Living Word - Pentecost Sunday

 
            Come, Holy Spirit, come!  For weeks we’ve heard about Jesus’ promise that another Advocate would come, the Spirit of Truth, unceasingly renewing Christ’s presence in the world.  Certainly that was the faith-filled hope of the disciples when Jesus ascended out of their sight.  Come, Holy Spirit, come!

The Holy Spirit found Mary, the Apostles, and Jesus’ other closest disciples, in a familiar place—the Upper Room, the Cenacle. They had gone there together after the Ascension to pray.  This is the room where Jesus first appeared in their midst after the Resurrection.  It is the place of the Last Supper which Jesus directed them to go and make ready.  The Upper Room, the Cenacle, is the place where with each successive visit they more deeply incorporated what Jesus taught and promised them. So when the Holy Spirit came they were ready!  Gathered and ready, the power of hovering tongues of fire reversed the confusion of Babel and imparted understanding that astounded and amazed all who witnessed the transformation of followers of Jesus into proclaimers of Jesus.  It was a wildly exhilarating time.
St. Angela’s is our Upper Room.  It is where we gather to recognize, remember, and grow with the graces we have received and continue to receive.  It is where we call upon the Holy Spirit. There,  individually and as the holy Catholic Church in Missouri City, we more deeply reflect and celebrate our salvation in Jesus Christ.  It is where we learn to breathe together in the Spirit of our Lord before being sent forth as apostles.
 
Are you ready to really to be one with those who gather in our Upper Room?   Will the hovering tongues of fire be able to find you?  Saying “Yes” to the Fire of Divine Love clears your heart to receive the true Awesome.  Infused with the ever-renewing presence of God to guide us, strengthen us, give us courage, we are offered everything we could possibly need to reverse the places of Babel in our lives and our world; places of confusion where selfishness, betrayal, greed, anger, impatience, and pettiness persist.  Our Spirit-filled presence is desperately needed in all those places. We, our parish, and our families are invited to renewal and new life in the Spirit each day.  Accept God’s invitation to holiness as you lift up your voice and heart at Mass, at Scripture Reflection or TMIY, in Spiritual Direction, alone or together with others in prayer. Make those places among the most familiar in your life. For those who are ready, for those who want to be transformed from mere followers into proclaimers, the Spirit of Truth offers wildly exhilarating freedom and love.  Veni, Sancte Spiritus.  Come Holy Spirit Come!