08/06/2025

Pentecost Sunday

“The Holy Spirit will teach you all things”

On condition we listen to what that Spirit is trying to say. Pentecost was the birth of The Church. Thanks to The Church we have our Nicaean Creed that we recite every Sunday. We have the Catechism of The Catholic Church. Worth a re-read. 

My frequent prayer, in Latin because I studied my first year at The Lateran University in Latin, is that of the blind beggar in Luke 18:41,“Domine, ut videam.”

When I need to take a decision, about my own life or those who ask me for advice, I pause and pray. As temperamentally I am impetuous, my primary school reports made that clear,  forcing myself to stop and listen has been of serious help in my pastoral life.

When preparing my homilies, I pray, domine ut videam, what it is you would like me to say? As mentioned last Sunday, listening enriches lives and helps build communities. Every time I see an Audi car, I am reminded to listen. That is what Audi, in Latin, means ‘Listen’.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth. ‘Truth’ is the accurate perception of reality. Reality is reality. Perceptions of it are shaped by our temperament, personal experiences, education and inspiration and as everyone has their own perception, worth listening to others. The Holy Spirit often comes to me incarnate; in the people around me.

Listen to your heart. Listen to your friends, including your family. Listen to the needs of people around you. Then act. Living for the benefit of others keeps you young at heart, enabling you to age gracefully.