My Heart of the Matter

A Lesson On Pentecost

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Happy Birthday to our Church!

Pentecost Sunday

Art credit: Jacob Driscoll (grandson)

Fifty days after Easter Sunday and ten days after the Ascension of Jesus into heaven, we celebrate this feast. Before Jesus’ Ascension He gave His apostles instructions to stay in Jerusalem.

4 While meeting with them, he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for “the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak; 5 for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the holy Spirit.”

When Jesus had spoken to his apostles about the Holy Spirit their minds and hearts were not spiritually prepared to take in all this holiness.

They were gathered in the Upper Room and for nine straight days: the apostles, Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the other women prayed in one accord. “Praying in one accord” meant that they were seeking God and waiting for the promise of the Holy Spirit. Our Catholic novenas derive from this holy feast.  The Novena to the Holy Spirit is prayed during the period between Ascension Thursday and Pentecost Sunday.

The Upper Room

The Upper Room In Jerusalem is entered through the Zion Gate. As you walk past the Jerusalem stone walls you are met by street vendors selling goods made of sesame, honey bars, and other products indigenous to the Holy Land. When the path splits into two, the walk continues toward the left until you reach a statue of David. The Jews frown upon this statue because they believe that it is an offense; Jewish culture does not venerate idols and considers this a graven image. Of the many times that I have visited, poor David has suffered amputated toes from the hands of Jews and, on several occasions, his nose has been broken

King David’s statue

This area of the Upper Room is considered the Jewish section of the Old City. The Muslims consider this to be a mosque, but the Israelis believe the lower level of the old structure is the Tomb of David. As Christians we remain neutral; we visit the Tomb of David but spend most of our time in the Upper Room. This is one of my five favorites sites to visit in the Holy Land.

The Upper Room, also referred to as the Cenacle, is located in the southern part of the Old City of Jerusalem. In this room many historic occurrences took place that changed the course of Christianity: Jesus washed the feet of His disciples,  the Last Supper, the Resurrection of Christ, the post-Resurrection, Pentecost, and the descent of the Holy Spirit.

In all the times I have traveled to Jerusalem, our team would never miss the opportunity to visit the Upper Room. You can still feel the anointing in that room. Our team spent a lot of time in prayer there.

The Holy Spirit

Tongues of Fire
When I was part of the Vineyard, a nondenominational church , tongues were very much a part of the services. To me, praying in tongues is private. I use this gift when in a dire situation, but I also use it when I’m on the altar preparing to distribute the Holy Eucharist. It’s a powerful gift that I need to incorporate more in my prayer life.
The Gifts Of The Spirit
These are the Gifts of the Spirit: wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, fortitude, piety and the fear of the Lord. In the usual manner, these  gifts are listed in perfect order. When you have wisdom about a situation, you get knowledge on how to move forward. When you have knowledge, you can counsel; and when you counsel the Holy Spirit gives you fortitude to say what needs to be said. Piety is having the knowledge to continue in your walk with Christ in fulfillment of your obedience. The Fear of the Lord is to always acknowledge that when you sin or are about to sin, know that the Lord is ever present and He will make you accountable for your egregious behavior.
Sin has no worth and deep guilt is always attached to it. Remember the Devil is always ready for you to fall, so that he can accuse you of malevolence. Returning to God in great repentance is our only hope. We, as Catholics, have the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
We were created for a great purpose;  for this reason God gives us the Gifts of the Spirit.
Cf. the following from St. John of the Cross: (Ascent 3.2.10; cf. Living Flame 1.4; 1.9 and 2.34): “God alone moves the powers of these souls . . . to those deeds which are suitable, according to the will and plan of God, and they cannot be moved to others. . . . Such were the actions of the most glorious Virgin, our Lady, who, being elevated from the beginning [of her life] to this lofty state, had never the form of any creature impressed on her, nor was moved by such, but was always moved by the Holy Spirit.” EWTN
My Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, help us all to understand the purpose of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit, and the powerful Gifts of the Spirit. Instill in us the special graces we need to receive all the gifts You have set aside for us. Amen.

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