Pentecost Sunday

Dear Friends,

What a profound experience for the first disciples gathered together during Pentecost. I love how St. Luke describes how "suddenly" the Holy Spirit came in Acts 2:2 — without warning. First, their lives were suddenly changed by Jesus, and now they were suddenly changed by the Holy Spirit.

How, or when, do we experience the presence of the Spirit amidst change? I once read that the Spirit is most present at three open spaces in our lives: “In the unpredictable, in the place of risk, and in those areas over which we have no control.” That was exactly where the disciples found themselves on that first Pentecost — and it is where we find ourselves more often than we would like to admit. Pentecost is our reminder that there is another side to God’s Spirit—one that can set us on fire, transform our lives, and turn our world upside down. The action of the Spirit is not predictable. It can seem very risky and is certainly beyond our control.

May this feast of Pentecost inspire us to give ourselves over to the working of the Holy Spirit in the “open spaces” in our lives, especially in spaces of risk, unpredictability and where we are not in control. These open spaces give the Holy Spirit plenty of room to work and deepen our trust. And just as the first disciples and litany of saints have proclaimed throughout time, we too can join them in saying: "where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." (2 Corinthians 3:17)

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful

And kindle in them the fire of your love.

Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created and

You shall renew the face of the earth.

O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit,

did instruct the heart of the faithful,

grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise

and ever enjoy His consolation through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

-Anthony Quinn, Young Adult Coordinator