Pentecost: Receiving the Holy Spirit and Family
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Happy Pentecost! With great joy, we welcome seven new members into the Church in our parish family. Others are seeking to receive sacraments that they missed earlier in their life. Congratulations to them, and welcome into a fuller share of the Church’s life. I would encourage anyone to reach out to the parish offices if they wish to have their marriage blessed in the Church, or if they missed Confirmation or another sacrament somewhere along the way. It is my great desire to support and bolster families and marriages, in particular. There are a lot of pressures against the family in our culture today, and spouses and parents often try their best without necessary guidance and support. It is the role of the Church to help the community supply that support, and so one of my great desires is to build parish cultures that support and celebrate marriage and family life. An excellent scientific and Catholic psychological approach to parenting can be found in the podcasts of Harvard psychiatrist Dr. Kevin Majeres. His podcast, OptimalWork, is available for free on YouTube. He has recently posted a number of podcasts on the psychology of parenting, which I strongly recommend to parents, to raise strong and confident children.
As we consider the reception of the Holy Spirit, let us remember the exhortation of the Apostle Paul: “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
To live according to the Spirit in our daily lives means being docile to His inspirations, which are often very subtle and gentle. We need a receptive attentiveness to the present moment, which is fostered by an attitude of generous self-gift, humility, and silence. Let us open our hearts by means of these virtues to receive a fuller portion of the Spirit. A practical way to practice these virtues is to come to church to pray during Adoration times, and even to take advantage of the opportunity to go to confession, to find freedom and healing in greater courage and humility. Please join us for adoration during the scheduled hours, and come to confession to be renewed and strengthened by the Spirit Who has been poured out for the forgiveness of sins!
God bless you, and fill you with His Spirit!
Fr. Henry
