Celebrate Pentecost! (click here for full text)

This Sunday is Pentecost, the birthday of the Church! We celebrate that Jesus has not only ascended into heaven but has sent us his Advocate, the gift of the Holy Spirit alive and aflame among us. In one of my favorite works of spiritual fiction, Women of the Passion by Joan D. Lynch, when the Holy Spirit appears among those celebrating the Jewish feast of Pentecost as tongues of fire, great rushing winds, and people speaking in tongues, Mary Magdalene prays: “Thank you, Lord. Thank you for this astonishing gift. Make me worthy of it.”
 
Indeed that prayer of gratitude is at the heart of who we are as a stewardship community, giving thanks to our generous Lord for the Holy Spirit, and for the gifts we have received, which are meant to be shared with each other, and with those most in need.
 
In this Sunday’s Second Reading we hear, “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.”
 
The people of St. Joseph’s know this well and so we are a community rich in diverse gifts of talent. Some recognize a gift for proclaiming the Scriptures and so are lectors; some raise their beautiful voices in sung praise in our choirs and in our assembly; some bring generous amounts of food to Phillip the Van; some drive the van and deliver the food; some adults are drawn to studying Catholic teaching; some share their faith with children and youth as catechists; some count our collections on Monday morning; some develop our parish budgets on the Finance Council; some are Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion at Mass; some visit the sick with Holy Communion.
 
So many gifts but one Spirit, one parish, one Body of Christ. “As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ.” We are the Body of Christ, we are the Church, alive the Spirit, in this time and place.

Join us this weekend as we celebrate our gifts of time and talent after each Mass with a reception in the Gathering Space! Come and be thanked for being part of our vibrant community!