Reflection:    
Our First Reading this week, taken from Acts 2:1-11, narrates the events of the first Pentecost, describing it thus:“Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.  All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”

This is the event we celebrate today.  It marks the fulfillment of Jesus’s promise to send the Holy Spirit after He returns to the Father.  Up until that moment, when tongues of fire alighted on each of them, the Apostles were nothing more than a bunch of scared, timid fishermen and assorted other individuals, who had hidden themselves in the Upper Room ‘for fear of the Jews’. The coming of the Advocate, the Spirit of Truth transformed them.  In the Gospel, Jesus promises that He will send an Advocate, the Spirit of Truth, to guide the disciples always: “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name – he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you,” ( Jn.14:26 ).  As promised by Jesus, the Holy Spirit did teach the disciples everything!  Not only did they begin to speak in different tongues – bystanders watching them heard them speak in their own tongues –  they began to evangelize with authority and boldness.

Thus, Pentecost is also hailed as the birthday of the Church.

Like the Apostles and the other followers of Jesus on that first Pentecost, we too received the Holy Spirit and the gift of tongues when we were baptized in the Spirit during our LSS. The presence of the Holy Spirit within us is the most wonderful thing that could ever happen to us, for the Holy Spirit is God Himself, the Third person of the Holy Trinity.  However, our baptism in the Spirit was not the first time we received the Holy Spirit. We first received the Third Person of the Holy Trinity when we were baptized sacramentally as children.

The experience of baptism in the Spirit is not the same for everyone.  Some will remember extraordinary visions and gift of tears which healed broken relationships and cleansed memories of past hurts.  Still others have very quiet, seemingly uneventful baptism.  It does not matter. What matters is that the Holy Spirit will never withhold the gift of Himself to the LSS candidate who is seriously seeking him and has sincerely opened his heart to God.

That is why, in preparation for this great event, during our LSS, we are encouraged to ensure we are in a state of grace and have repented of our sins.  We are also advised to listen and heed our shepherd’s exhortation on forgiveness to remove every possible obstacle, because the Holy Spirit cannot descend on souls burdened by sin and unforgiveness, anxieties and worldly concerns.  We should have undergone a general confession during which we have unburdened our soul of all conscious transgressions; as the second reading tells us: “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” ( Rom 8:8 )

Lack of adequate spiritual preparation could be the reason we fail to open ourselves to the Holy Spirit during our LSS and to this day, could not feel God’s presence in our lives, or see any change in our lifestyle. Our membership in Community has little or no impact on us, and we may still be confused and lost because the motivation and commitment to serve our God as well as our Community is clearly not of great significance to us.

Our theme for the Pentecost Week is: “The Holy Spirit empowers us to love Jesus thru others and keep His commandments.”  We all have received the gift of the Holy Spirit, the gift that makes us love and obey our God.  This is the empowerment that should have renewed us and transformed us like His first disciples, into new creations in the in-dwelling Holy Spirit, who will give us that inner peace and harmony that can only come from having the right relationship with God.  This should lead us to the promise: “The one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through His Spirit that dwells in you.” (Rom 8:11)

Reflection Questions:
1.    How did you prepare yourself for the life in the spirit seminar?
2.    Do you feel the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life?
3.    What gifts did you receive from the Holy Spirit, and how are you using these?
4.    Do you now have the fruit of the Holy Spirit?

This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
May 19, 2013 (Sun)    Acts 2: 1-11/ Ps 104:1,24,31,34,29-30/ Rom 8:8-17/Jn 14: 15-16,23-26
May 20, 2013 (Mon)    Sir 1:1-10/Ps 93:1,2,5/Mk 9:14-29
May 21, 2013 (Tues)   Sir 2:1-11/Ps 37:3,4,18,19,27,28,39,40/Mk 9:30-37
May 22 2013 (Wed)    Sir 4:11-19/Ps 116:165,168,171,172,174,175/Mk 9:38-40
May 23, 2013 (Thur)   Sir 5:1-8/Ps 1:1-4,6/Mk 9:41-50
May 24, 2013 (Fri)      Sir 6:5-17/Ps 119:12,16,18,27,34,35/Mk 10:1-12
May 25, 2013 (Sat)     Sir 17:1-15/Ps 103:13-18/Mk 10:13-16

“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ.  Read your Bible daily!”

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