Pentecost Sunday
Dear Friends,
Today is the beautiful and powerful solemnity of Pentecost! Fifty days after Easter, we hear in the Gospel today about the descent of the Holy Spirit. Jesus breathes on his disciples and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit”. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity and He loves us unconditionally. The best way to cultivate this relationship is to invite the Holy Spirit into your heart: “Come, Holy Spirit”. The Gospel today describes the Holy Spirit as the “breath” of God. He is also often depicted as fire - the flame of God’s love. In Matthew Chapter 3, St. John the Baptist speaks about baptizing with the Holy Spirit and with fire. God’s love and presence within us should be bright, vibrant and radiating heat to others. One of the most amazing features of fire is that by sharing your flame with others (like at the Easter Vigil), it doesn’t diminish your flame at all.
I attended Franciscan University of Steubenville for my undergraduate career and while I was there, I attended a retreat called “Life in the Spirit”. It was at this retreat that I really had a personal encounter with the Holy Spirit and became aware of His presence in my life. This experience truly changed my life. It changed my image of God and how I pray. “For we do not know how to pray as we ought but the Spirit itself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words” Romans 8:26. Pentecost is a great reminder of the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit. In today’s Gospel, the disciples locked the door because they were afraid. What are the areas in our life where we are locking the door? Keeping out others, including God, and trying to control everything ourselves? Where are the areas where we are afraid?
These are exactly the areas where we need the Holy Spirit. I encourage you to invite the Holy Spirit into your heart and in particular, these areas where we are isolated and afraid. “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Freedom” (2nd Corinthians 3:17) Today, may we receive the Holy Spirit in a new way. May the fire of God’s love enkindle our hearts and renew the face of the Earth.
Amy Burghardt
Development Manager
