Happy Feast of Pentecost! With joy, we celebrate today the Descent of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Church.
When Jesus said, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you,” He did not intend those words for His Apostles alone. His words were meant to reach the ears (and hearts!) of all believers, from generation to generation. And, as we are sent into the world in the same fashion as the Apostles, Jesus’ own Spirit is poured upon us to empower us, encourage us, strengthen us, and guide us. The Holy Spirit has raised up popes and saints, missionaries and martyrs — countless witnesses to God’s goodness in the world, “a great cloud of witnesses” that includes, incredibly, each of us.
Do we appreciate the fact that the power of the Holy Spirit rests in the hearts (and in the hands) of all those who choose to love, forgive, and share “the peace that comes from above?” The power of the Holy Spirit is in our hands to heal what is broken and bind us together in a unity of faith and hope. God has a never-ending love for us and His Holy Spirit has an untiring commitment to us. Let us rejoice and be glad … and get to work, glorifying the Lord by our lives!
A Pentecost prayer: “O God, send down upon your people the flame of your Holy Spirit and fill with the abundance of your gifts your Church. May your life-giving Spirit lend fire to our words and strength to our witness. Send us forth into the world to proclaim with boldness your wondrous work of raising Christ to your right hand. We make our prayer through Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen.”
