Dear Friends,

The Easter season reaches its high point with the Feast of Pentecost. Once Jesus is ready to return to the Father, the promise of the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, is kept. As concern comes over the followers of Jesus that he will no longer be physically present to them, the gift of the Holy Spirit descends upon them. 

This event has become the cornerstone of our faith: despite our human weakness, failings, and missing the point, we have been guided to this very day that the Church is still preaching the good news of the Gospel. People can easily point out the many sins, mistakes, and errors in the Church, yet the Holy Spirit guides us and leads us to where the Father wants us to go. I suppose the beauty is that human beings are not the ones in charge; we simply cooperate and listen to the spirit.

I hope this can give comfort and guidance to those who struggle with the Church (which I am sure is all of us at some point in our lives) that we stumble, we make mistakes, and we are blind to doing what is right. Yet the Lord Jesus is ever present with all of us. 

This does not mean we do not respond when something needs to be corrected or fixed, or take a different direction. We do not simply put our hands in the air and go “oh well." No, it means we listen to the Spirit, we continue to break open the Word of God, and we eat at the table of the Lord. 

This past week, the Spirit was present on our campus with our annual Vacation Bible School. A total of 500 people were on campus to be with each other, learn the ways of Jesus, and be his witnesses in the world. Thank you to everyone who made this past week possible and served the children in their experience.  

Peace in Christ,

Fr. Eric