Let us pray,
O God, who by the mystery of today's great feast
sanctify Your whole Church in every people and nation,
pour out, we pray, the gifts of the Holy Spirit
across the face of the earth,
and, with the divine grace that was at work
when the Gospel was first proclaimed,
fill now once more the hearts of believers.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit one God, for ever and ever.
Please note that this is the Collect taken from the Mass during the Day.
In making this prayer tangible, the following reflection questions emerged.
- What is the mystery of Pentecost?
- How can ask sanctification of the whole Church during this coming week?
- What are gifts of the Holy Spirit most needed across the face of the earth?
- What are gifts of the Holy Spirit most needed in my own country at this time?
- How can I tap into the divine grace when the Gospel was first proclaimed?
- What special grace do I most need in my life?
- How can I filled afresh with the graces of Pentecost?
The Holy Spirit can be for some of us, a poor second cousin to God the Father, or Jesus His Son. However, the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Blessed Trinity-three persons yet one God as our Catholic Faith tells us. Today's Gospel makes it perfectly clear that the Holy Spirit will lead us to the complete truth and what is told to us will be taken from Father God and Jesus. In other words, it will be in total unity as is the Triuune God.
The Holy Spirit needs therefore to be our best friend, since what He tells us is in direct harmony with Father God and Jesus His Son. Yet, the Holy Spirit will provide the graces and gifts that we need for our daily lives, just as He did with the disciples after Jesus had ascended to Heaven. It is through the Holy Spirit that the Church is guided, and we are in our personal prayer guided by Him too. It is that quiet little voice that
- prompts us to do the right thing and stand up for what we believe when it would easier to walk away,
- helps us examine our conscience of any wrong doing/sin/faults which we need to confess,
- guides us to do the will of God in our lives.
- is our consolation in times of grief and confusion.
- brings us a greater awareness and understanding of our faith
- supports us in our life journey and is our best friend.
Of course there are the 7 traditional gifts of the Holy Spirit and the 12 fruits which eminate from them which we are given in a special way at Confirmation. However, although we receive them then, we can always ask the Holy Spirit daily to increase in us these gifts and fruits, and supply for us what is lacking at our present time.
It seems to me that the Holy Spirit gives each of us an extra special dose of the gift/s that we most need for our lives, a gift we use more often than the other gifts- for me, that gift has been courage and perservance. When life has been tough, I know with God's help that I can dig deep and draw on these gifts. Perhaps, you may have had a similar observation in your life. Of course, we do not need to wait until life is tough, but we can draw on these gifts each day in our daily lives.
The Holy Spirit came to the disciples as promised by Jesus. They were no longer afraid but went out and preached the Good News. On this feast of Pentecost, which is the birthday of the Church, she invokes the Holy Spirit to fall afresh on us, and with that, we can ask Him to provide the gifts/fruits we most need for our lives. We can be filled anew- a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit is a wonderful grace to receive again. Let us be open to receive the Holy Spirit afresh in our hearts and to be eagerly awaiting to receive the gift/s He has to offer us on His special Feast- the feast of Pentecost.
Come Holy Spirit.
Happy Birthday to all my readers on this great feast of Pentecost.
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