We, the Jerusalem community of Sisters of Sion, had a thrilling vigil of Pentecost in Ecce Homo together with brothers, associates and friends of Sion. How great was the energy from the environment and the beautiful celebration presided by Fr. Carlos.

We had a very good Mass, really in the spirit of Pentecost, with readings, psalms and prayers in different languages.

We had an amazing sharing with Sr Anne Catharine:

“We can find many affinities between the gift of the Spirit and the gift of the Tora, the Word of God. The Spirit unites us, from individuals it makes us one people. At the foot of Sinai, the children of Israel were one: They answered with one voice, all together. The gift of the Tora which is the seal of the covenant, made them one people, the people of God. And this unity is also obvious in the Acts of the apostles: ‘they were all together in one same place’. They were even confused or bewildered together, then was the beginning of the Church founded on Israel. If the Spirit of God extends and widens our vision, it works also in depth and interiors in us the presence of Christ and personalizes the message for each person, making us understand the Word of God. So was the gift of the Tora, again according to the midrash: The Word of God was one but like many because it adapted to each person according to who he or she was. This was the gift of the Spirit at Pentecost. Each one received it personally, not to cultivate individualism but on the contrary to build a true unity.”

The Sisters of Sion remembered the special moment of their first vows and renewed their ‘Yes’ to God. It was a time for us to go back to the first love, the first experience with our beloved and take energy from that time to continue following Jesus with all our heart and soul. One of the many things that Judaism teaches us, is always to remember, to keep alive the flame of God’s love for us.

We finished our celebration with a dinner to celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit, the seven gifts, and also the wonders of God in our lives.

Lúcia de Fátima NDS, Novice
Congregational Novitiate
Ein Karem, Jerusalem
20 May 2016