Prepared by the Delegation of G.B.I.
They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak foreign languages as the Spirit gave them the gift of speech. Acts 2:4
Our body, dwelling of the Holy Spirit, allows us to go out and meet our sisters and brothers in humanity and all of Creation. RL 34
Send forth your Spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth. Psalm 104
All joined in continuous prayer, together with several women, including Mary the Mother of Jesus. Acts 1: 14 Mary joined the disciples in the Upper room in praying for the coming of the Holy Spirit and thus made possible the missionary outburst that took place at Pentecost. Mary is a constant presence throughout the life of Jesus and in the Upper room she was a consoling presence to the fearful and anxious disciples whose understanding of the coming of the Holy Spirit was limited. At the Annunciation the angel Gabriel told Mary ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you’ and Mary from then on ‘pondered these words in her heart’ and thus was able to share her experience with the disciples in continuous prayer.
She joined the waiting disciples in praying for the coming of the Spirit and thus made possible the transformation which took place at Pentecost. Jesus had promised the coming of the Sprit and had told them to wait but they were still confused. The growth of hope lay in the prayerful waiting with Mary and the other women.
Wait for the Spirit
Wait…
Without expectation
Which might focus
Attention too narrowly,
So that we miss the coming.
Wait…
With expectancy , alert,
Hearts, minds, hands, ears
Open to receive the gift.
Ann Lewin
In the stillness open your heart to welcome the gift of the Spirit
Send forth your Spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth. Psalm 104
On Easter evening, Jesus appeared to the disciples and breathed on them his Spirit; on the morning of Pentecost, while the disciples were praying, the outpouring of the Spirit occurred in a resounding way like the noise of a strong wind and tongues as of fire. These three symbols of breath, wind and fire are significant in our understanding of Pentecost both for the disciples present and for ourselves as transformation takes place and the ‘face of the earth is renewed’.
The disciples would have known from Scripture that fire was a sign of God’s presence: ever since the time that Moses heard God speaking from the middle of the burning bush, flame had carried that symbolism. The words ‘breath’ or ‘wind’ in Hebrew also meant a ‘spirit’ that renewed and gave life and energy to carry out God’s will. The Spirit of God transformed the fearful disciples into courageous witnesses of the Good News. The Spirit’s fire renews the face of the earth and also sets us free to be constantly renewed.
Someday, after mastering the winds, the waves,
the tides and gravity, we shall harness for God
the energies of love, and then,
for a second time in the history of the world,
we will have discovered fire.
Teilhard de Chardin
The effect of Pentecost was for the apostles, as Jesus had requested, to ‘Go, and make disciples of all nations; baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit’. (Luke 28:19-20) No-one was to be excluded.
What does this mean for me/us today especially in the light of the Acts of the Chapter and the call to Love without Borders?
The world at this present time of sickness and uncertainty needs the courage, faith, love and perseverance of Christ’s followers. Reflecting on the fruits of the Spirit of love, peace, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, is there any particular gift of the Spirit you might pray for which will bring a message of hope and healing to many by your witness?
With the Holy Spirit, Mary is always present in the midst of suffering people. EG 284
All joined in continuous prayer, together with several women, including Mary the Mother of Jesus. Acts 1: 14
In Christ you too are being built as a dwelling place where God lives in the Spirit. Ephesians 2:22
Rooted in prayer while awaiting the coming of the Spirit the lives of the apostles were transfigured by the outpouring of the Spirit and they set out carrying the flame of the Spirit wherever they went. The Spirit however works in various ways as we shall see from Cardinal Francis Xavier Van Thuan who was held as a solitary prisoner in Vietnam for 13 years.
Jesus proclaimed that he had come to bring fire to the earth. By continuing his mission, I keep alive the flame of Pentecost that I received from Christ Jesus. I want to traverse the entire world in order to transmit the flame of Christ to others. The flame I bear is a love that renews all things. To feed this fire I must pour the oil of my daily prayer into others. I will prepare their torches so that the Holy Spirit will set them ablaze, dispelling their darkness and renewing the face of the earth.
In his solitude as a prisoner the indwelling of the Holy Spirit freed him to traverse the world by prayer and so continue his mission.
Marie Louise: The Oratory of the Heart
In her later years in St Laurent Marie Louise became less physically active and sought the solitude and prayer time that she had always longed for in her life . She frequently invited the Sisters to pray with her ‘Let us recite the Veni Creator together to ask the Holy Spirit to open our hearts.’ Thus the Holy Spirit became the dwelling place or Oratory of her Heart meaning that she lived a life of constant prayer rooted in the depths of her heart. She lived the fruits of the Spirit in her daily contact with others through her simplicity, gentleness, obedience and faithfulness, ‘…doing them for love and with love’.
Let Marie Louise speak to your open heart now,
| Listen to the voice of Jesus Christ. Let him speak to you in the depths of your heart.
Marie-Louise Trichet L. 24 |
 Drawing of Claudette Danis FDLS |
