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Celebrating the birth of the Church yesterday was an inspiring time. Pentecost is one of the three major celebrations of the Church; the other two being Christmas and Easter. Since the secular world has decided to commercialize the latter two, Pentecost does not get the worldly attention that the other two dates garner. That is probably what makes it special in the minds of many Catholics. It is the birth of the Church. It is the day we celebrate the Holy Spirit coming into the twelve apostles and moving them to begin their ministries anew. We know that after Jesus Christ was crucified, died, and was buried, the apostles were shocked and depressed. They were fearful and stayed locked in various places to avoid persecution. But then Jesus came to them and stayed with them. It was a time of rejoicing and rebirth. They were excited but did not realize that Jesus was soon to leave them again. Once Jesus assumed His rightful place in Heaven, the apostles again had to cope with moving forward without their leader being physically present. But this time something was different. The Holy Spirit had come to rest in them. They now had the added comfort of being blessed with God's goodness. It allowed them to become the leaders of the Church and to begin to spread God's message. If you are Catholic and have received the sacrament of confirmation, you have exactly what the apostles had. You are endowed with the Holy Spirit who provides you with the ability to act in Jesus' place on earth. The Holy Spirit is considered the third person of the Holy Trinity. The Holy Spirit is distinct, as a Person, from the Father and the Son, He is consubstantial with Them; being God like Them, He possesses with Them one and the same Divine Essence or Nature. The Holy Spirit provides the gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety (godliness), and fear of the Lord. The Holy Spirit's gifts make us attentive to the voice of God. We must be aware at all times that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Having the Holy Spirit within us allows us to know that we are never alone. It is a constant comfort. So as we celebrate another birthday for the Church, it is important to focus our attention on the Holy Spirit and the gifts we are given.

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