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Inhale and Exhale the Holy Spirit
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“’As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’” (John 20: 21-22).
Jesus filled the infant Church with the Holy Spirit to continue His mission, and He continues to do so today. On that first Pentecost, after hearing our first Pope preach his first sermon (Acts 2: 14-40), about three thousand souls “received his word and were baptized” Acts 2: 41). Many of them were probably among the crowd some fifty days earlier crying for Jesus to be crucified. Now they knew why. What made the difference? The Holy Spirit of truth and power, of love and forgiveness; the Spirit that the ascended body of Jesus released from heaven upon His disciples like tongues of fire (cf. Acts 2: 1-4). The counter-cultural courageous witness of dynamic disciples transformed Jerusalem that day, and it continues to transform our world.
The transforming power of the Holy Spirit cannot be fully measured by our limited awareness; but one measurement the Church has used through the centuries is the Sacraments. Many parishes around the Archdiocese of Denver and throughout our nation have reported dramatic increases in the number of people who received the Sacraments of Initiation this year. Here at Immaculate Heart of Mary, 136 people received these Sacraments as a result of our Children and Adult Faith Formation Programs. More specifically:- Among Adults: 20 people became Catholics; 14 received Baptism, Confirmation and First Eucharist; 15 received Confirmation and First Eucharist, and 22 received Confirmation.
- Among Teenagers: 1 received Baptism, Confirmation and First Eucharist; 4 received Confirmation and First Eucharist; and 2 received Confirmation.
- Among Children of Catechetical Age: 16 received Baptism, Confirmation and First Eucharist; and 62 received Confirmation and First Eucharist.
Recently I have thought of adding a phrase to our mission; namely, “… to accompany our neighbors to the Heart of Jesus, and keep them there.” I realize there is much more to a parish mission than getting people to Jesus; we also exist to help keep people in His Heart. We do this by providing ways for them to grow deeper in their knowledge and love of Jesus, through prayer, study, worship, healing, fellowship and service. We are a big parish with many ways for people to contribute to our mission. Have you found your place within our mission?
This weekend we will focus on Stewardship of Time and Talent. I encourage you to prayerfully ask the Lord what He is calling you to do to serve our parish mission. Look over the card in the pews with suggestions of ways to contribute to our mission. If you find something there that you are currently doing and would like to continue doing so, just check that box. If you find something there that you may be interested in doing, check that box. If the Lord gives you an idea that is not on the card, write that idea on the card. Then after the homily, you will be invited to present that card to the Lord at the altar. You may recommit to something you are currently doing, or commit to growing in a new form of ministry.
Either way, trust the Lord. If He’s calling you to serve in some way, it will also be a way for you to grow as a disciple, to grow closer to Him. In one way or another, your service will help to accompany others to the Heart of Jesus, and/or to keep them there.
Jesus gave the Holy Spirit to the first disciples to equip them for their role in His mission. He does the same for you and I continually. He breathed the Spirit on them to reveal a profound truth: We can receive the Holy Spirit with every breath. The Spirit of God is our very life breath. Let us continue to inhale His holy presence, and exhale His gifts into the lives of our neighbors.