Pentecost and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit

05-15-2024Letter from the PastorFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Holy Spirit. The Catholic Church, as founded by Christ, celebrates the fact that the Holy Spirit was not an isolated event two thousand years ago. The same Holy Spirit that descended upon the first disciples remains with us to this very day. The same Holy Spirit enables all of us to hear Our Lord’s call to follow Him every day. It the same Holy Spirit that enables us to build the Kingdom of God here and now. It is the same Holy Spirit that enables us to do God’s work, while we await His return!

Just like those first disciples, the Holy Spirit empowers each of us to grow in the knowledge and love of God. The Holy Spirit enables our service to God and one another to become more sincere and generous. It is the Holy Spirit that perfects our virtue. Acts of virtue can fill your heart with joy and consolation – things our world and our hearts need more of. These gifts are known as Fruits of the Holy Spirit. These Fruits in turn render the practice of virtue more attractive. These Fruits become a powerful incentive for still greater efforts in the service of God.

Ask the Holy Spirit to fill your heart with heavenly fruits as mentions in Sacred Scripture -] “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self- control…” (Galatians 5:22-23). Pray that you will never grow weary in service to God, but by continued faithful surrender to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, you may be united eternally with the Holy Spirit in the love of the Father and the Son.

PRAYER FOR THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
O Lord Jesus Christ, Who, before ascending into heaven, did promise to send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work in the souls of Your Apostles and Disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me that He may perfect in my soul, the work of Your grace and Your love. Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal, the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of Your divine truth, the Spirit of Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining heaven, the Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear my cross with You and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation, the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints, the Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable, and the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God and may dread in any way to displease Him. Mark me, dear Lord, with the sign of Your true disciples and animate me in all things with Your Spirit. Amen.

God Bless,

Fr. Don Kline, V. F.