Pentecost Sunday

Before Jesus dies on the cross He promises that the Advocate will come. The Advocate He is referring to is the Holy Spirit - our Protector, Champion, and Counselor. This promise is not to be taken lightly because it entails so much! What is the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives? Although this power can seem dormant, through scripture we see the tangible ways the Spirit is at work.  

St. Paul spoke that the same "Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in [us]" (Romans 8:11). Through our Baptism, this same Spirit that brought death to life is dwelling in us! After the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, we start to see what happens when people receive the Holy Spirit. The fearful disciples now have courage. The lost now have a sense of direction. Those in despair now have hope. The defenseless now have protection. The outcast is brought back into the family of God. 

This is the reality of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us as St. Paul describes. We are no longer alone, and all the gifts of God are made present to us. In the Name of Jesus, ask for these gifts and more! Ask that all your fears may be exchanged with an abundance of faith. Reopen your heart to the direction of the Holy Spirit as we pray:

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your 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 have taught the hearts of the faithful
by the light of the Holy Spirit,
grant that in the same Spirit we may be truly wise
and ever rejoice in his consolation.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.