today’s readings
Acts 2:1-11
Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-31, 34
1 Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13
John 20:19-23
Pentecost Sunday (Solemnity)
They were all filled with the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:4)
“The Holy Spirit is the love of God. Within the Trinity, he is the flame of love going from the Father to the Son, and from the Son to the Father.” ~Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa
We may not know exactly how to grasp this exchange of love between the Father and the Son, but we can catch a glimpse of it when we see a loving married couple. Their love for each other is energizing; it’s creative, life-giving, and inspiring. They are not closed in on themselves; they are open and welcoming to everyone around them.
Fr. Cantalamessa goes on: “To say that the apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit means that they were filled with the love of God. . . . Pentecost was the moment when each of the apostles had the overwhelming experience of being loved by God.”
Pentecost, he concludes, “is the moment when, by the grace of God, you realize that you are specially loved by God as his precious son or daughter.”
The Holy Spirit wants to fill each of us with experiences of this love, just as he did for the apostles. So take some time today to visualize God’s perfect love. Picture it flowing between the Father and the Son without constraints or roadblocks. Then, ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with this love. It doesn’t have to be complicated. All you have to do is say something simple like “Holy Spirit, fill me with God’s love.”
See if you find a new joy in your heart, a deeper sense of peace, or a greater appreciation for Jesus. For the rest of the day, keep asking the Holy Spirit to show you how much God loves you. Like the apostles, you may be overwhelmed by God’s presence in your heart. And that’s perfectly fine because it’s exactly what the Spirit came to do!
“Come, Holy Spirit, and fill me with God’s love.”~WAU
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