Thought of the Day May 6, 2020 Dove, symbol of the Holy Spirit

By 10:53 AM


There a number of symbols used to depict the person and work of the Holy Spirit. The image of the dove is one. To determine if it was safe to evacuate the Ark, Noah released a dove. The dove returned with an olive branch in its beak, a sign that the waters had receded and a sign of God’s peace after judgement.

In the New Testament, after Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan, while Jesus was in prayer, a dove descended upon him to anoint him as the Messiah  and the voice of the Father was heard to confirm him in this ministry.

Jesus was filled with the Spirit in his humanity at the moment he was conceived in Mary’s womb. At his baptism Jesus received a fresh anointing for his  ministry as Messiah. Jesus later acknowledged this role of the Spirit in the synagogue at Nazareth. From the scroll of Isaiah, Jesus read: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; because of this, he has anointed me. He has sent me to evangelize the poor, to heal the contrite of heart” (Lk 4:18).

The same Spirit comes to us today, not in the form of a dove, but in the sacramental oil of anointing. Come, Holy Spirit, come!

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