There are two Catholic churches in the world that are known for having a dome that is open to the sky, to the extent that when it rains, water falls inside the church. One is the Dome of the Ascension, which I spoke about last week and the other is the Church of St. Mary of the Angels and Martyrs in Rome, the famous Parthenon.
We said last week that the open Dome of the Ascension in Jerusalem expresses the ascending movement of Jesus who goes up to heaven to take his place at the right hand of God. It is, therefore, a symbol of hope, inviting us to set our eyes and hearts on the home that Christ has prepared for us in Paradise. The open dome of the Parthenon, on the other hand, expresses rather a downward movement, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that we celebrate today at Pentecost. In fact, there is a beautiful tradition in Rome on the feast of Pentecost. The firefighters of Rome climb to the top of the dome, and from the outside, throw rose petals down through the opening. Petals slowly drift downward from the 43-meter-high dome until the floor of the church is covered in red.
It is impressive to see the petals descend from the sky as a great beam of light enters the church through the immense "eye of heaven" (occhio del cielo), as the opening of the Pantheon is often called. The petals represent the tongues of fire that rested on the Apostles and Mary Most Holy. They also express a very beautiful reality, the fact that the Holy Spirit continues to come to us when we invoke Him and are ready to receive Him.
Today I want to thank the Father and the Son for the gift of His Spirit. Without Him, the giver of life, everything would be death. Without Him, who is Love, man would live dominated by selfishness. Without Him, who is Light, we would be hostages of darkness. Without Him, who is the Holiness of the Father, sin would have the last word in our lives. Without Him, who is the glory of the Most Holy Trinity, man could not aspire to the happy eternity of heaven. He is the rest of the soul, the eternal joy, the water that makes all things new, the breath of heaven that gives us courage, the companion who never abandons us, the friend who is always with us.
St. Thomas Aquinas uses an expression that I find very beautiful in the Summa contra Gentiles. He says that the mission of the Holy Spirit is to make us "lovers of God”. Yes, he makes us love the Father and the Son, he offers us the possibility of entering into an intimate, warm, and loving relationship with them. He brings us the presence of the Most Holy Trinity in the soul, as the Lord said in today's Gospel.
This morning, I want to join in the prayer of the disciples and Mary in the Upper Room and pray for the coming of the Paraclete: Veni, sancte Spiritus. Come, Holy Spirit! Descend again upon the Holy Father and all the bishops; upon all the priests, deacons and Christian faithful; upon this parish of St. Anne and each of its families; upon each person who is part of our community, and especially upon the women who are participating in Mission Ecce Ancilla Domini. As the opening prayer of this Holy Mass implored, “with the divine grace that was at work when the Gospel was first proclaimed, fill now once more the hearts of believers”. Give us unity. Give us charity. Give us saints, give us martyrs, give us tireless preachers of the Gospel. Above all, in the Sacraments, especially in the Eucharist, continue to give us Jesus, whom we do not deserve, but whom we SO MUCH need.
I ask Mary, the masterpiece of the Holy Spirit, to help us to receive the Paraclete as she did so that the miracle of our new birth to supernatural life may take place and we may enjoy the consolations of the Holy Spirit until the day when we fully possess eternal happiness in the unfading joys of heaven.