Encouragement

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“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13

When the Holy Spirit came down upon the apostles at Pentecost, there was a great noise like the sound of a great rushing wind which filled the upper room where the apostles were praying along with the Mother of Our Lord. Tongues of fire parted and settled upon each of the apostles filling them with the Holy Spirit and they began to speak in foreign tongues. The day of Pentecost is related as a very special day because on this day, Jerusalem was filled with God fearing Jews of different nations and each one heard the disciples speaking in his own native language.

In stark contrast, centuries earlier when the Tower of Babel was being constructed, God confused the language of the people then so that each would not understand what the other was saying. The purpose behind both these events is very clear. At Babel, the people wanted to prove themselves to be smarter than God and build a tower right into the sky to reach heaven.

However, at Pentecost God showered the gift of tongues on the apostles for a good work to be achieved; to preach the good news of Jesus Christ for the purpose of salvation, to open the eyes of every living being that God has poured out his own spirit into each of us so that we can not only be his heirs but also do all the great works that Jesus performed on this earth and even greater as Christ promised because he was going to the Father and only after His ascent could the Helper, the Holy Spirit come to us to live with us forever.

In life, after any successful and celebratory event, long after the murmur of the applause dies down, what remains is the memory of the event and the emotions and feelings stored thereafter. Similarly, any success is empty without the prime persons being a part of it in whatever way they can from close by or even from a distance.

This is exactly what happened at Pentecost. Long after the loud sound and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit what remains today is the memory of this great event after the Ascension of our Lord and the pouring down of the Holy Spirit till date to fill our own emotions with the great love of God who gave his entire spirit to us. Without the presence of the Trinity abiding in us and without the intercession of our Blessed Mother, the Holy Spirit cannot come alive within us. When the right people abide with us, then only can the sweet successful taste of the Holy Spirit be manifested in our lives.

The day when anything new or important happens that changes our life becomes the most cherished day that we hold tenderly always because the starting point is the most vital point, the day when birth of beautiful feelings sieged our hearts to captivate it completely and turn our lives into a new and lovely direction, to open new doors of love and delight, to walk on sentimental paths and salute the time when it all began.

In the same manner, the Upper Room has become a symbolic place where it all began. A Holy room until the end of ages where the first outpouring took place. Likewise, the ground where we stand today in order to continue the mission of Christ with the force of the Holy Spirit working in us and ministering to others, will remain sacred for generations to come because any space used for the work of the heavenly kingdom is a blessed spot and guarded over by the Lord.

The Pentecost is the day when the Church was born and of all the sacred places, this is the most sacred and consecrated altar where we can pay our greatest worship and reverence to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and preach the gospel of Christ to all the nations on earth.

Today on Pentecost Sunday, let us open our hands wide to receive a million fold anointing of the Holy Spirit as it descends upon us all over again in a renewal of our hearts to keep the spirit alive and active, using the gifts of the holy spirit for the mission of the Lord today and for all times.

Maria Franco 

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