Pentecost
As Catholics, we recently celebrated the birth of our Church on Pentecost Sunday, this year falling on 31 May. The word Pentecost comes from the Greek word pentecoste, meaning "50th day." Fifty days after Easter Sunday, we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and their followers, and the beginning of their earthly ministry to make disciples of all nations.
The coming of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Holy Trinity, is of extreme importance for Christians and our relationship with God. We receive the Holy Spirit first at baptism and again at confirmation. Each of us is provided with gifts often referred to as fruits of the Holy Spirit. The greatest gift of the Spirit is God himself. Pope Francis states, “the Spirit himself is 'the gift of God' par excellence, he is a gift of God.” The Holy Spirit as God, brings God.
It is not possible to love God, to be loved by Him without the Holy Spirit. Yet it has been remarked that for a large number of people, the Holy Spirit is often forgotten. Pope Francis has warned that the Holy Spirit has become “the Forgotten One”. He stated, “We often pray to Jesus; we pray to the Father, especially in the ‘Our Father’; but not often to the Holy Spirit,” he said. “The Holy Spirit who has entirely animated the life and ministry of Jesus, it is the same Spirit that today guides the Christian existence, the existence of a man and a woman who say they want to be Christian.” We must not forget the Holy Spirit.
Louise East - Religious Studies Coordinator