Pentecost 2014 (June 7-8)

What would it be like for you to possess the gift of forgiveness ? the gift to forgive even those people in your life right who don?t deserve it, even people who act unlovably.

What would it like for you to possess the gift of welcome ? so much so that for you there are no strangers or enemies.

What would it like for you to possess the gift of hope ? always and everywhere ? you refuse to be discouraged by the challenges of life.

What would it be like for you to possess the gift of joy ? all of life is a gift of God for which we are to be thankful.

What would it like for to own the gift of faith by which you trust that God always goes with you.

What if we have the power to change lives ? ourselves and others?

The gift of forgiveness, of welcome, of hope, of joy, and of faith. These are the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This is the grace of the Feast of Pentecost we celebrate today.

Even though at times this may seem to be too good to be true, we are a spirit-filled people. We need to claim the gifts of the Holy Spirit that are given to us.

The first Scripture reading speaks of the first Pentecost:

?When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together?They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in different tongues?we hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty acts of God.

In the Gospel, the Risen Lord appeared to the first disciples and said:

?Peace be with you?Receive the Holy Spirit.?

As we celebrate Pentecost in 2014, we prayerfully ask how does the Holy Spirit energize us as we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost? Allow yourself to be loved by the Spirit of the Risen Christ. Hear the questions the Spirit of the Risen Christ is asking you: Do you love me enough to forgive yourself your failures as I have forgiven you? Do you love me enough to sacrifice more of your lifestyle so that others may live better? Do you love me enough to welcome all people into your heart and spirit? Do you love me enough to use your God-given giftedness in the building up of our faith community?

As the great feast of Christmas marked the birth of Christ, the second person of the Holy trinity; the Feast of Pentecost marks the birth and the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Pentecost does not draw the same attention as the Christmas feast, but the grace and the meaning of Pentecost ? the Spirit of God?s presence in our lives in the here and now ? is of supreme importance in the life of the Church. Yes, we are an Easter people and Alleluia is our song; and yes we are a Pentecostal people who seek to discover the God?s presence in all of life ? in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health.

The great truth of Pentecost -- for the first disciples and us as well ? is that the Holy Spirit has the power to enlarge and expand the human heart if we allow the Spirit of Jesus within us to grow and enliven us with the power to live, with the power to forgive, with the power to welcome and receive all others in Jesus? name. That power, the power of Pentecost becomes our own.

In our journey of faith, our first Pentecost is the day of our baptism. We are filled with the Holy Spirit. What does that mean? The Spirit of Christ Jesus, the Holy Spirit makes His home in us. The Holy Spirit within us is our spiritual center. We have within us the wellspring of eternal life.

With each celebration of Pentecost, we seek to deepen the Spirit of Jesus that is within us. What are some signs that the Pentecost Spirit is present in our faith community?

• The Spirit of the Risen Christ is present in one of our senior parishioners who is rehabbing at Fairport Baptist Home learning to walk again and dealing with fractures in his back. Yet he thanks God every day for the way is life is blessed.

• The Spirit of the Risen Christ is in our senior priests, Fr Bill and Fr Bob, as they celebrate 60 years of faithful ministry as priests.

• The Spirit of the Risen Christ is in our parishioners Tracey Merriman, Deb Sobko, and Jean Mooney as they stepped in to serve in youth ministry and Faith for Life.

• The Spirit of the Risen Christ is found in the wonder and the awe of our First Communicants as they celebrate their life in Christ by receiving the Body and Blood of Christ for the first time.

On this Day of Pentecost may we all take a few moments to reflect and claim our God-given giftedness. Further, may we all commit ourselves to using our God-given giftedness in the service of one another.