May 2024
Come Through Mary
Dear Friends, We are only a few days away from the celebration of Pentecost. Are we really preparing for it? Like many of the celebrations throughout the liturgical year, it could happen that we do not take full advantage of it due to activities, the routine of everyday life, or simply because we do not delve deeply enough into its meaning, giving it the importance it deserves.
50 Days Later
The Solemnity of Pentecost is celebrated 50 days after Easter. It is a feast in which we commemorate the gift of the Holy Spirit. We have all heard the account of the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles and the Blessed Virgin described in Acts of the Apostles 2:1-25. Note the renewal that the Holy Spirit brought about in the hearts of those men. Before they were frightened, but after, they went out to proclaim the Gospel, the good news—the Holy Spirit worked in them. From this moment on the Church begins her evangelization mission. The strength that God gave the apostles was such that many of them would even give their lives in their proclamation of faith in Jesus Christ.
An accomplished Promise
In His discourse at the Last Supper, Jesus promised that He would send this Spirit—the Paraclete, the Comforter—to guide us to the truth. Jesus is faithful to His promises. He sent the Holy Spirit and continues to send Him. "Paraclete" comes from the Greek word parakletos, which means “the one who is invoked.” The Holy Spirit, when we invoke Him, comes as advocate, mediator, defender and consoler.
He Comes with His Gifts
The Holy Spirit impels, helps and guides us with special gifts that we call gifts of the Holy Spirit. These seven gifts are: wisdom, understanding, counsel, piety, knowledge, fortitude and fear of the Lord.
Understanding - This gift enables us to discover the Faith with clarity and gives us a deeper knowledge of the revealed mysteries.
Knowledge - This makes us perceive and understand clearly that all creation has come from God and depends on Him. It makes us discover the relationship between creation and its Creator and to what extent it serves for our salvation. With this gift we learn to see things through God.
Wisdom - It is the gift to understand what helps and what harms God's plan, strengthens charity and prepares us for a full vision of God.
Counsel - It enables us to discern paths and options, to know how to guide and listen.
Piety - The gift that makes us always open to God's will, seeking to act as Jesus acted.
Fortitude - This gift makes us courageous in the face of the difficulties of daily Christian life. It makes our faith strong, even heroic. It is the gift that made the martyrs shed their blood to proclaim the truth of faith in Jesus Christ.
Fear of the Lord - It keeps us in our place before God, submitting ourselves to His will and turning away from everything that may displease Him.
It is certainly worthwhile to delve more deeply into this great gift of the Holy Spirit and to realize that we must implore Him, ask for Him insistently through Mary. She is called the Spouse of the Holy Spirit. He made in Her his masterpiece and She teaches us to open ourselves to His action, to His work, to His inspirations and gifts.
Come, Holy Spirit! Come through Mary!