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.

A RENEWED SENSE OF SPIRITUAL VITALITY

As of today, we have faithfully completed five weeks of the seven-week-long Easter season. This means that we have two more weeks left until we celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost. It is incredible how time flies, and it is hard to believe that we have already come this far. During the remaining two weeks, we continue to commemorate Jesus Christ’s resurrection and reflect on this holy season’s significance.

As we approach the feast of Pentecost, which commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles and other disciples of Jesus (cf. Acts 1: 4), the daily readings in the liturgy increasingly refer to the work of the Holy Spirit. This is a significant time for Christians because it highlights the importance of the Holy Spirit in the life of every Christian. In light of this, it is important to continue praying, “Come Holy Spirit, fill my heart with love, joy and peace.” This simple yet powerful prayer helps us acknowledge our dependence on the Holy Spirit, and invite Him to take control of our lives. 

In the Catholic faith, the month of May is dedicated to praying the Rosary, and many of us faithfully pray it individually, as a family or even in online groups on social media platforms. The Feast of the Ascension of the Lord falls on Thursday, 9 May 2024, and many Catholics initiate a nine-day Novena Prayer to the Holy Spirit. This Novena Prayer is a traditional Catholic practice that involves praying for nine consecutive days to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit (cf. Is 11: 1-3). 

I strongly encourage everyone to continue the practice of praying the Rosary with great fervour during this Month of the Rosary. Furthermore, I particularly urge everyone to join in the Novena Prayer to the Holy Spirit, which can bring you closer to God and help you experience His divine presence. As we draw near to Pentecost, let us remember the significance of the Holy Spirit in our lives. May we be blessed with a renewed sense of spiritual vitality during this time of celebration.

During the recitation of the Rosary, we incorporate the Novena Prayer to the Holy Spirit, until Pentecost. By including the Novena Prayer to the Holy Spirit in our Rosary prayers, we seek to keep ourselves in harmony with the presence of the Holy Spirit and His guidance as we say: 

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful and kindle in them the fire of Your love. 

V. Send forth Your Spirit, and they shall be created. 

R. And You shall renew the face of the earth. 

Let us pray: O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant us, in the same Spirit, to be truly wise and ever to rejoice in His consolation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.