May 11, 2008

Did the disciples receive the Holy Spirit on Easter Sunday (as in the Gospel of John) or on Pentecost (as in Acts)? John was a mystic. For him, time was not important. With the death and resurrection of Jesus, time as we knew it had come to an end. We had already entered into eternity. For Luke, time was very important, for he was a historian and he depicted God as one who reveals Himself in and through history.

Question for each individual

(Parents can get together with their children to help them in this exercise)

The Church has preserved from the various books of the Bible what have been called the 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit: Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, Fear of the Lord. We also have culled from Sacred Scripture the 12 Fruits of the Holy Spirit: Charity, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Generosity, Gentleness, Faithfulness, Modesty, Self-control, Chastity. We should be able to identify at least a little of each of these in our lives. It is not possible to have all gifts to perfection, yet that should not discourage us from their practice. Why not take one per week and work on that for 7 days?