Dear Brothers and Sisters in  Christ, 

The Great 50 Days have come to an end with the celebration of  the Solemnity of Pentecost. In  ancient Israel the people came to  God with the sheaves of their first  

harvest in thankfulness to God. Later, as they grew in  greater understanding of God’s love and concern for  them, they celebrated the giving of the Law, the Torah,  

the first Five Books of Moses. This became a great  feast wherein they made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, as  they did for Passover (Pesach), again to celebrate the  blessings of God upon them. It is at this time that,  after the Ascension of Our Lord, the Mother of God,  The Apostles, and the disciples were gathered and  awaiting the promise of the Holy Spirit. 

The transformation to place from a huddled mass of  simple folk to a powerhouse of an evangelizing whirl wind. From timid to bold, from shy to on fire, they  who received the 7 fold gifts of the Holy Spirit could  not have imagined what God had in store for them.  By the hundreds, many were converted to Christ and  the Church flourished. Enlightened and emboldened  they left the comfort of the Upper Room to proclaim  the Good News–the Gospel to the world. 

How very much the world needs now a resurgence  of this Divine energy. The same Holy Spirit has come  upon us at our Confirmation. What is the difference?  Perhaps we are reluctant to cooperate with the grace  that the Holy Spirit brings. Grace needs a vessel in  which to operate and that vessel has to be free of  any impediments which would curtail the working of  grace. That is the crux of the problem today. Temerity, fear of rejection or offending, seems to be the  dam that prevents the flowing waters of the Spirit to  inundate the world. All of our recent pontiffs have  called for a new Pentecost and rightly so, but it can  only happen when we courageously open ourselves  to the power of the Holy Spirit and let Him lead us  where He wills. 

With Blessings,

Father Langan