Pentecost


The Jews held a feast to give thanks for the harvest, 50 days after Easter. Hence the name Pentecost. Then the meaning of the celebration changed to give thanks for the Law given to Moses.

In this event recalled the day when Moses went to Mount Sinai and received the tablets of the law and taught the people of Israel what God wanted of them. And celebrated the alliance of the Old Testament God established with the people: they are committed to live according to His commandments and God promised to be with them forever.

People came from many places at the Temple of Jerusalem, the feast of Pentecost.

As part of this Jewish holiday is where comes our Christian festival of Pentecost.

The Promise of the Holy Spirit

At the Last Supper, Jesus promised to his apostles: "My Father will give you another Advocate, who will be with you forever-the Spirit of Truth" (John 14, 16-17).

Later they said: "I have said these things while I am with you, but the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, that will teach you everything and bring to your remembrance all that I have told you." (John 14, 25-26).

After dinner, we again make the same promise: "I agree that I am gone, will go for the Advocate ... I have yet many things to tell you, but is not to say now. When comes the One, the Spirit of Truth, will guide you into all truth ... and will communicate things to come " (John 16, 7-14).

In the calendar of the liturgical year, after the feast of the Ascension, at fifty days after the Resurrection of Jesus, we celebrate the feast of Pentecost.

Explanation of the party:

After the Ascension of Jesus, the apostles were gathered with the Mother of Jesus. It was the day of the feast of Pentecost. They were afraid to go out and preach. Suddenly, we heard a strong wind and small tongues of fire resting on each one of them.

They were filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in unknown languages.

In those days, there were many foreign visitors to Jerusalem who came from all over the world to celebrate the Jewish feast of Pentecost. Everyone heard the apostles speak in their own language and understood perfectly what they were talking.

All of them, since that day, and were not afraid and went out to preach to the world the teachings of Jesus. The Holy Spirit gave them strength to the great mission that had to meet: Take the word of Jesus to all nations, and baptize all men in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
It is this day when the Church began to exist as such.

Who is the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit is God, is the Third Person of the Trinity. The Church teaches that the Holy Spirit is the love that exists between the Father and the Son. This love is so great and so perfect that a third person. The Holy Spirit fills our souls in baptism and later, perfectly, in Confirmation. With the divine love of God within us, we are able to love God and neighbor. The Holy Spirit helps us fulfill our commitment to life with Jesus.

Signs of the Holy Spirit

Wind, fire, the dove.

These symbols reveal the powers that the Holy Spirit gives us: The wind is an invisible but real force. This is the Holy Spirit. Fire is an element clean. For example, set fire to the field to remove weeds and to plant good seeds. In medical laboratories to purify the instruments were on fire.

The Holy Spirit is an invisible and powerful force that lives in us and purify us from our selfishness to make way for love.

Names of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit has received several names throughout the New Testament: the Spirit of truth, the Advocate, the Paraclete, the Comforter, the sanctifying.

Mission of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is sanctifying: To achieve the Holy Spirit to fulfill its function, we need to give ourselves totally to him and let ourselves be led meekly for his inspirations and be further and grow daily in holiness.

The Holy Spirit dwells in us: In San Juan 14, 16, find the following sentence: "I will ask the Father and give them another lawyer who will be with you forever." Also, in I Corinthians 3. 16 says, "Do not you know they are God's temple and that the Holy Spirit dwells in you?". It is for this reason that we should respect our body and soul. It is for us to act because it is "giver of life and love is. This acceptance is subject to our acceptance and open collaboration. If we surrender to love and sanctifying action, will do wonders in us.

The Holy Spirit prays in us: We need a great interior silence and a deep spiritual poverty to ask that we pray in the Holy Spirit. Let us pray God to be docile to the Spirit. God intervenes for the good of those who love him.

The Holy Spirit leads us to the full truth, strengthens us so that we can be witnesses of the Lord shows us the wonderful richness of the Christian message, fills us with love, peace, joy, faith and growing hope.

The Holy Spirit and the Church:

Since the founding of the Church on the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit who builds, animates and sanctifies, gives life and unity and enriched by their gifts.
The Holy Spirit continues to work on the Church in many different ways, inspiring, motivating and encouraging Christians, individually or as a whole Church, to proclaim the Good News of Jesus.
For example, can inspire the Pope to give an important message to mankind, inspiring the bishop of a diocese to promote an apostolate, etc..

The Holy Spirit assists particularly the representative of Christ on earth, the Pope, to lead straight to the Church and to fulfill its task of shepherd of the flock of Christ.
The Holy Spirit building, sanctifies and gives life and unity to the Church.
The Holy Spirit has the power to encourage and sanctify us and make us act which, for us, not fulfill. It does this through its seven gifts.

The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit

These gifts are gifts from God and only through our efforts we can not grow or develop. They need direct action of the Holy Spirit to act with them.

WISDOM: It allows us to understand, experience and savor the things of God, to judge righteously.

UNDERSTANDING: Through him, our intelligence is apt to understand intuitively the natural truths revealed and according to the supernatural end have. It helps us understand why the things that God commands us.

SCIENCE: last able to judge correctly our understanding of created things according to their supernatural end. It helps us to think and understand things in the world faith.

TIP: Let the soul rightly intuit what to do in a given circumstance. It helps to be good advisors to the other, guiding the path of good.

STRENGTH: strengthens the soul to practice all sorts of heroic virtue with invincible confidence in overcoming the greatest dangers and difficulties that may arise. It helps us avoid falling into the temptations that we put the devil.

PIETY: It is a gift that God gives the soul to help you love God as Father and men as sisters, respect and collaboration.
FEAR OF GOD: It gives the soul to depart from sin docile for fear of displeasing God which is its highest good. It helps us to respect God, to give him his place as the most important and good in the world, to never say anything against Him

Prayer to the Holy Spirit
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love, send your Spirit Lord Creator and renew the face of the earth.
OH God, who wanted to illustrate the hearts of your faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant that, guided by this same Spirit, let us rejoice straight and your comfort.
Through Christ our Lord
AMEN

References:Catholic.Net

Popular posts from this blog

St. James the Greater

Image
The story and history of Saint James the Greater, who was one of the disciples of Jesus. James was prominent amongst the twelve apostles. He was James, the son of Zebedee, who was considered the greater apostle of those called James. James thought to be a cousin of Jesus, by the sister of the Virgin Mary, and the brother of Saint Jude Thaddeus. James worked as a fisherman with his brother John, his father Zebedee and his partner Simon. John and James were followers of John the Baptist and then Jesus. John the Baptist referred to Jesus with the words "Behold the Lamb of God!". He left his life as a fisherman when Jesus called him to be a fisher of men. He followed Jesus as one of his disciples until Jesus was crucified. James the Greater was chosen by Jesus to be one of the twelve apostles and was given the mission to spread the gospel of Jesus. He made a pilgrimage to Spain to spread the word. St James returned to Judea, where he was beheaded by King Herod Agrippa I (10 BC -...
Read more

St. Maria Magdalena de Pazzi

Image
The Pazzi family, whose name is linked to the conspiracy against the Medici Grand Duke, in times of our holy, it was still the most important in Florence. Catherine de 'Pazzi (Mary Magdalene is the name of the holy Carmelite who took the day of her religious profession) was born in 1566 in a century rich in events in the civil and religious history in Italy and characterized by exceptional flowering of great saints. Maria Magdalena de Pazzi also participated in the historical and social situation of his time writing letters very brave to the Pope, cardinals, bishops and princes, noting the causes of the evils afflicting the Church, which she attributed to spiritual shortcomings of Christians and their pastors. This is a wonderful side of the saint associated with the passion of Christ with the stigmata and other mystical phenomena as visions, ecstasy, rapture, during which was difficult theological issues. Three sisters, responsible for the spiritual director, transcribed the revel...
Read more

St. Aubert of Avranches

Image
Saint Aubert was bishop of Avranches in the 8th century and is credited with founding Mont Saint Michel. He lived in France during the reign of Childebert III (695-711) and died in 720. According to legend, in 708 he had a vision in which the Archangel Michael instructed him to build an oratory on the rocky tidal island at the mouth of the Couesnon. Aubert did not pay attention to this vision at first, until in exasperation Michael appeared to him again, this time driving his finger into Aubert's skull and ordering him to complete the task again. Michael is said to have appeared to him a total of three times. After this the oratory was built. It was dedicated in October 16, 709, and Aubert is reputed to have been buried in it. The relic of Aubert's skull, complete with hole where the archangel's finger pierced it, can still be seen at the Saint-Gervais Basilica in Avranches. It is more generally believed nowadays that the skull is in fact a prehistoric relic showing evidenc...
Read more