After a two-year break, the international headquarters of the TA in Spain celebrated the feast of Pentecost on Sunday 5 June. It was like an extended cenacle that included the whole worldwide TA.
Traditionally, this is the feast of the General Council and on this occasion Maite Uribe, the TA President, Carmen Lizárraga, Vice-president, the Council members Maria Goretti Gonsalves, María Rita Martín, Cecilia Padvalskis and María Dolores Peralta were in Madrid, while Gregoria Ruíz joined the celebration in Rome.
About one hundred people gathered at the international headquarters. They were happy to return to a degree of normality, although prudence advised the wearing of masks at the celebration and limited numbers could attend.
The celebrant at the Mass was Elías Royón S.J. Maite Uribe said a few words at the start: “We are encouraged by the certain hope that we will receive a gift from the Spirit that will multiply in each one of us the capacity of dedication to the mission to which God has called us: the gift of wisdom, to see life with God's eyes; the gift of understanding, to understand things as God understands them; the gift of right judgement, to know how to listen, discern and give guidance; the gift of courage, to persevere on the chosen path; the gift of knowledge, to reveal to us the thoughts of God; the gift of reverence, to always do things as Jesus would do them; the gift of wonder and awe in God’s presence, to open our hearts to God’s goodness and mercy”.
The gifts of the Spirit help us to carry out our mission and be faithful to Poveda's good idea that summons us as a people within the Church.
Language of love
In his homily, Elías Royón said that “at Pentecost the Church is born; the epoch of the Church is inaugurated, our epoch, the epoch of all the baptised which continues on from the epoch of Jesus”. He also emphasised how the language of the Spirit is the language of love that we can all understand and that needs no translation. He said that "God is love, and speaks the language of love, and wants this to be our common way of speaking and of living; the language that every man and every woman understands, whatever country, culture, race or religion they are from”.
As it was for the early Christians, we are animated by the Spirit, and the commandment to love continues to be our call to “build bridges, tear down walls, to make hearts fall in love and break down selfishness,” he said.
“Pentecost is a feast of diversity and of harmony,” added Elias Royon. “This diversity is not threatening. It is convergent, complementary and enriching... If we welcome the Spirit with an open heart, we will not be afraid to be different, and we will not be afraid of those who think and make plans differently from us.”
Faithful One
The sequence of the Spirit was read in two alternating choirs before the gospel, and it resonated strongly with the group. At the time of the petitions, each of the seven gifts was highlighted as a plea and yearning. When we look at society, the Church and the Association today, a heightened sense of awareness makes us feel that we lack the strength to move forward and to respond to the needs we see around us if the Spirit does not assist and encourage us.
The presence of Our Lady was felt with the song Fiadora (faithful one), and after our celebration of Mass, the group had some time together with refreshments in the open air.
TA Info.
TA Translators Team.
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