Mass Reading: Sunday - 29th June 2025

First reading
Acts 12:1-11
'Now I know the Lord really did save me from Herod'

    King Herod started persecuting certain members of the Church. He beheaded James the brother of John, and when he saw that this pleased the Jews he decided to arrest Peter as well. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread, and he put Peter in prison, assigning four squads of four soldiers each to guard him in turns. Herod meant to try Peter in public after the end of Passover week. All the time Peter was under guard the Church prayed to God for him unremittingly.

    On the night before Herod was to try him, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, fastened with double chains, while guards kept watch at the main entrance to the prison. Then suddenly the angel of the Lord stood there, and the cell was filled with light. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him. ‘Get up!’ he said ‘Hurry!’ – and the chains fell from his hands. The angel then said, ‘Put on your belt and sandals.’ After he had done this, the angel next said, ‘Wrap your cloak round you and follow me.’ Peter followed him, but had no idea that what the angel did was all happening in reality; he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed through two guard posts one after the other, and reached the iron gate leading to the city. This opened of its own accord; they went through it and had walked the whole length of one street when suddenly the angel left him. It was only then that Peter came to himself. ‘Now I know it is all true’ he said. ‘The Lord really did send his angel and has saved me from Herod and from all that the Jewish people were so certain would happen to me.’

The word of the Lord.

________

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 33(34):2-9

The angel of the Lord rescues those who revere him.

I will bless the Lord at all times,
    his praise always on my lips;
in the Lord my soul shall make its boast.
    The humble shall hear and be glad.

The angel of the Lord rescues those who revere him.

Glorify the Lord with me.
    Together let us praise his name.
I sought the Lord and he answered me;
    from all my terrors he set me free.

The angel of the Lord rescues those who revere him.

Look towards him and be radiant;
    let your faces not be abashed.
This poor man called, the Lord heard him
    and rescued him from all his distress.

The angel of the Lord rescues those who revere him.

The angel of the Lord is encamped
    around those who revere him, to rescue them.
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
    He is happy who seeks refuge in him.

The angel of the Lord rescues those who revere him.

________

Second reading
2 Timothy 4:6-8,17-18
All there is to come now is the crown of righteousness reserved for me

    My life is already being poured away as a libation, and the time has come for me to be gone. I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith; all there is to come now is the crown of righteousness reserved for me, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that Day; and not only to me but to all those who have longed for his Appearing.

    The Lord stood by me and gave me power, so that through me the whole message might be proclaimed for all the pagans to hear; and so I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from all evil attempts on me, and bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

The word of the Lord.

________

Gospel Acclamation
Mt16:18

Alleluia, alleluia!

You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.
And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it.

Alleluia!

________

Gospel
Matthew 16:13-19
You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church

    When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi he put this question to his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say he is John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ ‘But you,’ he said ‘who do you say I am?’ Then Simon Peter spoke up, ‘You are the Christ,’ he said ‘the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. So I now say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.’

The Gospel of the Lord.

 

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 29th June 2025

Acts 12:1-11; Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9; 2 Tim 4:6-8, 17-18; Mt 16:13-19

Our celebrations during the month of June have spanned from June 8, Pentecost, the birthday of the Church, to June 15, the Most Holy Trinity, to June 22, Corpus Christi, to today’s Solemnity, when we celebrate the lives and faith and service of Sts. Peter and Paul.

On this day (June 29) in the year 258 Pope Sixtus VI celebrated the two together at the St. Sebastian Catacombs, and that is why we commemorate them together on this date. It is worth noting that throughout the St. Sebastian Catacombs prayers are carved on the walls by early Christians, which begin “Petrus et Paulus.” These two mainstays of our Catholic Church are almost considered as one in terms of their total impact, and they have been for centuries.
The readings for this Solemnity touch on the significance of both Sts. Peter and Paul and expand the understanding of how deep their influence was on the Church as well as on those of us who are among the faithful of that Church. The first reading from the Acts of the Apostles focuses on Saint Peter, although the martyrdom of Saint James is also important.

We deem Peter as our first Pope, and every Holy Father since has served in the succession of Peter. According to The Catechism of the Catholic Church (552-553): “Simon Peter holds the first place in the college of the Twelve; Jesus entrusted a unique mission to him. Through a revelation from the Father, Peter had confessed: ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Our Lord then declared to him: ‘You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.’ Christ, the ‘living Stone’, thus assures his Church, built on Peter, of victory over the powers of death.

Because of the faith he confessed, Peter will remain the unshakeable rock of the Church. His mission will be to keep this faith from every lapse and to strengthen his brothers in it.” The fact that St. James (the Greater) was martyred and Peter spared is a clear indication that the Lord had great things in mind for St. Peter.

In St. Paul’s letter to Timothy, the second reading, we not only hear of the special apostolate to which Paul was called, but also the eloquent way Paul describes it. Historically, it is most probable that Sts. Peter and Paul were in Rome at the same time. Scholars have concluded that Peter was martyred in 64 A.D. under the emperor Nero (Peter would have been approximately 65 years of age), and that Paul was martyred a short time later, also by the Emperor Nero. The fact that these two men were in Rome at the same time and died relatively close together in terms of time, also ties them together for us. So much of Paul’s statements in this reading are memorable and well known, from “I am already poured out” to “I have finished the race,” but there is special significance in his statement “the crown of righteousness awaits me.” In the original Greek, St. Paul used the word “stephanos” for “crown.” That is worth noting since that kind of crown was not a royal crown, but a victor’s crown. What makes it especially momentous is the name of the first martyr who suffered under Paul’s persecution — Stephanos (St. Stephen).

We have already referred to the Gospel in which Jesus identifies St. Peter as the “rock” on which He will build His Church (There could be no clearer indication that we are part of the Church established by Jesus and initially developed by Peter).

Like Jesus and the Blessed Mother, Sts. Peter and Paul are at the apex of stewardship examples to all of us. Peter exemplifies stewardship in his loyalty to Jesus (like us, however, he was wonderfully human in that regard) and in his steadfast way of establishing the Church. Paul represents the wisdom of stewardship. Both remind us of how we, too, can overcome doubt: Peter denied the Lord but repented; Paul resisted the truth, but came to believe.

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 22nd June 2025 CORPUS CHRISTI

 

GN 14:18-20; PS 110:1-4;1 COR 11:23-26; LK 9:11B-17

Today we observe the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. This beautiful feast celebrates the gift of the Eucharist, which the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches is the source and summit of our Christian faith. “For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ Himself” (CCC paragraph 1324).

The very word, Eucharist, means “thanksgiving” or “gratitude” and so this feast is especially meaningful to all of us who are striving to live as grateful stewards of all God’s blessings to us. Surely the Eucharist is the greatest of all blessings because it is not only from God, it is God — the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Today’s second reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians reminds us of the depths of love our Lord has shown us in the gift of the Eucharist, recalling Christ’s words at the very first Eucharistic celebration. “The Lord Jesus… took bread, and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is for you.’” In that moment, and at every celebration of the Mass thereafter, Jesus gives us His very self in an act of complete humility and perfect love. How can we possibly show our gratitude for such a sublime gift?

We can (in our own imperfect way) follow our Lord’s example by giving generously of ourselves to others. Our Gospel reading from Luke recounts the miraculous multiplication of the loaves and fishes when Jesus took the small offering of the five loaves and two fish and produced enough to satisfy the whole crowd with twelve baskets full of leftovers. This event is widely understood as a foreshadowing of the miracle that takes place at every Mass as the words of consecration are spoken by the celebrant and God transforms bread and wine into the Precious Body and Blood of Jesus.

And in contemplating this stunning show of Jesus’ power in feeding the crowd that evening, it is easy to overlook an important detail for us Christian stewards found in the brief statement our Lord makes just before performing the miracle. When the apostles suggest to Jesus that He should dismiss the hungry crowd so they could go and find some dinner, Jesus has another idea. “Give them some food yourselves,” He tells them. This is a seemingly impossible command. It would take work, effort, energy, and resources the Apostles simply did not have. But Jesus is not asking the impossible. He is asking us to give Him what we do have for the sake of others — and let Him do the impossible with it.

This is the way we can at least attempt to thank Him for all His gifts and goodness to us. This is the essence of a stewardship way of life. When we gratefully offer back to our Lord the gifts He has given to us, He takes those same gifts and multiplies them beyond our wildest imaginings. And yet another miracle occurs — this sharing of ourselves and our gifts does not leave us with less, but with more — the satisfaction of living as Christ’s own disciple and an instrument of His grace in the world.

As we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, let us receive the gift of the Eucharist with the greatest possible reverence and love. And let’s give ourselves generously to others in the week ahead to show our gratitude for this wondrous gift — the gift of God Himself.

Mass Reading: Sunday - 22nd June 2025 CORPUS CHRISTI

First reading
Genesis 14:18-20
Melchizedek brought bread and wine

    Melchizedek king of Salem brought bread and wine; he was a priest of God Most High. He pronounced this blessing:

    ‘Blessed be Abram by God Most High, creator of heaven and earth,
and blessed be God Most High for handing over your enemies to you.’

And Abram gave him a tithe of everything.

The word of the Lord.

________

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 109(110):1-4

You are a priest for ever, a priest like Melchizedek of old.

The Lord’s revelation to my Master:
    ‘Sit on my right:
    your foes I will put beneath your feet.’

You are a priest for ever, a priest like Melchizedek of old.

The Lord will wield from Zion
    your sceptre of power:
    rule in the midst of all your foes.

You are a priest for ever, a priest like Melchizedek of old.

A prince from the day of your birth
    on the holy mountains;
    from the womb before the dawn I begot you.

You are a priest for ever, a priest like Melchizedek of old.

The Lord has sworn an oath he will not change.
    ‘You are a priest for ever,
    a priest like Melchizedek of old.’

You are a priest for ever, a priest like Melchizedek of old.

________

Second reading
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are proclaiming the death of the Lord

    This is what I received from the Lord, and in turn passed on to you: that on the same night that he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread, and thanked God for it and broke it, and he said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this as a memorial of me.’ In the same way he took the cup after supper, and said, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Whenever you drink it, do this as a memorial of me.’ Until the Lord comes, therefore, every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are proclaiming his death.

The word of the Lord.

________

Sequence
Lauda, Sion

*Behold the bread of angels, sent
For pilgrims in their banishment,
The bread for God’s true children meant,
    That may not unto dogs be given:
Oft in the olden types foreshowed;
In Isaac on the altar bowed,
And in the ancient paschal food,
    And in the manna sent from heaven.

*Come then, good shepherd, bread divine,
Still show to us thy mercy sign;
Oh, feed us still, still keep us thine;
So may we see thy glories shine
    In fields of immortality;

*O thou, the wisest, mightiest, best,
Our present food, our future rest,
Come, make us each thy chosen guest,
Co-heirs of thine, and comrades blest
    With saints whose dwelling is with thee.

Amen. Alleluia.

________

Gospel Acclamation
Jn6:51

Alleluia, alleluia!

I am the living bread which has come down from heaven, 
says the Lord.
Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever.

Alleluia!

________

Gospel
Luke 9:11-17
The feeding of the five thousand

    Jesus made the crowds welcome and talked to them about the kingdom of God; and he cured those who were in need of healing.

    It was late afternoon when the Twelve came to him and said, ‘Send the people away, and they can go to the villages and farms round about to find lodging and food; for we are in a lonely place here.’ He replied, ‘Give them something to eat yourselves.’ But they said, ‘We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we are to go ourselves and buy food for all these people.’ For there were about five thousand men. But he said to his disciples, ‘Get them to sit down in parties of about fifty.’ They did so and made them all sit down. Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, raised his eyes to heaven, and said the blessing over them; then he broke them and handed them to his disciples to distribute among the crowd. They all ate as much as they wanted, and when the scraps remaining were collected they filled twelve baskets.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Mass Reading: 15th June 2025

First reading

Proverbs 8:22-31 ·

Before the earth came into being, Wisdom was born

The Wisdom of God cries aloud:

The Lord created me when his purpose first unfolded,

    before the oldest of his works.

From everlasting I was firmly set,

    from the beginning, before earth came into being.

The deep was not, when I was born,

    there were no springs to gush with water.

Before the mountains were settled,

    before the hills, I came to birth;

before he made the earth, the countryside,

    or the first grains of the world’s dust.

When he fixed the heavens firm, I was there,

    when he drew a ring on the surface of the deep,

when he thickened the clouds above,

    when he fixed fast the springs of the deep,

when he assigned the sea its boundaries

    – and the waters will not invade the shore –

    when he laid down the foundations of the earth,

I was by his side, a master craftsman,

    delighting him day after day,

    ever at play in his presence,

at play everywhere in his world,

    delighting to be with the sons of men.

The word of the Lord 

________

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 8:4-9

How great is your name, O Lord our God, through all the earth!

When I see the heavens, the work of your hands,

    the moon and the stars which you arranged,

what is man that you should keep him in mind,

    mortal man that you care for him?

How great is your name, O Lord our God, through all the earth!

Yet you have made him little less than a god;

    with glory and honour you crowned him,

gave him power over the works of your hand,

    put all things under his feet.

How great is your name, O Lord our God, through all the earth!

All of them, sheep and cattle,

    yes, even the savage beasts,

birds of the air, and fish

    that make their way through the waters.

How great is your name, O Lord our God, through all the earth!

________

Second reading 

Romans 5:1-5 ·

The love of God has been poured into our hearts

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, by faith we are judged righteous and at peace with God, since it is by faith and through Jesus that we have entered this state of grace in which we can boast about looking forward to God’s glory. But that is not all we can boast about; we can boast about our sufferings. These sufferings bring patience, as we know, and patience brings perseverance, and perseverance brings hope, and this hope is not deceptive, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given us.

The word of the Lord 

________

Gospel Acclamation

cf.Rv1:8

Alleluia, alleluia!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;

the God who is, who was, and who is to come.

Alleluia!

________

Gospel

John 16:12-15

The Spirit of truth will lead you to the complete truth

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘I still have many things to say to you

but they would be too much for you now.

But when the Spirit of truth comes

he will lead you to the complete truth,

since he will not be speaking as from himself but will say only what he has learnt; and he will tell you of the things to come.

He will glorify me, since all he tells you

will be taken from what is mine.

Everything the Father has is mine;

that is why I said:

All he tells you will be taken from what is mine.’

The Gospel of the Lord 

 

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 15th June 2025

PRV 8:22-31; PS 8: 4-9; ROM 5:1-5; JN 16: 12-15

Today we celebrate the feast of the Most Holy Trinity. This feast is rather unique in that it honors a doctrine rather than an event. What we are commemorating today is a central reality of our Christian faith, that God is Trinitarian in nature — three distinct persons — Father, Son and Holy Spirit — in one God. 

The Church calls this truth a mystery, as indeed it is. It is not a mystery in the sense that it is a question that must be answered but rather in the sense that the depths of this truth are far beyond our human comprehension. Some have said that “mystery” in this context is “not a wall to run up against but an ocean in which to swim.”

Contemplating the “ocean depths” of this mystery can make us humans feel so small, and almighty God so far from us. Yet nothing could be further from the truth as today’s readings demonstrate. 

The first reading, from Proverbs, says that God ”found delight in the human race.” The greatness of God in no way puts Him at a distance from us. In fact, one of the facets of the Trinitarian nature that we can understand is that God is, by nature, relational. So, it makes sense that He would delight in being in relationship with us whom He made in His own image and likeness.

In the second reading, St. Paul reminds us that not only does God delight in us, but He is intimately connected to us. “The love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” Not only does God permit us to draw near to Him, He wants to live in the very depths of our being and in all the intimate details of our lives if we will let Him.

Finally, in the Gospel from St. John, we learn that God holds back nothing of Himself from us. Jesus tells His disciples (this includes us!) that the Holy Spirit “will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything the Father has is mine.” Thus, we find ourselves drawn right into the midst of this Trinitarian love. In fact, if the mystery of Holy Trinity is an ocean which to swim, the “water” that makes up that ocean is love.  

What then should be the response of the Christian steward to this sublime mystery? All we can do is worship. And offer our lives back to God in total gratitude for calling us to live in the richness of such unfathomable love. This week let’s re-invite God into the midst of our lives and make sure the way we spend our time and energy each day shows Him our profound gratitude for His many gifts to us, but above all the gift of Himself in the Trinity — Father, Son and Holy Spirit

Mass Reading: Sunday - 08th June 2025

First reading
Acts 2:1-11
They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak

    When Pentecost day came round, they had all met in one room, when suddenly they heard what sounded like a powerful wind from heaven, the noise of which filled the entire house in which they were sitting; and something appeared to them that seemed like tongues of fire; these separated and came to rest on the head of each of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak foreign languages as the Spirit gave them the gift of speech.

    Now there were devout men living in Jerusalem from every nation under heaven, and at this sound they all assembled, each one bewildered to hear these men speaking his own language. They were amazed and astonished. ‘Surely’ they said ‘all these men speaking are Galileans? How does it happen that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; people from Mesopotamia, Judaea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya round Cyrene; as well as visitors from Rome – Jews and proselytes alike – Cretans and Arabs; we hear them preaching in our own language about the marvels of God.’

The word of the Lord.

________

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 103(104):1,24,29-31,34

Send forth your spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth.

Bless the Lord, my soul!
    Lord God, how great you are,
How many are your works, O Lord!
    The earth is full of your riches.

Send forth your spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth.

You take back your spirit, they die,
    returning to the dust from which they came.
You send forth your spirit, they are created;
    and you renew the face of the earth.

Send forth your spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth.

May the glory of the Lord last for ever!
    May the Lord rejoice in his works!
May my thoughts be pleasing to him.
    I find my joy in the Lord.

Send forth your spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth.

________

Second reading
Romans 8:8-17
Everyone moved by the Spirit is a son of God

    People who are interested only in unspiritual things can never be pleasing to God. Your interests, however, are not in the unspiritual, but in the spiritual, since the Spirit of God has made his home in you. In fact, unless you possessed the Spirit of Christ you would not belong to him. Though your body may be dead it is because of sin, but if Christ is in you then your spirit is life itself because you have been justified; and if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, then he who raised Jesus from the dead will give life to your own mortal bodies through his Spirit living in you.

    So then, my brothers, there is no necessity for us to obey our unspiritual selves or to live unspiritual lives. If you do live in that way, you are doomed to die; but if by the Spirit you put an end to the misdeeds of the body you will live.

    Everyone moved by the Spirit is a son of God. The spirit you received is not the spirit of slaves bringing fear into your lives again; it is the spirit of sons, and it makes us cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’ The Spirit himself and our spirit bear united witness that we are children of God. And if we are children we are heirs as well: heirs of God and coheirs with Christ, sharing his sufferings so as to share his glory.

The word of the Lord.

________

Sequence
Veni, sancte Spiritus

Holy Spirit, Lord of Light,
From the clear celestial height
Thy pure beaming radiance give.

Come, thou Father of the poor,
Come with treasures which endure
Come, thou light of all that live!

Thou, of all consolers best,
Thou, the soul’s delightful guest,
Dost refreshing peace bestow

Thou in toil art comfort sweet
Pleasant coolness in the heat
Solace in the midst of woe.

Light immortal, light divine,
Visit thou these hearts of thine,
And our inmost being fill:

If thou take thy grace away,
Nothing pure in man will stay
All his good is turned to ill.

Heal our wounds, our strength renew
On our dryness pour thy dew
Wash the stains of guilt away:

Bend the stubborn heart and will
Melt the frozen, warm the chill
Guide the steps that go astray.

Thou, on us who evermore
Thee confess and thee adore,
With thy sevenfold gifts descend:

Give us comfort when we die
Give us life with thee on high
Give us joys that never end.

________

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia!

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful
and kindle in them the fire of your love.

Alleluia!

________

Gospel
John 14:15-16,23-26
The Holy Spirit will teach you everything

    Jesus said to his disciples:

    ‘If you love me you will keep my commandments.
I shall ask the Father,
and he will give you another Advocate
to be with you for ever.

    ‘If anyone loves me he will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we shall come to him and make our home with him.
Those who do not love me do not keep my words.
And my word is not my own:
it is the word of the one who sent me.
I have said these things to you while still with you;
but the Advocate, the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send in my name,
will teach you everything
and remind you of all I have said to you.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 08th June 2025

 

ACTS 1:1-11; PS 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34; 1 COR 12:3B-7, 12-13or ROM 8:8-17; JN 20:19-23 or JN 14:15-16, 23B-26


Today we reach the finale of the Easter season with the celebration of the great Feast of Pentecost. Reflecting on today’s readings inspires a sense of awe as we consider the mighty power of the Holy Spirit at work giving birth to and sustaining our Church. Just as awesome — the same Spirit is calling to us this day to take up our part in the Church’s saving work.

In the first reading, from Acts, we see the creative genius of the Holy Spirit moving through the newly confirmed Apostles “who began to speak in different tongues as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.” The large crowd, gathered from all over the world were “amazed” and “astounded” that each one could understand the Apostles speaking in their own language.

Each one of us, young and old alike, is personally called today by the Holy Spirit into the same mission as that of the first Apostles — to advance the Kingdom of God in our corner of the world. Just as He did on that Pentecost day, the Holy Spirit speaks to us in our “own language” to give us the Good News of the Gospel and urge us to share it.

We can think of our own language as the particular gifts, talents, and passions we possess. We truly serve a personal God who sees each of us as unique and individual creations. Therefore, each one of us has a personal mission to fulfill through the use of our personal gifts and talents in grateful service of the Kingdom of God.

We see this described in our Second Reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians where he explains: “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God…To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.”

When we consider the stewardship way of life we are called to live, we often focus on the challenges it poses. And living as a modern-day steward is indeed challenging. But on this feast of Pentecost, when we reflect on the unleashing of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the Apostles, and through them the crowd, let’s remember that we Christian stewards have much to celebrate.

When we surrender ourselves to God, putting Him first in all aspects of life — our time, talents, and finances — we can count on a life that is challenging, yes, but even more so a life that is exciting, creative, and deeply rewarding. In other words, we can experience life as a great adventure because it is a life guided and directed by the very source of power and creativity— the Holy Spirit.

What’s more, when live in grateful dependence on the Holy Spirit, we can count on not only adventure, but peace — the peace that cannot be found in a “worldly” way of life where one tries to find security in wealth or prestige or self-indulgence. Rather, It is the peace that Jesus brings to us as we commit ourselves to Him. As He said to the Apostles in today’s Gospel reading from John, He says to us today, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”

As we celebrate the birthday of the Church today let’s give thanks to God for calling us, His stewards, to the adventure of a lifetime!