Study:  Reflect on a time when you have experienced God’s grace first hand.  How did the Lord help you?

Pray:  Is there a situation or circumstance that seems bigger than you can handle?  Call upon the Holy Spirit!

Serve:  Check your heart…is the Spirit prompting you to help someone else right now?  If so, how?

Pentecost Readings for Vigil Mass

Pentecost Readings for Mass during the Day

Question: Where do people get their strength to live their faith?

Answer:  The Holy Spirit!

On this day we celebrate the infusion of grace that came upon the apostles following the Ascension of Christ into Heaven.  The Lord said that he would ask the Father to send the Spirit – that the Church might always be guided and protected – with power and glory.

This is the Spirit that renews hearts that are weak and wounded.  This is the Spirit that brings hope to those who are crushed with despair and fear.  This is the Spirit that triumphs over the darkness of sin and restores our relationships with God and one another.

Let’s be clear: we can’t do it alone.  We’re not suppose to!  We are utterly and completely dependent on God: for our lives; our talents; and our opportunities to serve.  The Spirit comes to us with the grace and strength that we need to fulfill the gift of life, giving glory to the Almighty for all that we have.

What’s more, we are called to communion – leaning on and supporting one another – and with the help of the Holy Spirit we deepen our relationships and reconcile when division and obstacles appear.  Simply put, the Holy Spirit empowers us to live our lives at full power.

Call on the Spirit in your life.  Ask the Holy Spirit for the wisdom, strength, and courage you need for whatever tasks are before you.  This Spirit has been present to the Church since Pentecost, and this Spirit continues to empower and transform our lives today.