Happy Birthday! Today is Pentecost, the feast of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost day is called the “birth-day” of the Church. Solemnity of Pentecost Sunday, marks the last day of the fifty glorious days of Easter, it marks the end of the first novena and the Easter Season. We are back to Ordinary Time on Monday. As we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, we also celebrate the birth of the Church. Thus, today is a celebration of our membership in the life of the Church. Pentecost (Whitsunday), with Christmas and Easter, ranks among the great feasts of Christianity. It commemorates not only the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and Disciples, but also the fruits and effects of that event: the completion of the work of redemption, the fullness of grace for the Church and its children, and the gift of faith for all nations.
When Jesus ascended into heaven forty days after His resurrection, He instructed the Apostles to wait in Jerusalem for the sending of the Holy Spirit. Ten days later the eleven Apostles, together with the Blessed Virgin Mary, were praying in the Upper Room on the Lord’s Day. The Holy Spirit descended upon them as tongues of fire, as recorded in the second chapter of Acts. “When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.” ~ Acts 2:1–4
Jews from distant lands were gathered in Jerusalem for the feast of the harvest of the first-fruits, which was the closing festival of the Pascal season. The Apostles, filled with the Holy Spirit, began to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the various languages of the people. Scripture records that through this miracle 3,000 souls were baptized and added to the Church that same day. Because of this, Pentecost is considered the birthday of the Catholic Church.
Pentecost enables us to be powerful instruments of the transforming grace of God. And there is no doubt that the world around us needs this grace. As we celebrate Pentecost, it would be helpful to ponder the primary effects of the Holy Spirit in a prayerful way. The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit are: Fear of the Lord, Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge, Counsel, Fortitude and Piety.These Gifts are the primary effects of Pentecost for each and every one of us. Use them as an examination of your life and let God show you where you need to grow more deeply in the strength of the Holy Spirit.
PRAYER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT: Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful and kindle in them the fire of Your love. Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth. O, God, Who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, through Christ our Lord. Amen. Jesus, I trust in You… Amen🙏
Come, Holy Spirit, Come!
PRAYER FOR PENTECOST
VENI CREATOR SPIRITUS
Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest, and in our souls take up Thy rest; come with Thy grace and heavenly aid to fill the hearts which Thou hast made. O comforter, to Thee we cry, O heavenly gift of God Most High, O fount of life and fire of love, and sweet anointing from above.
Thou in Thy sevenfold gifts are known; Thou, finger of God’s hand we own; Thou, promise of the Father, Thou Who dost the tongue with power imbue. Kindle our sense from above, and make our hearts o’erflow with love; with patience firm and virtue high the weakness of our flesh supply. Far from us drive the foe we dread, and grant us Thy peace instead; so shall we not, with Thee for guide, turn from the path of life aside.
Oh, may Thy grace on us bestow the Father and the Son to know; and Thee, through endless times confessed, of both the eternal Spirit blest. Now to the Father and the Son, Who rose from death, be glory given, with Thou, O Holy Comforter, henceforth by all in earth and heaven. Amen🙏
THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
These Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit are the primary effects of Pentecost for each and every one of us. Use them as an examination of your life and let God show you where you need to grow more deeply in the strength of the Holy Spirit.
FEAR OF THE LORD: With this gift the Christian becomes keenly aware of anything that may hurt his/her relationship with God. There is a holy “fear” of hurting this relationship and grace is given to avoid these things at all cost.
WISDOM: With this gift the Christian is given a special grace to “ponder divine realities” in his/her speculative reason. We are able to see the big picture and know how best to be an instrument of peace and harmony in our world.
UNDERSTANDING: This is the ability to have a supernatural assurance of the matters of faith. Life makes sense. We can make sense of the deeper parts of revelation, make sense of suffering and understand those things that tempt us to doubt. With this gift we come to see how everything in life can work for good in accordance with God’s plan.
KNOWLEDGE: With this gift the Christian knows, more in the practical intellect, what God’s will is in this or that situation. We know how to live, how to discern God’s will and what decision to make in our daily life. It also enables us to learn from our past mistakes.
COUNSEL: With this gift the Christian sees him/herself as a link in a chain which makes up the entire Church. God uses each one of us to help and support one another on our journey. We know what to say and how to act so as to do our part to build up one another.
FORTITUDE: Simply put, it is a firmness of mind and spirit to do good and avoid evil. It’s a sort of Christian courage. The Gospel will call all of us to a radical life of love. Fortitude gives us the strength we need to follow through.
PIETY: This gift enables us to first reverence and love God, but also to see the dignity of one another and reverence each other as children of God.
PRAYER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT: Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful and kindle in them the fire of Your love. Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth. O, God, Who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, through Christ our Lord. Amen. Jesus, I trust in You… Amen🙏
Happy Pentecost Sunday beloved family!🙏
We thank God for blessing us all with the gift of the Holy Spirit. May we be filled with the blessing of the Holy Spirit now and always. Praying for a blessed, safe, spirit-filled and grace-filled Pentecost Sunday and week ahead🙏 Love you all🤍🌹🤍
Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖
SOLEMNITY OF PENTECOST SUNDAY | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/solemnity-of-pentecost-sunday/
LIVE from the Vatican: Pope Leo XIV’s Pentecost Mass and Regina Caeli | June 8, 2025 | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/live-from-the-vatican-pope-leo-xivs-pentecost-mass-and-regina-caeli/
DAILY REFLECTIONS WITH PHILOMENA | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/