Descent of the Holy Spirit

In the Third Glorious Mystery, we contemplate the coming of the Holy Spirit.

From the Acts of the Apostles (1:14; 2:1-4)
All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers. (…) When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

Commentary by St. Basil:
The Spirit infuses us with a life-giving force, making our souls pass from death to full life. This is what it means to be born again of water and the Spirit.

Meditation 1
After the Ascension, the disciples who had accompanied Jesus to the Mount of Olives returned to the city, to the upper room where the Eucharist had been instituted. There, they remained in prayer with Mary, waiting the coming of the Holy Spirit. This is the Church in its infancy, the body of Christ wounded by the death of its Lord, an almost lifeless body, still too weak to face the world and its difficulties. A vulnerable body...

The Holy Spirit came to give them life. He is the soul of the Mystical Body of Christ, which is the Church. The Holy Spirit is the soul of this new Body, this new presence of Jesus among us. Thus, we believe in the Holy Church because Christ, who founded it, is Holy, and the Holy Spirit, who guides, animates, and governs it, is Holy.

The Church was conceived in the upper room during the Lord’s Last Supper, as the community that celebrates the memory of its Lord, the Eucharist. However, the Church was really born when the Holy Spirit joined with this already existing body, becoming the soul that animates the Mystical Body of Christ, which is the Church.

Without the Holy Spirit, the Church would have ceased to exist long ago. It has faced revolutions, crises, and ideologies over 2000 years. The fact that a billion people are united in faith is a miracle that can only be explained by the fact that it is the Body of Christ, sustained by the living presence of the Holy Spirit as the soul of this Body.

Meditation 2
We contemplate the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles gathered with the Virgin Mary in Jerusalem. The coming of the Promised One, the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete: the advocate and defender. The Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father sent in Jesus’ name, would teach us all things and remind us of everything He had told us.

Jesus sent the Holy Spirit so that we would not be left orphans, as He is the soul of the Church and the center of our existence. He came to remain with us, to be God within us, inspiring, comforting, guiding, and giving us courage to face the world in our mission of evangelization.

With the coming of the Holy Spirit, God's revelation to humanity is complete. God the Father is the Creator of the world; God the Son is the Redeemer of the world, who became man and entered human history to save it. After completing His mission and returning to the Father, Jesus sends the Holy Spirit, who is God’s new presence, no longer in the world but in each one of us.

God the Father is God above us; God the Son, Jesus Christ, is Emmanuel, God with us; and God the Holy Spirit is God in us, dwelling within us. At every moment, He reminds us of the Gospel and gives us the strength to embody and proclaim it to those who do not yet know it.

Prayer
Divine Holy Spirit,
come to us as You did on that day of Pentecost,
and fill our hearts with Your presence.
Just as You filled the apostles with life and courage,
grant us too the strength to be faithful witnesses of the Gospel,
so that we may bring the light of Christ to the world.

Spirit of God, who is the soul of the Church,
renew our faith and missionary zeal.
May Your flame purify us,
enlighten us, and lead us on the path of truth,
so that we may be, at every moment instruments of Your love and peace.

You who dwell within us, 
inspire us to follow in Jesus’ footsteps
and to live according to Your will.
Be our guide and defender,
our comfort in trials, and our strength when we falter.
Help us to live the Gospel in our daily lives
and to be living signs of Your presence in the world.

Divine Holy Spirit,
fill us with Your gifts
of wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of God.
May each of these gifts draw us closer to You
and empower us to live fully the mission You have entrusted to us.

Come, Holy Spirit,
renew the face of the earth and make us instruments of Your grace.
May we always feel Your living presence within us,
and may our lives reflect Your holiness and love. Amen.

Fr. Jorge Amaro, IMC