Queen of Apostles Parish Family

It could be argued that our celebration of Pentecost is somewhat anticlimactic. After 40 days of preparation for Easter and 50 days of celebrating Easter itself, and with significant attention paid to the Ascension, we get to Pentecost, and then, poof, it’s over. It’s extended a little bit by the fact that we now have the memorial of Mary, the mother of the church the day after Pentecost. That said, we used to have an entire octave in which to celebrate the Holy Spirit, so one might feel as though the Holy Spirit is given the short shrift. Click on title for full column.

The strangest things we do in life generally need to be traced back to their origins in order to make sense. At some point in time a parent will inevitably look up and think something along the lines of “Why am I wrist deep in someone else’s poop?” or “Why am I watching these children play a sport I genuinely hate when they are not even remotely good at it?” and the answers only make sense when contextualized within the entirety of one’s vocation. I was made for love, God called me to this vocation, I loved this other person, and everything I do in the context of this family is because I love them, and I am genuinely interested in their human flourishing even more than I am invested in my own. Without that love, none of it really makes sense, but with that love, all of it and then some can be joyfully accepted and even embraced. People might not think of these things on the day of their wedding, but in God’s providence, we eventually are stretched and grow in love by the grace of God. Click on title for full column.