Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2).

Today we celebrate Pentecost, the birthday of the Church and the conclusion of the Easter season. Pentecost was a Jewish celebration, which the Lord chose as the day to fulfill his promise to send the Holy Spirit upon his disciples.

Before the feast of Pentecost, the disciples had locked themselves behind closed doors out of “fear of the Jews” (John 20). But once the Holy Spirit came upon them, they were filled with courage, hope, love, and peace. They went out and bravely proclaimed Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, who died for our sins and rose again. They dedicated themselves to serving one another out of love, with the human and divine gifts that God gave them.

As a parish community of St. Catherine Labouré, we continue to live out what the disciples began. We are a community of faith gathered in the name of Jesus and empowered by the Holy Spirit, with human and divine gifts that we use to serve each other.

May this feast inspire us and embolden us anew to live our lives more fully for God and for one another, in the power of the Holy Spirit, with courage, with peace, love and joy.