We have come to the annual observance of another great Feast of the Church, in which we celebrate another piece of the Paschal Mystery: Jesus, glorified in God's presence, pours out the Gift of the Holy Spirit on the Church. God, through Jesus, has breathed His Spirit upon us, and sent us forth. We are truly and fully brought alive and now go forth to carry forth the work of Jesus in the world.
The Spirit brought us, as many people, together as one to confess Jesus as Lord--and only by this Spirit do we so confess. The Spirit then gifts us specifically to do His work, serving one another in selfless love, and so that we truly sense being together as one people, in God.
We have much reason to celebrate on this occasion, because God is alive and active in our midst through His Spirit. I had opportunity to celebrate that this weekend in a couple of ways. On Saturday evening, I attended a celebration with the community of St. Teresa of Avila Roman Catholic Student Center as we marked 25 years since Father Kevin's ordination as a priest. We celebrated how God's Spirit is active through his ministry, and through our participation in this community of faith.
On Sunday, there was a special blessing for all those who participated in the Living Your Strengths program at Ascension Parish. This is a program in which we discern the gifts God has given each of us individually, and how we can use them. So it was a fitting weekend to have a special blessing for those who have participated, as we celebrate how God has gifted each of us uniquely, and how together, we can use our gifts in service for His greater glory.
Here are links to blog posts that discuss further the experiences I had with
ReplyDeletethe LYS program: http://paulrubio.blogspot.com/2013/09/strengths.html
and at the celebration for Father Kevin: http://paulrubio.blogspot.com/2014/06/partying-hard-with-jesus-christ-and.html