Pentecost: Which Outpouring?

Necessity and Contingency

This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, God who reveals Himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that the history of our salvation is identical with the way and the means that God reveals Himself.  We seek to embrace that revelation and live out our salvation fully in Christ.

Pentecost: Which Outpouring?

This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost, the great outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  We see this outpouring in the Acts of the Apostles, in St. John's Gospel, and in a multitude of remarkable ways in the New Testament and in the life of the Church.  May we be receptive to this awesome gift of God's own life, welcome it and put into practice the inspirations that God gives to us.

Eternal Life

Jesus reveals to us, in the Gospel of St. John, what eternal life consist of: "Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ."

God with us, God in Us

God, in an amazing way, dwells among His people in the person of Jesus Christ.  His Apostles and disciples listened to His voice and were strengthened and encouraged by Him in a deeply personal way.  When He ascends to the Father, He promises the gift of the Advocate, the Spirit of Truth, who will not only be with them, but will now dwell IN them.  We ask for the grace to live in communion with God the Holy Spirit as He dwells in us and guides our lives of faith and service in the world.

Heaven's Dwelling Place

Jesus goes to the Father's house, heaven, to prepare a place for us.  It is He who is "the way, the truth and the life" (John 14:6), who even now gives us new life in Baptism and the Eucharist.  God dwells among us even now, and prepares our hearts for eternal life in the Father's house.