The word Pentecost comes from the Greek for fiftieth day. Pentecost Sunday ends the season of Easter and comes as a Sabbath day after seven weeks of seven days. In Jewish tradition the 50th day after the Passover was celebrated as a blessing of the harvest and rather than the unleavened bread of Passover it was celebrated by leavening the bread. In Christian tradition, Pentecost is celebrated as the arrival of the Spirit, promised by Jesus, that animated the disciples to spread the gospel of Jesus and gather believers to form what would eventually become the Church.

Focus: Jesus promised that he would not leave us orphans, so when he left our world he breathed his own life into us through the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who lives in us, guides and helps us live the gospel from age to age, and, because he is the Lord and giver of life and of wisdom, we know that the church will always be guided in the spirit of Jesus.

Personal Reflection: ‘Come, Holy Spirit’, or its Latin, Vene Sancte Spiritus, has become the basis of countless prayers and hymns over many hundreds of years. To this day, it remains a powerful invocation that can be used in prayer or meditation. Three simple words convey a wealth of meaning. The invitation for the Spirit to ‘Come’ indicates recognition of the need for the Spirit’s intervention and openness to accept the guidance that the Spirit brings. It is a powerful, simple prayer that can be used at the outset of any significant undertaking or whenever you find yourself in need of inspiration.

Parent's Reflection: Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus breathes his own life into us and we become members of God's family. We asked the children to say what God's family would be like: how we think and act and behave toward others, and what our world would be like if all of us acted as God's family members. We saw that because the Holy Spirit lives in us and in the church, we do not have to fear for the future. What we do need to do is make time to listen to and speak with the Holy Spirit living in us. In that way we will always choose the peaceful, kind and forgiving way to live with each other. 

Let us ask the Holy Spirit to come into our hearts so that we may be Spirit filled.