Preparing for Pentecost
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In these nine days we are preparing for Pentecost which celebrates the birth of the Church, the mystical body of Christ.
St. Paul tells us in Col. 1:17 Jesus is the head and the Church is his body. We are the members of the mystical body of Christ.
Jesus and his body, the Church are conceived and born in a similar way – by the power of the Holy Spirit and the maternal cooperation of Mary.
Let’s begin with the birth of Jesus.
At the Annunciation the Archangel Gabriel said to Mary, “Listen! You are to conceive and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High… he will rule over the House of Jacob forever and his reign will have no end.” Mary said to the angel, “But how can this come about, since I am a virgin?” “The Holy Spirit will come upon you” the angel answered “and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God.” Mary responded, “I am the handmaid of the Lord, let what you have said be done to me.' And the angel left her.
At the Annunciation the Holy Spirit fell upon Mary.
The Holy Spirit conceived Jesus with her.
Mary cooperated by saying “yes” to God – consenting to his plan.
Nine months later Mary gave birth to Jesus at Bethlehem, manifesting or showing Jesus to the world represented by the shepherds and the Magi.
The Holy Spirit and Mary conceived Jesus in her womb and gave birth to him at Bethlehem.
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The Birth of the Church happens like the birth of Jesus
At Calvary, Mary and John, the beloved disciple stood by Jesus.
We are told, “Seeing his mother and the disciple he loved standing near her, Jesus said to his mother, 'Woman, this is your son. Then to the disciple he said, 'This is your mother'.”
Then Jesus bowed his head and breathed out his Spirit.
What happened here?
Jesus breathes out the Spirit over Mary, just as the Spirit overshadowed Mary at the Annunciation.
Jesus declares Mary is now the mother of the beloved disciple, who represents all the beloved disciples of Jesus, the Church.
Just as the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary at the Annunciation to conceive Jesus in her womb, now at Calvary, the Holy Spirit comes upon Mary to conceive Jesus in the beloved disciple and she becomes his spiritual mother.
Like the Annunciation – at Calvary Mary conceives the Church by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Then, like the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, at Pentecost Mary gives birth to the Church, the mystical body of Christ.
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St. John Paul wrote that the birth of Jesus and the birth of the Church show us the deep connection between the Holy Spirit and Mary
The Annunciation and Pentecost teach us
● The Holy Spirit carries out a maternal mission
o To conceive Jesus in Mary
o To form Christ in souls
▪ Through Mary
▪ Through her maternal cooperation
St John Paul writes:
“In the redemptive economy of grace brought about by the action of the Holy Spirit there is a unique correspondence between the moment of the Incarnation of the Word and the moment of the birth of the Church. The person who links these two moments is Mary: Mary at Nazareth and Mary in the Upper Room at Jerusalem. In both cases her discreet yet essential presence indicates the path of birth from the Holy Spirit. Thus she who is present in the mystery of Christ as mother becomes – by the will of the Son and the power of the Holy Spirit – present in the mystery of the Church. In the Church too she continues to be a maternal presence…” RM 24
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The Main Point is this:
● The Holy Spirit carries out a specifically maternal mission to form Christ and Christians
o The Holy Spirit carries out this maternal mission through Mary
● The Holy Spirit and Mary formed Jesus in her womb
● The Holy Spirit and Mary form Jesus in you
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Understanding Pentecost may help us begin to answer the question: Why do we need Mary when we have Jesus?
Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. And Jesus wants to give his divine life to us – to be born in us and to live in us.
The mission of the Holy Spirit is to help us receive Jesus that He may live in us.
The Holy Spirit does this in and with and through Mary as we see in both the birth of Jesus and the birth of the Church.
Therefore, the more we turn to Mary, the more the Holy Spirit will form Jesus in us.
This is why icons of Pentecost depict the scene from Acts 1:14 with the Apostles gathered around Mary to receive the Holy Spirit that Christ may be born in them.
Likewise, we are gathering around Mary during this novena of meditations that we may receive Jesus more fully from the Holy Spirit.