Tanzania’s Laity Council Members Reflect on “love” Ahead of Pentecost Sunday

They continue in reference to Jesus, “Love led him to fast for forty days and nights, and the Holy Spirit, the first love, led him in a battle against Satan and overcame him well. Love gave him the strength to persevere and submit to being lifted up on the cross.”

Inviting the members to base their reflection of love on the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians, the Catholic lay leaders recognize love centrality of love in human life saying, “Even if you do what an angel does, if you do not have love, you work in vain.”

“Even if you give up yourself and your possessions and hurt yourself, without love it does you do no good,” the leaders say and continue, “All things will pass away and cease but love will never pass away; it will travel with you to the end. Faith and hope will flourish greatly if your love has stopped.” 

Pentecost, the leaders say, “is a reminder of God’s love for His people” and invite the members of the Council to receive the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Sunday and “give Him a chance in your life to fill you with true love.”

They also invite the members to consider the relationship between love and forgiveness saying, “Love and forgiveness are like two rivers from heaven; with love you will forgive; the two depend on each other.”

“Ask God to give us the strength and desire to live in love and compassion as children. Again, he should enable us to observe the wishes of his kingdom,” the Catholic Lay leaders implore and add, “When the Kingdom of God arrives, peace will prevail, for there will be no more greed for power, materialism, selfishness and denial of their rights.”

Celebrated on Sunday, 50 days after Easter Sunday, Pentecost recalls the coming down of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ while they were in Jerusalem. The seven spiritual gifts associated with the Holy Spirit include wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.