St. Bartholomew Church

       I wrote a little about this in the bulletin but it’s worth repeating - that this is such an extraordinarily sacred time in the life of the Church - it’s a time of holy waiting. 

          I don’t usually wait very well - patience is a virtue that usually escapes me - but these days between Ascension Thursday and Pentecost next weekend is a time of such holy waiting.

          We need what Jesus promises us - we need His Holy Spirt in so many different ways. Not just for the extraordinary boldness of faith like Stephen in the first reading, but more for our everyday life where we need Ordinary faith so desperately - in our pains, our anxiety, the uncertainties that we all face.  The daily stresses and frustrations - we need help with all of it! Cause trying to handle it on our own, well, we see how disastrously that goes. 

          There’s some 8/7 days now till we celebrate Pentecost.  We can use this time of holy waiting to get ready to let the Holy Spirit into our lives, to pray for the willingness to even allow the Holy Spirit to finally control our lives, to govern all that we do. And offering that ancient prayer to the Spirit is a good way to start. 

          Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful people, and enkindle within us the fire of Your love.  Send forth your Spirit and we shall be created, and You shall renew the face of the earth.

Yeah, we need that! God help us all +