Pentecost and the Mother
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son.” Then he said to the disciple: “Here is your mother” (John 19:26-27)
Dear friend, this message from Jesus, immediately before giving his Spirit, is not a domestic recommendation, but something much greater and more significant: a spiritual prelature, that is, the spiritual custody of the Church, represented here by the apostle John and the Mother. From that moment on, Mary is entrusted to the entire Church as Mother. And these very notable and significant words became a reality since Pentecost.
The following texts are also very significant, and I encourage you to meditate on them to understand what Pentecost is; they are also from the Gospel of John. In them, Jesus is already announcing and preparing his disciples for the coming of Pentecost:
I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you forever, that Spirit of truth whom the world can never receive since it neither sees him nor knows him; but you know him, because he is with you, he is in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come back to you. (John 14:16-18)
But now I am going to the one who sent me. Not one of you has asked, “Where are you going?” Yet you are sad at heart because I have told you this. Still, I must tell you the truth: it is for your own good that I am going because unless I go, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I do go, I will send him to you… (John 16:5-7)
I still have many things to say to you, but they would be too much for you now. But when the Spirit of Truth comes, he will lead you to the complete truth, since he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears and will tell you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and will declare it to you. (John 16:12-15)
And now, dear friend, I propose that you make a silence and a true gathering, to welcome within yourself the Holy Spirit, who will fill your entire being, and you will discover that you are not alone.
In Him is the same Holy Trinity: He does not speak only on His own account, but of what He hears from the Father, and all that the Father has is also the Son’s, as the previous text has told us.
Be silent in a quiet and serene place. It will help you set aside worries, anxieties, thoughts, memories, and focus on deep…serene… breathing that will gradually fill you with peace… Take your time until you are surrounded by the necessary peace and concentration.
Pray slowly and with pauses after each paragraph:
Holy Spirit,
You who fills with fire the hearts of those who seek Jesus.
You who enlighten the minds of the poor who listen to the Word, seeking the Father’s will.
You who gather in your love those who strive to love, following the example of Jesus. We do not know how to pray or what to ask for. But You know our desires and supply our poverty.
Strengthen in our hearts the certainty of the Father’s love, the assurance of being His children. Confirm us in your light and your love, breathe into us your spirit.
You who ceaselessly create and make a new world blossom, renew our minds and hearts.
You invite us to move forward without rest, driven by your spirit, making life and beauty spring from your love.
Our eyes turn to tomorrow. Just as the dawn triumphs over the night with its rising light, give us the hope that dispels fears and brings forth joy.
May our hearts overflow with the Good News so that our lips resonate it to the ends of the earth.
(Prayer S-30 “Holy Spirit”)
And in this moment of stillness, imagine that you are among the disciples who followed Jesus and, together with the Mother, open your whole being to his coming, as if you were living those moments of Pentecost. And start vividly feeling what you say in these phrases:
You are with us every day until the end of the world.
You are with us, divine Omnipotence, with our fragility.
You are with us, infinite love, who accompany us in all our steps.
You are with us, sovereign protection and guarantee of success in temptations.
You are with us, energy that sustains our hesitant generosity.
You are with us in our struggles and failures, in our difficulties and trials.
You are with us in our disappointments and anxieties to restore our courage.
You are with us in our sadness, to communicate to us the enthusiasm of your joy.
You are with us in loneliness as a companion who never fails.
You are with us in our apostolic mission to guide and support us.
You are with us to lead us to the Father through the path of wisdom and eternity.
Amen.
(Prayer S-19 “You are with us”)
May the Love of God the Father together with the Son, who dwells in us, through the Holy Spirit, pour out their abundant gifts upon you, dear friend.
(Song SB-22 “Father, I adore You”)