May 19, 2024 - Pentecost

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

     Today is a Pentecost Sunday, it is the 50 days since the Resurrection Sunday. For the disciples it was a time of reconciliation with the events of Good Friday and Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday. It was a time the processing of what just happened to Jesus and to them on this incredible end of the week of Passover.

Those 50 days became a time of expectation, as Jesus encouraged his disciples to wait and pray and to expect the Counselor to be given to them, the Spirit of truth which was going to lead them from now on. Jesus would come or appear to the disciples in different moments of their daily lives, be it when they were fishing or when they were praying, and he would give them proof of his real presence among them, by sharing with them food, and allowing himself to be touched and to see how real he was.

     Since the time of Easter, we too have experienced how real Jesus is, and how present he is in our lives. We met him in many of his apparitions after the Resurrection, at the Divine Mercy celebration. Some met Jesus at the retreat, in sharing the Word, the meals and their lives with others. We experienced his presence at every Eucharist, at the breaking of the bread and in other sacraments. We see God‘s presence and love in the beauty of the spring, with flowers and birds proclaiming it to us. We experienced Christ’s presence in the beauty of the Baptisms, First Communion celebrations, in the beauty and happiness of the faces of the first communion children.

     I want to thank everyone for those beautiful days. I want to thank all teachers and catechists, especially Bertha, the Director of our Family Faith Formation, for preparing our children and youth for the Sacraments. I want to thank our adult formation leaders with Wayne, Kathy, Carmen and Jose, who’s students will receive Confirmation this Sunday. Today’s celebration of Pentecost is a crowning of all those celebrations. Pentecost is an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, a Spirit of faith and love of God and of people. The Holy Spirit makes us mature in our expression of faith and of love. From the passive disciples of Christ, it makes us into Apostles of Christ, ready to carry the Good News of salvation to the ends of the world. This is the birthday of the Church, the day when the disciples were empowered to take charge of the Church entrusted to them by Christ himself.

     I want to thank all who helped Reina in preparing and selling the flowers last weekend and so contributed to making it a beautiful celebration of Mother’s Day. It is always good to see the affection, love and care of Reina and her helpers, and the smiles of those who buy and receive the flowers. It is the faith in action.

     Now it is our turn to ask for the Holy Spirit, so that we may be able to carry out the mission of taking care of Christ’s Church.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created and you shall renew their face of the earth.

O God, who instructed the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant us in the same Spirit to relish what is right and always rejoice in your consolation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

God Bless everyone always!!!

Fr. Stan