Next weekend, the Church celebrates the feast of Pentecost. We are in the “in-between” days of the Lord’s Ascension, which we celebrated on Thursday, and the Feast of Pentecost, which we will celebrate next Sunday. These are extraordinary days in which we are all awaiting the descent of the Holy Spirit into our lives. This descent of the Holy Spirit is part of the fulfillment of the promise God made at the Feast of the Lord’s Birth, namely, I will be with you always. This is the very source of our hope. Recall that over the Easter Season the readings from the Acts of the Apostles have given us a glimpse into the inner workings of the early Christian communities. The one thing that dominated each discussion and/or debate was the overwhelming sentiment that they all had a genuine concern for the spiritual well-being of each other. The Holy Spirit, which is that “always” presence of God in our lives, empowers us to fulfill that sentiment in the Church today. The Holy Spirit, the fullness of the love between the Father and the Son, pours forth from Heaven and down into our lives. Truly we are hopeful in these days as we prepare for the Holy Spirit into our hearts, our Church, and our world. With one voice, we exclaim:
“Come Holy Spirit fill the minds and hearts of
Your faithful with the fire of Your love, come
and renew the face of the earth.”
Sincerely Yours in Christ,
Fr. Wayne