When we list the three solemnities of Christmas, Easter and Pentecost, for many Christmas will be the preferred choice when it comes to emotions, whilst for others it will be Easter because on that day we commemorate the very core of our faith, namely our salvation. Pentecost may well be the favourite among members of charismatic movements, but for the average believer it would struggle to take first place if one were to draw up a ranking of importance. Perhaps this is also because, within the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit also comes third, and in our approach to God in prayer we tend to address the Father and the Son first. Whilst we have no difficulty in imagining both the Father and the Son in human form, it is more difficult with the Holy Spirit, who is usually depicted as a dove. As human beings, we are, after all, dependent on visual representations, whilst realising that every image of the Divinity is merely an attempt to give expression to a transcendent reality that cannot be captured in images.
7:42 AM
Pentecost: a conclusion, but also a new beginning
As the Church celebrates Pentecost, Christians are called not only to remember their Baptism, but also to live their faith openly and without fear
Brother René Stockman

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