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Call on the Holy Spirit

On this, the Solemnity of Pentecost, we celebrate the birthday of the Church. The momentous event of the descent of the Holy Spirit onto the Apostles reminds us of two very important dimensions of a life of faith: the vertical dimension—God comes down to us directly through the action of the Holy Spirit, and the horizontal dimension—once filling us, God uses us to communicate and share the Good News with others. The heart of the Church and our own hearts lies at the intersection of our encounter with God.

Because the Holy Spirit remains hidden to our senses and our sight, it is often easy to overlook this important Person in the Holy Trinity. In our lives as Christians and within the Church, the Holy Spirit is the source of life, of vigor, of renewal, and of healing. The Spirit fills all things. At our baptism, the Spirit makes us children of God. During prayer, the Spirit enlightens our minds and hearts. In our service to the community, the Holy Spirit unites us and gives us gifts to enrich the lives of others and to bring them the Good News that Jesus Christ is Our Lord and Our Savior.

Today I would like to invite each of you to examine your life and identify where healing, insight, momentum, renewal, and grace are needed. Then, with hearts full of faith and hope, invite and beseech the Holy Spirit to enter into these areas. Be bold and be sure that the Spirit will come to your assistance and bring life where there seems to be death, healing where there is woundedness, renewal where there is stagnation, and clarity where there is confusion in order to draw you closer to God and build up the Body of Christ, the Church.

Yours in Christ,
Father Arthur

Readings for Pentecost Sunday: Lectionary 63