Sunday, May 28, is Pentecost: the Holy Spirit descends upon Mary and the Apostles gathered in the Upper Room, and it is a feast for the Church, but it is also a feast for each of us, because the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, comes for us today!
The Holy Spirit is love
In chapter 2 of the Acts of the Apostles, we read that the apostles were gathered with Mary, the mother of Jesus, in the Upper Room in Jerusalem, when “tongues as of fire appeared to them, which separated and came to rest on each of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.”
To understand the Holy Spirit, we must immerse ourselves in the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. From all eternity, the Father and the Son exchange “a most gentle, chaste, and secret kiss of love” (Saint Bernard), and the Holy Spirit proceeds from it. The Father is the lover; the Son is the beloved; the Holy Spirit is love (Saint Augustine).
The Holy Spirit speaks to us today
The Holy Spirit knocks today at the door of our hearts, and “the Spirit’s first counsel is: ‘Live in the present.’ The present, not the past or the future. The Paraclete affirms the primacy of today, against the temptation to let ourselves be paralyzed by the bitterness and nostalgia of the past, or to focus on the uncertainties of tomorrow and let ourselves be obsessed by fears of the future. The Spirit reminds us of the grace of the present. There is no better time for us: now, right where we are, is the unique and unrepeatable moment to do good, to make life a gift. Let us live in the present!” (Pope Francis).
Mary is with us, just as she was in the Upper Room
And then there is Mary—we must never forget her! Mary is present in the Upper Room, the “full of grace,” full of the Holy Spirit, the woman of faith, silence, and listening. She nourished the silence, prayer, and profound unity of hearts. Our Lady reminded the Apostles of Jesus, his Word, and the promise of the Spirit of consolation. And Mary continues to be beside us today, to help us decipher our present and to help us walk. “When the Holy Spirit finds Mary in a heart, he flies there and descends into it,” said Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, and this gives us the certainty that we are not alone!
And so let us pray to the Comforting Spirit with the words of Pope Francis:
“Holy Spirit, Spirit Paraclete, comfort our hearts. Make us missionaries of your consolation, merciful paracletes for the world. Our Advocate, sweet Guide of the soul, make us witnesses to God's today, prophets of unity for the Church and humanity, apostles rooted in your grace, which creates all things and renews all things. Amen.”
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