The Power of Pentecost: Weekly Message for 05-18-2021

Dear Friends in Christ, 

This past week I had the privilege of a long road trip that traveled through miles and miles of open land. The tractors were preparing the fields and the trees were bursting forth with new foliage and flowers. Birds were singing and darting about everywhere in a playful dance. Every place I looked I saw the promise of new life. With every deep breath I took, I felt a renewed energy within.

My mind drifted to the first chapter of Genesis, as the ancient author describes the creation of the world and how the ruah, (breath of God) moved over the waters. Creation came into being by the very breath of God. Again, my thoughts moved to the upper room where sacred scripture tells us Jesus breathed on the Apostles giving them the gift of the Holy Spirit and finally to Pentecost, where the Lord sent his Holy Spirit to descend upon the fledgling Church, bathing them in His gifts. 

What a powerful image that is. The same breath that moved upon the waters at the dawn of the world’s creation, that came forth from the mouth of Jesus in the upper room, comes to each of us in our Baptism and Confirmation. Not only does it come upon us making us new men and women in Christ, but it renews us from the inside out. 

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit far exceed our human capacity to fully comprehend their riches. But through meditating on the gifts themselves, we can come to recognize them more clearly and through them, be renewed in heart and mind.  Unleashing the Power of Pentecost is a retreat guide that reminds us of the incredible transforming reality of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. 

I love all the gifts of the Spirit, but for many years now my nightly prayers have been for an increase in the gifts of wisdom and counsel and to be blessed with an attentive heart.  I pray that the goodness of God continues to draw me deeper into His mystery and that I respond to his will with generosity and charity. 

May the breath of God stir the flame of his Spirit within you, igniting his gifts and transforming you into an apostle after his own heart. 

Yours in the Heart of Jesus,

Donna