PENTECOST
‘Receive the Holy Spirit’
In the year 1873 Dr. Ludwig Zamenhof, a Jew
living in Russian Poland endeavoured to create a
new international language, ‘Esperanto’, a word
meaning ‘one who hopes’, to help break down
barriers and increase understanding between
ethnic groups. While his vision didn’t take root
as he hoped, it is estimated that about two
million people worldwide do speak the language
today. On this Pentecost Day, as we celebrate the
‘Birthday of our Church’ we recall how the Holy
Spirit brought and continues to offer a universal
language to the human family, an internal language
that reveals itself in what we call the fruits of the
Spirit. Whenever we promote love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness,
gentleness or self-control, we speak the language of
the Spirit, further the mission of the Church and
contribute to the renewal of the face of the earth.
Bethlehem is God with us. Calvary is God for us.
Pentecost is God in us. ‘Let us too ask for the grace
of being able to hear what the Spirit says to our
Church, to our community, to our parish, to our
family and for the grace to learn the language of
the Holy Spirit’. (Pope Francis).
Novena has its origins in the Feast of Pentecost
since Mary and the disciples prayed in the Upper
Room for 9 days between the Ascension and the
coming of the Holy Spirit.
