I love the color red!
It is so vibrant and strong. It
is no wonder that red is the color chosen to represent the Spirit. Last week I shared with you my prayer for the
mystery of the Rosary, the Ascension.
Here is my prayer from Kennedy
Prays for the third Glorious Mystery of the Rosary:
The Descent of the Spirit
I have learned that You keep the promises You make. Our
covenant is sealed by the grace
and strength of the Holy Spirit. It is a strength that I
cannot explain but I know that I am
ready to go forth and spread the good news of Your life
and work! I have the strength to
proclaim that You, my Jesus, are the
Son of God – the chosen one – My Savior! Hallelujah!
Have you ever felt strength beyond what you can explain as
your own? Have you ever had the power to
do something that you did not think you could possibly do? That strength comes from the Spirit of
God. Jesus did not leave us alone, he
sent an advocate, the Holy Spirit.
Being able to put to words the experience of the illness and
death of my mother has helped me along in the grieving process. I hope that my experience helps you somehow
grow in faith or heal any sorrow that you may be carrying inside of you. When Mom lost the use of her legs, I knew
that I had to sing Psalm 116: The Presence of God by Tom Kendzia, for
her Mass of Christian Burial. I also
knew that the choir would be in the loft and would have my back should I fail
to have the strength to give my Mom this last gift. I had sung this to her a few times during her
last months to remind her that she would indeed “walk in the presence of the Lord” for she always sang of the good things that God had done
for her.
Now,
I often pray for strength to proclaim the psalm before I leave my seat, but on
the morning of December 31, 2014, I prayed with a vengeance for the strength
needed to accomplish these corporal works of mercy of the funeral liturgy and
burying my Mom. Before I stood to pray
the psalm, I sent one last request for strength and I want to bear witness to
you of the Descent of the Spirit, for as I rose from my seat, I felt a power
come over me that cannot be explained.
It was unworldly – the best way that I can describe the feeling is to
say that I was given my own personal Pentecost at that moment. The feeling was so intense and I was given
the strength needed to stand and face my Mom’s earthly remains and proclaim
with certainty that she would “walk in
the presence of the Lord.”
When we listen to the experience of Pentecost
for the first followers of Christ we hear how there was a strong wind and
tongues of fire came and rested over their heads. Oh I have felt the heat of this fire! One of my cousins recently shared with me
that her mother saw rays of light coming from my fingertips when I raised my
hands to invite those assembled to pray the psalm together. This vision further affirms for me that the
strength I needed truly was the Holy Spirit.
It wasn’t me – it was God working through me.
Our God is so amazing and his Spirit is right there for the
asking. Call upon it when you need help
to get through life’s daily struggles and life’s hardest battles – for I assure
you that when you ask God will indeed provide.
Shalom,
Tina
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