FROM THE DESK OF THE PASTOR

FROM THE DESK OF THE PASTOR               May 22, 2026

PENTECOST – THE DESCENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

AND A CALL TO SERVE

This Sunday we celebrate the great feast of Pentecost. Pentecost is the birthday of the universal Church, when the Holy Spirit bestowed wonderful gifts upon his disciples. I have seen those gifts wonderfully manifested in you as disciples of the Lord. And one of the things that has really built up our churches of St. Jude, Holy Innocents and St Anthony over the years is the wonderful generosity of parishioners like you sharing your gifts and talents. We would not be able to do what we do and spread the Gospel effectively without your willingness to serve. 

On this Feast of Pentecost, I invite all of us to prayerfully reflect on how God is calling you to use your gifts.  First of all, I want to thank all who are already serving in some way at our churches. We are so grateful for all you do.  If you haven’t been involved in a ministry here at your church, I really want to invite and guide in discerning a way to use your gifts as the service of the Church and the larger community.  We need everyone’s gifts and talents to tell the good news and to serve God’s people. I invite us all to listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Thank you for putting your gifts at the service of the Lord!

FROM POPE LEO ON PENTECOST:

Last year in his first Pentecost homily as Pope, Pope Leo reflected on this great event and its meaning in our lives. His words give us food for thought as we celebrate this great feast:

“The day has dawned upon us when..., glorified by his ascension into heaven following his resurrection, the Lord Jesus Christ sent the Holy Spirit” (Saint Augustine, Serm. 271, 1). Today, too, what took place in the Upper Room takes place anew in our midst. Like a mighty wind that overtakes us, like a crash that startles us, like a fire that illuminates us, the gift of the Holy Spirit descends upon us (cf. Acts 2:1-11).

As we heard in the first reading, the Spirit accomplished something extraordinary in the lives of the Apostles. Following Jesus’ death, they had retreated behind closed doors, in fear and sadness. Now they receive a new way of seeing things, an interior understanding that helps them to interpret the events that occurred and to experience intimately the presence of the Risen Lord. The Holy Spirit overcomes their fear, shatters their inner chains, heals their wounds, anoints them with strength and grants them the courage to go out to all and to proclaim God’s mighty works.

The reading from the Acts of the Apostles tells us that in Jerusalem at that time there was a multitude of people from various backgrounds, yet “each one heard them speaking in his own native tongue” (v. 6). In a word, at Pentecost, the doors of the Upper Room were opened because the Spirit opens borders. As Benedict XVI explained: “The Holy Spirit bestows understanding. The Spirit overcomes the ‘breach’ that began in Babel, the confusion of mind and heart that sets us one against the other. The Spirit opens borders... The Church must always become anew what she already is. She must open the borders between peoples and break down the barriers between class and race. In her, there cannot be those who are neglected or disdained. In the Church there are only free men and women, brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ” (Homily for Pentecost, 15 May 2005).

Here we have an eloquent image of Pentecost, one that I would like to pause for a moment and reflect upon with you. The Spirit opens borders, first of all, in our hearts. He is the Gift that opens our lives to love. His presence breaks down our hardness of heart, our narrowness of mind, our selfishness, the fears that enchain us and the narcissism that makes us think only of ourselves. The Holy Spirit comes to challenge us, to make us confront the possibility that our lives are shriveling up, trapped in the vortex of individualism. Sadly, oddly enough, in a world of burgeoning “social” media, we risk being ever more alone. Constantly connected, yet incapable of “networking”. Always immersed in a crowd, yet confused and solitary travelers.

The Spirit of God allows us to find a new way of approaching and experiencing life. He puts us in touch with our inmost self, beneath all the masks we wear. He leads us to an encounter with the Lord by teaching us to experience the joy that is his gift. He convinces us, as we just heard in Jesus’ words, that only by abiding in love, will we receive the strength to remain faithful to his word and to let it transform us. The Spirit opens our interior borders, so that our lives can become places of welcome and refreshment…. POPE LEO

MEMORIAL DAY

On Monday of this long weekend, we observe Memorial Day. It is a wonderful day to visit a cemetery and pray for all of our loved ones and all who have served our country. Let us take a moment to remember all those who have given their lives in service of our nation, defending our freedom, and protected our nation so selflessly.

May God reward them for their selfless service. 

Happy Pentecost and blessings on your week!

Fr. Johnson