COLLECT: “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 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, GOD, FOR EVER AND EVER. AMEN”.
Acts 2:1-11; I Cor 12:3-7, 12-13; Jn 20:19-23.
“COME, HOLY SPIRIT, FILL THE HEARTS OF YOUR FAITHFUL, AND KINDLE IN US THE FIRE OF YOUR LOVE, AND WE SHALL BE RECREATED”.
Today is the Church’s birthday and by implication, it is the birthday for all of us who form the Church, particularly baptised Christians. It is, in a way, the birthday of Christianity. It was on this day that the Church, Catholic Church to be specific, formally came into existence under the leadership of St. Peter, the first Pope of the Church and first Bishop of Rome. Shortly after the awesome experience of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, Peter delivered his spirit-filled inspired inaugural speech or sermon (Acts 2:14-41) which resulted in the formation of a community of believers (Acts 2:42-47). Pentecost, which means 50 (especially, 50 days after Jesus’ resurrection at Easter), is a feast of harvest. In this sense, it is not a harvest of crops or fruits, but a harvest of sinful souls for God.
Becoming a Christian (or being born as a Christian) involves turning away from sin, that is, through repentance to baptism, and turning to Jesus Christ, that is, faith in Jesus. One will become an incomplete Christian if one only turns away from sin and receives baptism without turning to Jesus in faith. A complete Christian is therefore, the one who, after baptism, and of course, confirmation, puts one’s faith into active practice, by behaving and acting as Jesus. When we are baptised and confirmed, we more or less become Jesus’ ambassadors in the world. Due to disobedience and sin, the world has become a foreign place for Jesus and his followers. Jesus attests to this in Jn 17:14-19.
Every ambassador normally must present his/her credentials to the people of the foreign nation he/she is sent to on mission. Jesus’ followers are so to speak, sent on a mission in this world. What are our credentials do we have to present to the Prince of this world and his followers? Are they our Baptismal Testimonials, our church dues cards, our Sacred Heart of Jesus’ Cards, our Cassocks/Habits as Priests/Religious, our rosaries, marriage certificates, or what?
Our credentials are not and should not only be the above physical or material things. Rather, the most important credentials the Christian must possess and show to the world and its evil leaders are the Holy Spirit and His gifts in us, which he/she received from Jesus Christ at Baptism and Confirmation through the indelible mark of the sign of the Cross made by the Priest or Bishop on the forehead of the one to be baptized or confirmed, with the Oil of Chrism. At our baptism and confirmation, we received the Holy Spirit and his gifts: Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude/Strength, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of God, alongside the fruits of the Holy Spirit, like, patience, love, forgiveness, self-control, etc. These are our divine credentials. Therefore, any believer who lives and behaves contrary to these ‘divine credentials’ given to us by the Holy Spirit at baptism and confirmation, is a counter witness.
As we commemorate the solemnity of Pentecost, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and his gifts and fruits, let us pray that the Holy Spirit may rekindle in us divine graces to do away with all
(i) Misunderstandings among us, and allow the spirit of Understanding and Reconciliation to grow in and among us, especially in our Churches, families, offices/work places, communities, and in the world.
(ii) May he assist us to eradicate all Unwise and Foolish tendencies in us, and allow the spirit of Wisdom to blow and bring us back to our senses regarding idolatry and occultism, where some of us spend a lot of our energy, time, money and property to no avail.
(iii) May the Holy Spirit help us put a stop to Incorrigible tendencies, pride/arrogance and vanity to allow the spirit of counsel to take root in our lives.
(iv) May he eliminate all doubts, weaknesses, and Frailties in us, so that those of us who lack faith in God and have become vulnerable to temptations, sin and Satan, may develop the spirit of Fortitude.
(v) May the Holy Spirit assist us in fighting against all Ignorance, which leads some of us to “hit” our legs and heads here and there in vain. May we allow the Spirit’s gift of Knowledge to show us the true Way to Life.
(vi) May he take away our Spiritual Sloth/Laziness, through which some of us are so busy and in a hurry in this world of commerce, business and competition to the extent that we have little or even no time at all for God and the Sacred. May we allow the spirit of Piety to take root in us.
(vii) May the Holy Spirit take away from us, Pride/Self-trust/Dependence on self, instead of on God, and allow those of us in this category to cultivate and develop the spirit of Fear of God in us. May we truly avoid all the ungodly and immoral practices and things in our midst. May we truly turn away from sin and Satan, and resolutely turn to Jesus Christ.
My special prayer today is that, of the multitude of ministries the Holy Spirit sustains, He may grant us all, His powerful and consoling gift of reconciliation to enable us to prepare our hearts to receive and live out His manifold graces. May the Holy Spirit also lead us to live and practice his fruits that he lavishly bestows on us together with his gifts. Come Holy Spirit! God bless you and Happy Feast of Pentecost.
WE MEDITATE TODAY, SUNDAY, ON THE GLORIOUS MYSTERIES: ‘THE RESURRECTION, THE ASCENSION, THE DESCENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, THE ASSUMPTION, AND THE CORONATION’. (WE PRAY FAITH, HOPE, LOVE OF GOD, GRACE OF A HAPPY DEATH AND TRUST IN MARY’S INTERCESSION) “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus: Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us, sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen”.
PRAYER: “O GOD, WHO BESTOW HEAVENLY GIFTS UPON YOUR CHURCH, SAFEGUARD, WE PRAY, THE GRACE YOU HAVE GIVEN, THAT THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT POURED OUT UPON HER MAY RETAIN ALL ITS FORCE AND THAT THIS SPIRITUAL FOOD MAY GAIN HER ABUNDANCE OF ETERNAL REDEMPTION. THROUGH CHRIST OUR LORD. AMEN.”
PRAYER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT.
“COME HOLY SPIRIT, FILL THE HEARTS OF THY FAITHFUL AND GIVE US GRACE THROUGH YOUR SEVENFOLD POWERFUL GIFTS. ENLIGHTEN OUR UNDERSTANDING THAT WE MAY KNOW YOU. GIVE US WISDOM THAT YOUR WILL MAY BE CLEAR TO US AND THAT WE MAY ACCEPT IT. GRANT US THE GIFT OF COUNSEL THAT WE MAY ALWAYS PERCEIVE WHAT IS RIGHT. FORTIFY US THAT WE MAY ALWAYS BE CAPABLE OF FULFILLING YOUR DIVINE WILL. INSPIRE US WITH THE SPIRIT OF LEARNING THAT WE MAY BE ABLE TO PENETRATE MORE DEEPLY INTO THE TRUTHS WHICH YOU HAVE REVEALED. LET OUR HEARTS BE STEEPED IN THE SPIRIT OF CHILDLIKENESS THAT WE MAY BRING JOY. LET US HAVE PROPER FEAR OF GOD THAT WE MAY NEVER GRIEVE YOU OR WANDER FROM THE PATH OF GOODNESS.
CLEANSE WHAT IS SOILED IN US; HEAL WHAT IS WOUNDED; MOISTEN WHAT IS ARID. BEND THE STUBBORN WILL; WARM THE COLD HEART; GUIDE THE WANDERING FOOTSTEP. COME, HOLY SPIRIT, FILL THE HEARTS OF THY FAITHFUL, AND KINDLE IN THEM THE FIRE OF THY LOVE”. AMEN
Rev. Fr. Aloysius Kpiebaya, Catholic Diocese of Wa, Upper West Region, Ghana. (00233-0207867239/0545462863. Email: aloybaya20@yahoo.com.
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