Come Holy Spirit
This is a very precious month; this year we have Pentecost Sunday in May. Our Blessed Mother Mary is the Queen of May, and the feast day of St Joseph, my patron saint, also comes in May. Pentecost Sunday is celebrated on the 50th day from Easter Sunday. Pentecost Sunday is also known as the birthday of the Church. It is a day the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles and His divine presence continues in our lives.
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability (Acts 2: 1-4, NRSV).
‘In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.
Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
and they shall prophesy.
And I will show portents in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
The sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.
Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ (Acts 2: 17-21).
We are living in a time where mankind is going through intense pain. Personally, I see this time as an opportunity to come closer to God. A time of mortification, sanctification, an opportunity to face purgatory on earth. An opportune time for prayer, penance, and redemptive suffering. If you are dying due to the coronavirus or any other cause, please call on the name of Jesus Christ, ask Him to forgive you of all your sins, and accept Him as your Lord and Saviour, and you will be saved. If you are a Catholic, receive your Sacraments of Reconciliation, Holy Communion and the Anointing of the Sick. There are many graces available at the hour of death, and the sacraments are instruments for these graces. Trust in Jesus Christ and He will not abandon you. However, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts (Hebrews 3:15).
Throughout our life, God intervenes and reveals His presence to us. Sometimes, through signs and wonders, like the Miracle of the Holy Fire that happens every Orthodox Easter in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Many times, through private revelations, God’s presence always surrounds us, but sadly most people fail to see it.
The Holy Spirit brings new life in us, for He is the breath of God. The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life (Job 33:4).
When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore, I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you (John 16: 13-15).
God’s Spirit transform us and makes us holy. We need the Holy Spirit to guide us in this life and to lead us to eternity. Let our prayers continually be:
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.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit,
did instruct the hearts of the faithful,
grant that by the same Holy Spirit
we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations,
Through Christ Our Lord.
Amen.
