Daily Life Meditation: Pentecost

Flávia Ghelardi shares a guided meditation on the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles.  

In this practical series on meditation using Father Kentenich’s method, we will meditate on the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. What do you think God wants to say to you through this message?

Meditation is a personal encounter with God, to grow in love for Him. Because it is personal, each person will experience this encounter in a different way, in a unique way. Thus, each proposed exercise is intended only to present an example of what this conversation with the Father can be like, so that you can get an overview of the whole process.

Opening Prayer

We are in the place we have chosen to meditate, already prepared with some image that reminds us of the spiritual world: a lit candle, instrumental music, in short, whatever helps us most to concentrate on what we are about to do: have a personal encounter with God.

We close our eyes, take a few deep breaths, and place ourselves in God's presence:

Make the Sign of the Cross.

My holy guardian angel helps me to meditate well so that this moment of prayer may transform my hard, fickle, selfish, and negligent heart into a pure heart, capable of loving and serving God with joy and generosity.

We implore the help of the Holy Spirit:

Holy Spirit, you are the soul of my soul. I humbly adore you. Enlighten me, strengthen me, guide me, comfort me. Reveal your wishes to me as far as this is in accordance with the will of the Eternal Father. Show me what Eternal Love wants of me. Show me what I should do. Show me what I should suffer. Show me what I should humbly and thoughtfully accept, bear and endure. Holy Spirit, show me your will and the will of the Father, for I want my whole life to be nothing else than a continuous, an everlasting yes to the wishes, to the will of God, the Eternal Father! (Father Joseph Kentenich, HW 639)

Meditation Topic:

Today´s text is in the prayer book Heavenward, written by Father Kentenich while he was detained in Dachau Concentration Camp during World War II.

In the midst of the apostles you powerfully implore the coming of the promised Spirit, who transforms weak men and women and directs the Church on the road to victory. Open our souls for the Spirit of God, that he may change the course of the world. (RW 353)

What Does God Want to Tell Me?

What is the Father trying to tell me through this scene of the Holy Spirit descending upon the Apostles through Mary’s intercession?

Pentecost was the birth of the Church. The Holy Spirit promised by Jesus to the Apostles finally came to the aid of those men who were feeling lost, afraid, and whose faith had grown weak. They were gathered in the Upper Room, in prayer, around Mary, the Mother of the Church.

Mary is the great intercessor to whom we must always turn. She brought Christ into the world, and it is through her that divine providence wishes to lead the world to Christ. She implores the coming of the Holy Spirit upon those first members of the Church, so that they may be strengthened and proclaim the Kingdom to every creature.

It is the Holy Spirit who leads the Church on the path to victory, until the consummation of time, when those who have persevered will dwell in Heavenly Jerusalem. The Spirit guides, leads, consoles, and strengthens not only the Church but each of its members. It is He who gives the life of grace to the soul at the moment of Baptism. It is He who, through the hands of the priest, transforms bread and wine into the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It is He who sanctifies our souls.

What Do I Say to Myself?

In the midst of the apostles you powerfully implore the coming of the promised Spirit, who transforms weak men and women and directs the Church on the road to victory. Open our souls for the Spirit of God, that he may change the course of the world. (RW 353)

I may have forgotten the powerful intercession of Our Lady. She, who is my mother, is always ready to help me. My earthly mother may have her flaws, for she bears the mark of original sin just as I do, but my Heavenly Mother is perfect, immaculate, without blemish, and wants to help me one day be with Her and Her Divine Son in the eternal joy of Heaven.

I may also have forgotten the Holy Spirit. He is God, with the Father and the Son. He is pure Love and desires to purify and sanctify me, to free me from my sins and my imperfections; He desires my complete happiness, not only in Heaven, but in my life here on earth. But for this, I need to be docile … I cannot be rebellious and put obstacles in the way of His grace in my life. I need to be attentive to His inspirations and respond promptly, without putting it off, without pretending I didn’t hear what He asks of me and expects from me. How many times have I failed to receive the graces He wanted to pour into my soul because of stubbornness and disobedience, because I wanted to do things my way and not the way the Holy Spirit wanted?

How Do I Answer the Lord?

Forgive me, Lord, for having forgotten that your Mother is my Mother — the Mother who was given to me at the foot of the Cross. I want to always place myself in her arms and allow her, the kindest of mothers, to guide me. I also ask forgiveness for the times I have placed barriers to the Holy Spirit’s action in my soul. I want to be docile to His inspirations and always be ready to fulfill them. I want to remember to ask for His seven gifts and twelve fruits, especially when I must make important decisions.

Conclusion

We conclude this moment of prayer by writing down the inspirations we have received in our personal notebooks. We give a brief thanksgiving for having been able to spend a few minutes talking with our Father. We can make a resolution to meditate again the next day and ask our holy guardian angel to remind us throughout the day of these brief moments we have spent together.

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Copyright 2026 Flávia Ghelardi 
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