Dear Parishioners,
Today the Church celebrates the feast of Pentecost, the day the Holy Spirit came down on the Apostles and the disciples gathered in prayer. Church was born on that day. Ignatius of Laodicea, the Orthodox Metropolitan, speaking at the World Council of Churches at Uppsala in 1968 said, "Without the Holy Spirit God is distant, Christ is merely an historical figure, the Gospel is a dead letter, the Church is just an organization, authority is domination, mission is propaganda, liturgy is nostalgia, and the work of Christians slave labour. But with the Holy Spirit, Christ is risen and present, the Gospel is a living force, the Church is a communion in the life of the Trinity, authority is a service that sets people free, mission is Pentecost, the Liturgy is memory and anticipation, and the labour of Christians is divinized." This is how the Holy Spirit transforms the Church. And, when we are open to the Holy Spirit our own inner lives will be transformed. The presence of the Spirit will give us the energy, the courage and the love to continue the work of Christ in the world.
Yours Sincerely,
Fr. Jose Shaji, Pastor
Copyright © 2009 by St. Denis Parish
