Fr. John Esper's Weekly Reflections

-Reflection from May 19, 2013 Bulletin-

   We are proceeding nicely with the CSA appeal. We have just passed the forty-thousand dollar mark ($40,172.00). One more similar weekend and we can be confident to reach our goal. Thank you to those who have responded to this appeal. I applaud your commitment and support for the work of the Church and our parish. The amount collected to date represents the gifts of two-hundred and seventy-seven people. With the joining of the

parishes we should hope to expect more than five-hundred responses to this appeal. If you have not as yet been able to make your pledge, please consider doing so in the near future.  Again, I am grateful for your faithful generosity and important Church support. Thank you to all who have given their time to volunteer at the tables and work on this campaign.  Tables will no longer be set up in the back of church. Please complete your pledge card, with your gift, placing it in an envelope and putting it in the regular collection basket.

    The Feast of Pentecost signals the end of the Easter season and the beginning of our life in the Spirit, empowered by the Risen Christ to fulfill the work of redemption in the world. You and I in the power of the Spirit have been commissioned by the grace of baptism to bring forth the Kingdom of God promised and initiated by the Lord Jesus.

    The scriptures in both the Old and New Testaments are filled with passages and references to the work and action of God in the Holy Spirit. With the introduction of the new Missal, the feast of Pentecost now has its own Vigil Mass, complete with a full set of readings similar to the Easter Vigil of Holy Saturday. This should alert us to the importance and divine action present in this feast of the Church.

    Our first reading is the familiar account from Ezekiel in his vision of the dry bones. This vision is imageful, effective, and timeless. The context is the dejection of the Israelites in the trauma of their exile into Babylon. They have lost their spirit, hope, and trust in the Lord God. The immediate context of their woefulness only serves to identify the propensity of all human nature to carry discouragement, doubt, fear, and shallow hope. It

       conclusion to this Reflection

 

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