Buenos Aires, Whitsuntide, May 27, 2007

Father Oscar Pezzarini

The Holy Spirit rejuvenates us

We are at the end of Easter Time, those fifty days after the Resurrection of Christ up to the celebration of Whitsuntide, the Coming of the Holy Spirit, the Third person of the Most Holy Trinity, the “force” which Jesus together with the Father sends in order to assist us in our journey through this world. The Spirit comes to our aid, He fortifies and among all He “rejuvenates” our Christian life, since we must not forget that just as there is biologic “aging” which leaves “marks” on our body, there is another aging which does not depend on “time chronology” but which leaves “soul marks”, it is what we could term “spiritual old age” which can appear at any time, even when we are young. This shows up precisely when we lose our motivations, our illusions in life, when the truths of our faith change into something “dead” which doesn't fill us anymore with enthusiasm. The fortitude brought in by the Spirit makes us become witnesses who are not afraid of showing themselves as followers of the One who gave away His life for all Men, as there are many men and women who through History were able to keep their “spiritual youth” and who offered themselves to the service of others. This is the testimony our society needs today.

We are at the end of Easter Time, those fifty days after the Resurrection of Christ up to the celebration of Whitsuntide, the Coming of the Holy Spirit, the Third person of the Most Holy Trinity, the “force” which Jesus together with the Father sends in order to assist us in our journey through this world.

The Holy Spirit, about whom we heard so many things, whom we often mention and invoke, but... do we really know what His coming and His presence causes in us?

The Spirit comes to our aid, He fortifies and among all He “rejuvenates” our Christian life, since we must not forget that just as there is biologic “aging” which leaves “marks” on our body, there is another aging which does not depend on “time chronology” but which leaves “soul marks”, it is what we could term “spiritual old age” which can appear at any time, even when we are young. This shows up precisely when we lose our motivations, our illusions in life, when the truths of our faith change into something “dead” which doesn't fill us anymore with enthusiasm.

Someone once said that “we are as young as our faith and our confidence in God is, and as old as our dejection”.

Today, just as the day He came down on the Apostles, the Holy Spirit can work in us the same “miracle” He worked on the Apostle Peter and his companions: He can change us from dejected, fearful and doubtful people into persons who understood and bravely began to “testify about what they have seen and heard”.

Today as well our world needs people who allow to be filled and persuaded by the Spirit and who by their words and their lifes testify that in spite of so much grief, so much anguish and so many difficulties there is hope, that it doesn't all end in what we are able to see, but that the Human Being was created by God in order to be able to “rest in Him” some day.

The fortitude brought in by the Spirit makes us become witnesses who are not afraid of showing themselves as followers of the One who gave away His life for all Men, as there are many men and women who through History were able to keep their “spiritual youth” and who offered themselves to the service of others. This is the testimony our society needs today.

Father Oscar Pezzarini
Provincial Superior of the Work of Don Orione in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Mexico

Father Oscar Pezzarini together with Fr. Leonardo Abregú makes us reflect on Saturdays from 8 to 12 AM (GMT-03:00)with "VENTANA A LA VIDA", the Don Orione radio program he conducts on FM PROVIDENCIA, 90.3 MHz together with some residents of the Claypole Cottolengo (Raúl Romero, María Laura Andrada, Alberto Zoroch, Américo Torres), with the production of Roberto Beluzzo and Ignacio Cavalli as technical operator. You can also listen to FM PROVIDENCIA by clicking here.

Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione 0800-333-6746 in Argentina, or +54 (11) 4268-7722 from abroad.

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