Forgiveness and the Gentle Pentecost

In scripture, the Holy spirit is seen from the beginning of creation hovering over the face of the deep.  God's Spirit is the uncreated energy that allows all things to come into being and the bond that allows life on this earth, and indeed, our own life, to continue.  [Genesis, chapter 1]

The Spirit of God is seen as both breath and fire.  At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit appeared as tongues of fire on the apostles and on Mary as they finished the first novena--nine days of continuous prayer--in the Upper Room.  The effect was dramatic.  Suddenly, they were no longer afraid. They spoke boldly of the fulfillment of God's prophesies through the person of Jesus Christ, and the onlookers each heard them speaking in their own language(s).   [Acts, chapter 2].

In John, chapter 20, Jesus "breathed on (the apostles) and said, Receive the Holy Spirit.  If you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven.  If you hold them bound, they are held bound.  This coming of the Holy Spirit was much less dramatic but no less important. Forgiveness is hard.  Asking for forgiveness is often as hard as granting it.  It is only through God's Spirit that true forgiveness can take place.

We often would like to wait until the tongues of fire appear before we step out in faith and do what we are called to do in our daily lives.  But, as it says in the Old Testament book of Kings, God was not in the wind...earthquake (or) fire.  Instead, as Elijah discovered, the Spirit of God is often in the gentle whisper.

Adam and Eve discovered the same thing--God came to them in the cool of the evening, at that time of quiet reflection, after the heat of the day was past, to commune with them.  What stopped this beautiful union?  Sin and fear of asking forgiveness.

So, when Our Lord breathed the Holy Spirit on the apostles, he paired it with the one thing necessary to walk with God in the cool of the evening--forgiveness. Jesus was repairing our first parents' relationship with the creator through the Holy Spirit.

Be still and know that I am God.  ~Psalm 46:10

Veni Creator Spiritus

Tomorrow is the feast of Pentecost--the coming of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is often shown as fire. The Scripture is full of references of God as fire.

Moses and the burning bush. The bush is not consumed. God is not consumed--is not worn out. But, to us humans, God is an all consuming Presence.

Zeal for your house shall consume me. ~Psalm 69:9

The Holy Spirit is the spouse of Our Lady.

She conceived by the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit is also the result of the Love between the Father and the Son. God is a family. God wants us to experience that love ourselves. None of us is unloved.

You are precious in my eyes. You are honored, and I love you. ~Isaiah 43:4

The Holy Spirit comes to our aid when we are too overwhelmed even to pray.

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. ~Romans 8:26

The Holy Spirit is that inexpressible, necessary, undefinable part of our God and of our faith.

Come, Holy Spirit!

Ascension Thursday

Today is Ascension Thursday when we commemorate the day Christ ascended into Heaven. Jesus asked the apostles to to stay in Jerusalem and pray until the Holy Spirit came upon them. As we see in Scripture, they all prayed together between the time of the Ascension and the time of Pentecost. In today's liturgical calendar, this is 9 days. Thus, we have the first Novena.

While meeting with them, he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for "the promise of the Father 3 about which you have heard me speak;for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the holy Spirit.But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.

When they entered the city they went to the upper room where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, 2 and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, 3 which parted and came to rest on each one of them.

And they were all filled with the holy Spirit

~Acts 1: 4-5, 8-9, 13-14, 2: 2-4

The 9 days between Ascension Thursday and Pentecost is traditionally set aside for a novena to the Holy Spirit, asking for His gifts to be poured out on us. As the Church uses these days, we can join with our brothers and sisters and pray together, like the first Apostles in the upper room, for the Holy Spirit to come upon us and give us the courage to do what God will have us do in this life.

The novena is here on EWTN's website.

Holy Spirit

Do you ever feel like the Holy Spirit is speaking directly through the priest's homily? God does that through our priest a lot.

This year, I've had 2 major surgeries, 2 of my aunts have very recently had mastectomies, and one aunt has just been diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Today the priest started talking about how, one day, we will all be in a sick bed and then we will no longer have control of our lives. Then, it will be up to us to turn over control to God.

I literally felt like God was reaching down and tapping me on the shoulder.

We do the music at Mass. The priest also said today, that we all have gifts that we should use and not be arrogant about them.

Zing, zing! Two--right in the basket!