Sunday, June 5
Pentecost Sunday
“Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.”
Reflection
Celebrating Pentecost always makes me think of the Sacrament of Confirmation. When we receive Confirmation, the Bishop says: “Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit,” recalling the special gift of the Holy Spirit that we first received at Baptism. We should be encouraged that those words of the Bishop are just as definitive as our Baptism: the gift of the Holy Spirit has been given to us in a very permanent, life-changing way!
Sometimes, though, we may wonder what our relationship with the Holy Spirit really looks like, or where the Holy Spirit is in the midst of our lives. I invite you to consider the possibility that the Holy Spirit is much more present and active in your life than you may initially think! Perhaps this would be a good way for you and I to observe Pentecost this year: to spend the next week praying daily about where the Holy Spirit has been present in our lives and deepening our openness to the Holy Spirit. Openness to the Holy Spirit brings faith in Christ, as we hear in our second reading: "No one can say, 'Jesus is Lord,' except by the Holy Spirit."
How do we recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit? We are told in Galatians 5:23 that “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” What a wonderful list! During this week, I encourage you to pray each day, briefly reflecting and asking the Lord to help you see where you encountered these fruits in your day, both in others and also in yourself. St. Paul assures us that these are ‘fruits of the Holy Spirit,’ indicating the presence of the Holy Spirit in our life and, indeed, very much at work right in our own hearts. And if one of these fruits is noticeably absent from your life, ask the Holy Spirit to cultivate it and teach it to you. Let us be open and respond to that grace which we received in Baptism and Confirmation! “Veni, Sancte Spiritus” - Come Holy Spirit!
God bless,
Dc. James Buttner
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