AMDG
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Looking
up at the Mt. of Olives (also called Mt. Olivet) from the Kidron Valley. Christ took his apostles to the top where He ascended
into Heaven. At the foot is the Church
of All Nations which is built on the site of the Agony of Christ in the Garden
of Gethsemane. The Russian Orthodox Church
of Mary Magdalene with the golden steeples is a little higher on the right. The Church of Dominus Flevit, where Christ
wept over Jerusalem, is also on this slope. For a video tour click on https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-pty-pty_converter&hsimp=yhs-pty_converter&hspart=pty&p=mt.+of+olives#id=5&vid=0df5bdc8dcf255a702de449792330f09&action=view and also https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-pty-pty_converter&hsimp=yhs-pty_converter&hspart=pty&p=mt.+of+olives#id=60&vid=1ed05005a0725932196aa54f13433f4e&action=view.
After Easter. He (Jesus) presented
himself alive to them by many proofs after he had suffered, appearing to them
during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. While meeting with them, he enjoined them not
to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for "the promise of the Father
about which you have heard me speak; for John baptized with water, but in a few
days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." “But you will receive power when the Holy
Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea
and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:3-5,8). “You are witnesses of these things. And (behold) I am sending the promise of my
Father upon you; but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on
high" (Luke 24:48-49).
Inside the chapel/shrine are two
footprints said to be those of Christ.
After
the Ascension of Christ into Heaven, the apostles, Mary, and other disciples
followed the command of their master and waited for the Holy Spirit in the
Cenacle, also known as the Upper Room, the same
place as the Last Supper and the appearance of Christ after the
Resurrection. They waited in prayer for
the next ten days, really a beautiful retreat, preparing themselves spiritually, preparing
their hearts for the descent of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Holy
Trinity. May our Confirmation students also
prepare themselves spiritually for that great sacrament.
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| The Cenacle built over the site of the upper room. This is the site of both the Last Supper and the Descent of the Holy Spirit. |
The
Descent of the Holy Spirit. Chapter 2 of the Acts of the
Apostles beautifully describes this momentous event: When the time for Pentecost
(50 days after Easter) was fulfilled, they were all in one place
together. And suddenly there came from
the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in
which they were. Then there appeared to
them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of
them. And they were all filled with the
Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them
to proclaim (Acts 2:1-4).
Now there were devout Jews from
every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem.
At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd, but they were confused
because each one heard them speaking in his own language. They were astounded, and in amazement they
asked, "Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans? Then how does each of us hear them in his own
native language? We are Parthians,
Medes, and Elamites, inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus
and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene,
as well as travelers from Rome, both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and
Arabs, yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty acts of
God." They were all astounded and
bewildered, and said to one another, "What does this mean?"
(Acts 2:5-13).
No longer afraid, the apostles were on fire for the Lord. May the Holy Spirit set us on fire! The apostles were so convinced of the truth that they fearlessly spread the word even at the risk of torture and death. Indeed all the apostles except St. John were martyred for the faith.
No longer afraid, the apostles were on fire for the Lord. May the Holy Spirit set us on fire! The apostles were so convinced of the truth that they fearlessly spread the word even at the risk of torture and death. Indeed all the apostles except St. John were martyred for the faith.
“Then
Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed to them, 'You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in Jerusalem. Let this be
known to you, and listen to my words. You
who are Israelites, hear these words. Jesus the Nazorean was a man commended to
you by God with mighty deeds, wonders, and signs, which God worked through Him
in your midst, as you yourselves know.
This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God, you
killed, using lawless men to crucify him.
But God raised Him up, releasing Him from the throes of death, because
it was impossible for Him to be held by it” (Acts 2:14, 22-24).
Pentecost is the birthday of the
Church. Only then did the apostles have
the courage and the zeal to go out and teach all nations as Christ commanded
just before ascending into Heaven. The above photo shows the ruins of ancient Corinth in Greece which had a reputation
of moral decadence. There St. Paul,
filled with the Holy Spirit, had the zeal and courage to spread the faith. We also are called to evangelize in little or
big ways by prayer and example, by word and deed. May the Holy Spirit also set us on fire, give
us His gifts, and renew the graces of the sacrament of Confirmation. We are called to be witnesses to the faith by
our lives in the faith. DON’T JUST KEEP
THE FAITH; SPREAD IT.
Appendix
See Blog #84
Meditations For the Rosary IV: The Glorious Mysteries
http://paulrsebastianphd.blogspot.com/2012/05/84-meditations-of-rosary-glorious.html
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