Blog

Today is Pentecost Sunday, the commemoration of the descent of the Holy Spirit upon
the Apostles and all those gathered in the Upper Room, including, most likely, Mary Our Mother. Jesus had commanded the
Apostles to stay in Jerusalem and await the promise of the Father. Notice, the Spirit descended upon all the believers in the
same way. The Church reminds us of the priesthood of all Christians. There is, of course a great difference between the
ordained priests and the laity, but we all receive the same Holy Spirit at Confirmation. The seal of the Holy Spirit that we
receive in that sacrament strengthens us to follow in the footsteps of the Apostles and to boldly live our faith in the
world. This should also be for us the reason that we prepare our young people to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. It
is not an end of their, or our, Catholic education and formation, but a beginning step toward a mature life-affirming Christian
faith.
The Holy Spirit is our source of inspiration, urging us to “go into all the world”, the One who will give us “The words we
need to speak” when we are faced with opposition to our faith, and the Holy Spirit will, according to the promise of Jesus:
“Lead you into all truth” never allowing us to become tangled up in worldly wisdom or false teaching.
There are two aspects to this work of the Holy Spirit: First: The Spirit leads us individually into the truth of our faith and
our place in the Church. Second: He leads the Church into the truth, in spite of false teachers and self-proclaimed prophets
of God. We can be sure that the faith we profess every Sunday is the truth revealed to mankind by the Holy Spirit.
Finally the Holy Spirit is the “Advocate” bringing our needs to the Father, and pointing to the death of Jesus for our sins.
The Holy Spirit keeps the Church, in spite of human weakness, on the road to holiness. In an ever-changing world we can
put our faith firmly in God and the teachings of Holy Mother Church.
These are just a few of the many things that the Holy Spirit does for us individually and as the Church Universal.
Come Holy Spirt, Come! Fr. Tony