By Lorene
Hanley Duquin
It’s a question that you probably don’t
hear much. People get excited and plan ahead for most holidays, but Pentecost
isn’t usually one of them. In fact, many people don’t really understand what
Pentecost is or why it is so important in the Church calendar.
The Story
of Pentecost
Pentecost commemorates the coming of
the Holy Spirit to the apostles. After Jesus rose on Easter, he appeared to the
apostles over the next 40 days, teaching them the significance of what had
happened to Him. They listened, but didn’t really understand, so Jesus promised
to send the Holy Spirit, who would enlighten them and give them everything they
would need to carry the Good News to people all over the world.
They gathered in an upper room with the
mother of Jesus to pray. Ten days later they heard a loud noise, and the Holy
Spirit descended upon them in tongues of fire. When that happened, they
received spiritual gifts that transformed their lives and gave them the power
to touch the lives of other people.
They ran into the streets and began to
tell people about Jesus. Each person in the crowd understood the apostles in
his or her own language. Thousands became believers that day.
Today we celebrate Pentecost as the
birthday of the Church.
Who is the
Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of
the Trinity, or the eternal Spirit of God. Some people try to explain the Holy
Spirit as the power of love and truth that emanates from the Father and the
Son. Whenever you feel as if you are being called by God or inspired to do
something, it is usually a movement of the Holy Spirit.
One of the most important lessons a
parent can teach a child is how to listen to the Holy Spirit. Begin by asking
your children after Mass what message they heard in the readings, in the music,
in the homily or in their prayers after Communion that seemed to speak to their
souls. Then help them to recognize that this is how the Holy Spirit works in
their lives.
Gifts of
the Holy Spirit
The spiritual gifts that the Spirit
brings are wisdom, understanding, knowledge, good judgment, courage, reverence
and awe (Isaiah 11:2).
Suggestions
to Celebrate Pentecost
• Let your children help make a
birthday cake and celebrate by singing Happy Birthday to the Church!
• Read the Pentecost account with your
family from the Acts of the Apostles (2:1-47). Then, go out in the backyard and
make a bonfire together. Talk about the power of the symbol of fire and how the
Holy Spirit came to the apostles through fire.
• Write the gifts of the Holy Spirit on
pieces of paper. Let each family member take a gift. Then talk about how they
can use their gift throughout the year.
Prayer to
the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit, come into our
hearts. Bring the brightness of your light, the warmth of your love, and
the fullness of your truth so that our lives may be pleasing to you in every
way. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment