Meditate on God’s Word

1st Reading:             Acts 2:1-11
2nd Reading:            1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13
Gospel:                    John 20.19-23 
                                or Gospel: John 14.15-16, 23b-26 – Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit

Reflect

Today is Pentecost Sunday, the 50th day after Easter. Pentecost is often called the “birthday of the Church.” It commemorates the day the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples, and they first began proclaiming the Gospel. This was the mark of the successful completion of Jesus’ earthly mission.

We should never fail to marvel at the fact that 2000 years later the Church is still active and growing. No other human institution has lasted as long as the Catholic Church. The permanence of the Church points to one fact, that the Church is not merely a human enterprise, but a divine one. The Church will always persist for it is constantly being guided by the same Holy Spirit that descended on the first Pentecost.

As stewards, we play the important role of cooperating with the Holy Spirit to continue the work and mission of the Church. Cardinal Collins often says that the Church needs to “care for the gathered and reach out to the scattered.” Let us ask ourselves how we can use our time and talents to participate in this two-fold mission of the Church. Perhaps we can use our talents in various ministries to beautify and liven the activity within our parish communities. Moreover, we can invest our time in journeying with those away from the Church to show Christ’s love to them. Let us strive to invoke the Holy Spirit in all our stewardship efforts and continue to celebrate the greatness of the Catholic Church.

Summary

As stewards, we play the important role of cooperating with the Holy Spirit to continue the work and mission of the Church. Cardinal Collins often says that the Church needs to “care for the
gathered and reach out to the scattered.” Let us ask ourselves how we can use our time and talents to participate in this two-fold mission of the Church

https://www.archtoronto.org/stewardship