Lourdes Rosary Meditations #13

The Descent of the Holy Spirit

This is my favorite of the Lourdes rosary mosaics. The color and dynamism make it so vibrant and moving. Even the angels seem to be flying off the image into this world!

We can start at the top, which shows God the Father creating the world. Sun, moon, and stars fill the sky, whereas on the left and right we are reminded of the serpent tricking Adam and Eve into disobeying God. In the single portion of the mosaic the beginning of salvation history is shown, and we can almost hear God promising the future redeemer: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; They will strike at your head, while you strike at their heel.” With these words, God promised His Son, Who crushed Satan in the Cross and Resurrection, as well as the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Immaculate Conception, Who is marvelously depicted in the main portion of this image as She leads the apostles in prayer on the day of Pentecost.

“When the fifty days [since Passover] were completed, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.” Fifty days had passed since Easter, and now the Son fulfills His promise to send the Holy Spirit. And He does so with a divine fire show! The Holy Spirit descends on the nascent Church in tongues of fire to bestow His sevenfold gift, and the followers of Christ are filled with His comforting and strengthening presence—they are filled with the power to fulfill the mission Christ gave them.

Here, the new creation that Christ inaugurated on the Cross—the new creation which reversed the fall of Adam and Eve before—takes root in the hearts of believers. No longer is grace to remain external to God’s people, who in their sin could not receive a share in divine life. Now, they are transformed from within, and the prophecy of Ezekiel is fulfilled: God has given new hearts to men. New stars even seem to be formed as God accomplishes this great work, though these may of course be the multitude of angels gathered to witness this majestic moment.

This should make us take ever more seriously the great gift of our confirmation, in which the same transforming grace was given to us in the depths of our hearts and souls. Yet we so often sin and chase away the very presence of God in us. Let us renew this mosaic’s moment in our hearts right now as we pray: Come, Holy spirit! Fill the hearts of Thy faithful and kindle in us the fire of divine love!