Pentecost
Pentecost is the end of the Easter Season and beginning of Ordinary time until Advent. In Greek, Pentecost means 50, which is when we celebrate the end of Easter. It is a time when we all come together to remember the beginning of the Christian Church and our Saints. At St. Austin we typically celebrate by wearing name tags with our Saint names on it and having the children processing in with banners, but this year we will be together apart and welcoming ten of our RCIA Catechumens and Candidates into the Church! It is a true celebration, as it should be! The Priest wears red, which can be a harsh color, but it is the color of fire and it reminds us of the Holy Spirit flames upon each person’s head in the room where all the disciples and Jesus' followers were gathered.
Last year, Fr. Rich and I were talking about Pentecost and I love his theory behind Pentecost. We were discussing that this could be the day that all the Gospels were written. Where the four main writers, and all Jesus' followers gathered together and put their stories into a compilation that we know as the Gospels. It is like a funeral for us, where we all gather around, telling stories, and remember the fun stories of the deceased. How much fun would that have been to be there in the room where everyone was telling their stories of Jesus and how they remember each memory.
The Holy Spirit's job is to guide us and bring us all together. It gathers us all in Jesus' name and is fully present throughout our lives and where we worship. The Holy Spirit is alive in our hearts and even though we may not always notice the Holy Spirit's working, it is there. In Pope Francis' homily two Pentecost's ago, he speaks on how the Holy Spirit changed the hearts and minds of the men in the room. They went from a timid self to an assured self where they were ready to no longer hide in the room, but rather go out and starting preaching and transforming lives.
Pope Francis continued his homily calling "the Holy Spirit, the soul of the Church". When the Church is going through a hard time, it is hard to see the Holy Spirit working within the Churches soul and within ourselves, but it is the Holy Spirit that is moving all of these pieces and bringing us closer together, just like it did for the disciples after Jesus ascended into Heaven. They were all scared, they did not know which way to go, they hid, and it was the Spirit that called upon them to give them the courage to move forward and go out and bring Jesus' stories to those they crossed paths with.
The Holy Spirit is a beautiful gift that God gives us. It is the continuation of Himself in another form, and moves with us. The Holy Spirit is able to enter into our hearts and minds and through Its presence we are able to further be Christ-like and transform the ones around us. Last year, I went to a non-denominational Church where a close college friend of mine celebrated her daughter being Baptized. The Pastor gave a talk on the Holy Spirit and he mentioned how when we truly felt the Holy Spirit come within his soul it changed those around him, and they were able to see the change within himself. That is the power, love, and gift of the Holy Spirit. It does not just change you, it changes everyone around you. It connects all of us no matter what our faith background is.
As we get closer to Pentecost and we welcome the Holy Spirit in our lives, we are also reigniting our love for our Saint that we chose at Confirmation. I joke that I was the one kid in High School who literally picked my Saint name the morning of Confirmation. I did not feel a calling to one particular Saint and Google wasn't around then (can I get an Amen!), but I chose Mary. I did not know why I chose Mary at that moment, but as I reflect on the past eighteen years I see the power of Mary in my life, especially as I struggled in life and motherhood, she has been my constant rock and foundation. Take the time to really think of your Saint and share that with your children.
Happy Birthday to the Church!
Calling all Saints!
Calling all Saints! Please help St. Austin prep for Pentecost by submitting a picture of you, your name, your Saint name, and why your Saint is important to you to Rachel Vaughn at rvaughn@staustin.org. Please submit these by the end of the day on Thursday, May 28 for a Parish wide video of St. Austin parade of Saints!
St. Austin School, we would LOVE to see current and past Second Graders dressed up and their reports from All Saints Day Mass!
From Beyond our walls
As we get closer to Pentecost, reignite your love for your Patron Saint as well as all the Saints that you call upon during your life. Join me on Wednesday, May 27 at 7:30pm with St. Catherine of Siena's Family Ministry Director, Kendall Antosh, for a discussion follow up on the webinar on Finding Inspiration from the Saints during COVID-19
with Maria Ruiz Scaperlanda, Christian Writer & Journalist.
María Ruiz Scaperlanda is a Christian writer and journalist. She was born in Pinar del Río, Cuba, and grew up in Puerto Rico. She has an M.A. in English from the University of Oklahoma and a Bachelors in Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin. A freelance writer since 1981, she is the author of several books and has been published regularly in numerous national and regional periodicals and newspapers, including The New York Times, Catholic Digest, U.S. Catholic, Our Sunday Visitor, The Oklahoman, 'Columbia," 'St. Anthony Messenger and The Lutheran. She and her husband Michael live in Norman, Oklahoma. They have four adult children. She blogs at Day by Day with María.