Dear friends in Christ, This month, we celebrate the Ascension of Jesus to Heaven and the Feast of Pentecost. Forty days after His resurrection, on the day of the Ascension, Jesus advised his apostles to stay in Jerusalem to await the coming of the Holy Spirit. Risen Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to the apostles to give them the strength, faith, knowledge and wisdom to proclaim the good news and to establish and build His Church. He had commanded them to go forth and make disciples of all nations, baptize and teach them to obey His commandments. Yet, Jesus didn’t send them alone; He sent the Holy Spirit to work within and through them. Beginning on the day of Pentecost, the apostles spoke different languages and were able to heal the sick and resurrect the dead. They went out and proclaim the good news. All in the name of Jesus. As Jesus’ apostles, we are called to bring Jesus to others. We might not be able to speak foreign languages or do miracles, but we can all bring the Spirit of God to those around us. How can we do that? First, we must remember that we have received the Holy Spirit through the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. We often forget that we, too, have been clothed by the gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear (reverence) of God. Secondly, we must pray to the Holy Spirit. He can equip us to do the job we are called to do and help us use our spiritual gifts to be good examples of our faith. He can remove all the barriers that cause us to doubt. The fruits of the Holy Spirit are evidence of one’s deep relationship with Him. These “fruits” or products of one’s walk with God include “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Genesis 5:22-23). Let us ask the Holy Spirit to help us make God our priority, to help us walk in light and truth, to utilize the gifts we have received to evangelize and to bring others to Jesus through our Christ, for example. Come Holy Spirit, be present in our hearts and fill us with your gits! Blessings, Veronica