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Pentecost Sunday~ May 11th, 2008 |
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Intentionally working to change hearts for God |
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Dearest Brothers and Sisters, Our Holy Father, Benedict XVI, in November of last year wrote the encyclical, Spe Salvi, "Saved by Hope." In the encyclical, there are many things to reflect upon regarding the reality of "hope" in the lives of the faithful and how we must reflect the gift of hope given to us by Christ through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, the Advocate of Truth. One sentence in particular struck me as worth our reflection today. He writes, "Man was created for greatness - for God himself; he was created to be filled by God, but his heart is too small for the greatness to which it is destined - it must be stretched." Today we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost, the birthday of the Church and the renewal of the Holy Spirit with His seven-fold gifts given to us by Christ as our constant companion and awareness of Christ's presence among us, "always, until the end of time." We are living in a time when the Holy Spirit is inviting us to "stretch our hearts," in order that we may fulfill that for which we were created. To stretch our hearts means to have the courage to live and proclaim the faith with our lives. It means that we can no longer live in despair or in fear of the future, for the future holds the fullness of redemption, the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ in glory. Each time we gather at Mass we hear the words, "as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ." These words are not just to invoke the verbal response of the faithful, but rather to illicit the lived example of the whole Church...to live in joyful hope! Brothers and sisters, the turmoil of life and the present conditions of our world invites the evil one to work overtime in bringing fear to our hearts and arousing panic in our actions. We could easily be driven to act more selfishly and live less intentionally the gospel values we profess, causing us to be without care or concern for others. But for the faithful of God, hope springs eternal. When guided by the power of the Holy Spirit, we live more intentionally and selflessly for others; friends, relatives, strangers and yes, even our enemies, because in that Spirit of Hope and of Life, we are filled with right-judgment, courage, wisdom, understanding, fortitude, knowledge and reverence. These are the gifts that bring unity and peace. Let this feast unite us and bring us to a new life in Christ. And when those feelings of hopelessness and fear start to lead you astray, call out, "Come Holy Spirit." And you will be renewed, in order that you may renew another. God’s peace and my love and prayers, Father Michael
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We, the Catholic faith community of Light of the World, desire to be the living sign of Christ by showing love for all who grace our door and respect for the gifts they bring. We commit ourselves to the dynamic worship of God in word and sacrament, so that empowered by the Spirit we may grow in confidence to prophetically impact our culture by living out the Gospel and serving the needs of our parish and our local and global communities. |
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Light of the World Catholic Church, Archdiocese of Denver Littleton, CO 80127-2060 USA |
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Our Mission