Pentecost

June 11th, 2000, day of Pentecost, many of my visitors arrived to witness my ‘first profession’ of the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Early in the morning, while we were preparing in the novitiate, an earthquake just roared from the ground and shook the whole building. It was just within seconds but it left a mark in me on my profession day.

Now, I understood why. The Holy Spirit came like a roaring earthquake shaking the whole of me, to let me experience of His coming. He congratulated me in advance, wanting to tell me that the Lord is so pleased with my life and the offering of my whole being to the missions. The Holy Spirit expressed His joys that at last, another soul is dedicating his life, making his life an oblation to the rest of the suffering people in the world.

Something great was happening in my life since then. The Pentecost became an icon to me, when the Spirit came down and rejoiced with me. Yes, He was the Burning Bush, and He keeps on blazing which doesn’t consume. His life never ends. My soul is ever purified with the life of the Spirit, coming down like tongues of fire to my brothers, to my community, to my family and relatives who came to rejoice with me.

Also now, I understood more and more that my life is called ‘for a life with the Holy Spirit’, and that I should manifest what this life is among people. A man of the Spirit is not only joyful, but holy and capable. Holiness is God’s business, it is not mine. My only contribution is to open my hands, to receive and to give freely blessings to others. I am certainly called for something- ‘a lowly servant of the Holy Spirit.’ I hope and pray that my soul will not keep on blaspheming Him or annoying the Spirit to keep me going. I cannot do things on my own. I am not the owner of this mission, He sent me here.

Acts 2: 43-47 FIRST CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY

My soul travelled back to the time of Pentecost, as if a winged creature and then joined the community of the new believers. I am truly amazed of the communitarian dimension of the Pentecost. Suddenly, we all understood each other, though we came from different countries and tribes. We spoke on the same language, that language of Love and Communion. We understood that we have different backgrounds and orientations, but they are never barriers of the goals of the community.

We gathered and each gathering after became a Pentecostal gathering, tongues of fire on each one. The big Fire of Love divided itself and dwelt in each one of us. We were like crowned with the fire of love, we all shared the faith, we all shared the missions, yet, we remained one- a faithful community to the Spirit of Jesus.

At this present stage of my life, at this very moment, the Holy Spirit showed to my soul a great responsibility, to be a replica of the Holy Spirit to my community and to people. And it is very clear, I need my community and I need people and the power of the Holy Spirit to move on. As I prayed over this one, the Holy Spirit was making a film of my life, showing me different moments when He came strongly in my life, in the dying moments of my mother, in the real hardships of my family, in the life of my Uncle Temio who founded the Society of the Holy Family, in my vocation, in my joys and sorrows in the missions. I wasn’t alone in all of these events. The Spirit gathered people to show me the meaning of being united with Him.

I understood more dearly, as I witness the life of the first community after His death, resurrection and Pentecost, Jesus did not only breathe the Spirit on them, He came like fire and consumed their heart by the tenderness of His love. The Spirit is Love- again, ONCE ENCODED IN THE HEART, IT CAN NEVER BE DELETED. It remains there until death, and it continues burning ‘till life after next.’