy Spirit bears witness to us, He establishes a covenant, He is the Lord, He puts His laws on our hearts, and He forgives sins (Hebrews 10:15-17). And according to the Nicene Creed, the Holy Spirit is the Lord and Giver of Life. He is our inspiration. He is the reason for our strength to stand up for what we believe in and do what we think is impossible. He is the flame in our hearts that blazes with desire for Christ. He is the director of our consciences. If we let Him, He will change us and help us to change the world for the glory of God.
This Pentecost, I invite you to let the Holy Spirit become a greater part of your life. He will change you and make you holy. He will direct you and help you to carry out the will of God in your life.
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| *picture from www.lonelypilgrim.com |
Prayer to the Holy Spirit
Come, Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of Your faithful
and kindle in them
the fire of Your love.
Send forth Your Spirit
and they shall be created,
and You shall renew
the face of the earth.
Very nice. We do need the Holy Spirit to change us, I ask for the Spirit's help when I pray...So u think God the Father as an old man on a throne?? I don't, so I can tell u then :) Like the quote from Hebrews, very fitting but u didn't mention the Fruits of the Holy Spirit in Gal 5, 22 :( but all well. The Sequence I was telling u about that is supposed to b sung b4 the Gospel is traditionallly the Veni Sancte Spiritus. Check that out on youtube very beautiful. My sis Lori yesterday went to a Mass in Louisville and told me they sung it there and her and her daughters loved it! Come Holy Spirit!
ReplyDeleteWell, in every illustration of God the Father, it's always an old man...
DeleteSorry I didn't mention the Fruits. There's just so much to say about the Holy Spirit, and I thought the post was long enough anyway :)