PERSEVERE AND STRENGTHEN YOUR FAITH

A significant number of Catholics initiated a nine-day Novena Prayer to the Holy Spirit after the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord on Thursday, 9 May 2024. We strongly encourage everyone to continue the practice of praying the Rosary with great fervour, along with the Novena to the Holy Spirit. The Rosary is a powerful prayer that involves meditating on the life of Jesus Christ, and can provide a sense of peace during challenging times. By combining the Novena to the Holy Spirit and the Rosary, Catholics can deepen their spiritual connection with God and experience greater faith and devotion.

Some of you may have devoted your time to reading articles and books, watching videos and listening to audios related to the Holy Spirit. Devoting time to learning about the Holy Spirit is crucial for experiencing a personal Pentecost, and achieving spiritual transformation. This experience can lead us to turn away from our wrongdoing, forgive others and entrust our faith in Jesus Christ more profoundly. The Holy Spirit - the Third Person in the Holy Trinity - is a remarkable gift that inspires us to undergo spiritual transformation, and achieve a greater sense of peace in our lives.

The Holy Spirit is an essential aspect of the Christian faith, representing the presence of God’s power, love and guidance in our lives. When Jesus ascended into heaven, he instructed his apostles to return to Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 1:4-5). The apostles obeyed Christ’s command and made the first Novena - a nine-day period of prayer - to prepare for the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Pentecost is the day when the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles and other followers of Jesus, empowering them to spread the Gospel and establish the early church. As we move from the Ascension of the Lord towards Pentecost, we are encouraged to focus on the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon us. This outpouring is a reminder of the ongoing presence of God in our lives and the power of the Holy Spirit to guide us in our daily lives. It also serves as a call to action – urging us to use our gifts and talents to serve others, and to spread the message of Christ.

We have been delving into the rich accounts of the Acts of the Apostles throughout the daily liturgy since Easter Sunday. Through the journeys of St Paul and St Barnabas, we learn about their efforts to visit the previous churches they had established - encouraging and strengthening the disciples in their faith. Their mission was to uplift the spirit of the disciples and to “put fresh hearts into them, encouraging them to persevere in the faith” (Acts 14: 22).

As we move towards Pentecost, let us make the most of this time - using it to gain a deeper understanding of our faith - to persevere and strengthen our relationship with the Lord Jesus.