Over the last few weekends my homilies have attempted to illustrate the opportunities we are given to cooperate with God in our world. Last weekend we heard how mothers and fathers—in their parental role modeling—are partnering with God in both the creation of and the raising of their children—the theological understanding of Christian marriage. In fact as we celebrated First Holy Communion and Mother’s Day we clearly see the power of passing on the faith through believing it, living it, and sharing it with our families as we continue and fulfill God’s plan of salvation. The week before we heard of numerous and various ways through Church ministries—the continuation of Christ’s own mission and ministry in our time and place which enflames our work/ministries with the Love of God. That weekend I mentioned Fred Cosgrove who was a fireman and was concerned for others, Dr. John Polio and his commitment to his patients and their care, and in people like Pat Fritschler and Karen Willis reaching out spiritually and corporally as well as our many catechists who extend God into the world by passing on our faith, breathing the Love of God into others and transforming the world around them.

This Sunday’s Feast of Pentecost, the “birthday of the Church,” is the day we remember and celebrate the Holy Spirit coming upon Christ’s apostles and disciples—and now us today—so to continue to extend the life of the Catholic Church which Christ founded into the world around us. Notice that in John’s Gospel as Christ breaths His Holy Spirit upon them He does so with Peace saying, “Peace be with you.” Love and Peace are always the foundation of all our words and deeds done in God’s name.In the prayer “Come, Holy Spirit” seen on the back cover of your missals in the pew, reads: Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created and you shall renew the face of the earth. O God, who has instructed the hearts of your faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may have right judgment in all things and evermore rejoice in his consolations. Through Christ our Lord, Amen. In the words underlined above, “renew” implies a continuum of action by God, ongoing in every time and place. That would be you.

Each one of us through our Baptismal vocation is called to be God’s workers in the earthly vineyards, called to produce much fruit—fruit gathered in His name first by believing our faith, then by living it as it forms our words and deeds, and then by sharing our faith with our children,
spouses, neighbors and others through the manner in which we live: feeding the hungry, praying for the sick, sharing our resources, love and compassion with those in need.. In the above-mentioned church ministries as well as in rebuilding a home in Hartford for a stranger, being a
parent when it would be easier to just be a “buddy”— lifting your child to the excellence of Christ, or in seeing to it that eye glasses will ensure that the sight of a child will experience compassion and generosity—all of these things and more are renewed by the Holy Spirit in people in every
generation and in every place. Again, that would be you. And just how do we cooperate with God? It all starts by listening to Him in the silence of our day and saying a simple, “Yes Lord I will help!”