We come to this final weekend of the Easter Season, Pentecost. Fifty days after Easter Sunday we end the Easter Season. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the birth of the Church given a new life, courage, and protection by that Spirit. We hear in the Acts of the Apostles about the moment of Pentecost. It says they were gathered in one place. Some imagine this taking place in the upper room. The scriptures don’t tell us directly where, yet they do. It says all in one place, and the Spirit filled the house. What house? Then after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit it states: “as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim. Now there devout Jews from every nation under heaven…they gathered in a large crowd.” Most scripture scholars would say this took place in the temple itself.
First, where else would there be a multitude of Jews gathering in one place for them to preach to? More importantly, the prophet Ezekiel prophesied that the Shekinah, the glory of the divine presence, would return to the temple one day. In Pentecost this takes place, as the temple is God’s house filled once again with the Holy Spirit, as well as the Apostles, the new temple, the Church is filled with the Holy Spirit.
What a beautiful moment. We are promised the Advocate in the Gospel today and taught real love. We hear a lot of what people think real love for the Lord is all about. Our culture tells us it’s permissiveness. Jesus tells us it’s obedience to Him. So may we be inspired by the Spirit to do our best, with His help, to live out the commands of Jesus Christ; not what I want, or you want, but what He wants from us. May we be animated, given courage, and protected by this great Spirit to live out and follow the Word that is Jesus Christ.
Please make sure you volunteer to make our picnic great this year! It is coming up and I know there are many opportunities to make this event a wonderful experience and profitable fundraiser for our school.
With the end of the Easter Season, we will return to the friars’ choir/chapel for daily Mass.
Lastly keep my uncle, Msgr. Leo Enlow in your prayers as he celebrates 50 years a priest! What a gift to have an uncle with such experience as a brother priest. My WHOLE family will be around this weekend in Quincy to celebrate with him.