Pentecost: Being Present

We celebrate the birthday of the Church each year as we end the Easter season with the celebration of Pentecost. While the Easter Season ends, the work of the Church, first begun through the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Disciples, has continued through the centuries right through to our capable hands. 

Bringing the Good News of Salvation to every person we encounter is not as difficult as we might think. Being present to the sisters and brothers we encounter on our individual journeys is the easiest way. What does being present mean? It means acknowledging the presence of God in each person we meet. It means that we honor and respect the encounters that we have with each other and it means that we put the needs of others as a primary function in the way we operate.

Driving to work; walking to do errands; speaking on the phone; waiting in line at a store or bank; doing business with our co-workers or customers-these are all prime opportunities to spread the Good News. Not by preaching or teaching so much, but by being. Being fully alive and appreciative of the gifts that God has given you, no matter what situation you find yourself in. Being a child of God who reaches out instead of pulling in. Being joyful instead of angry. Being kind in all circumstances instead of putting our own needs first. The work of the Holy Spirit is alive in each of us and celebrated vividly each year at this time.

Let us pray in the beautiful words of the Pentecost Sunday Sequence:

"Come, O Holy Spirit, come! From Your bright and blissful home, rays of healing light impart. O most blessed Light divine, let Your radiance in us shine, and our inmost being fill."

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