In today’s Gospel and in the reading from the letter of St. Paul we hear of the gift of the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In our devotional life we make the sign of the cross and recite the “Glory Be” as an expression of our faith as a Trinitarian people. But what does it mean for Christian stewards to accept in a practical way the experience of God in this three-fold gift? Is it not a call to share our own life in community, with compassion and love, and to work for healing, justice, peace and unity? Is it not an invitation to invite others into fellowship with us in the unity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit?

Today we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit, the birth of the Church and the beginning of its mission in the world. Pentecost Sunday reminds us that our lives are f illed with the Holy Spirit and that God has accomplished creative things in us through this gift. We have been entrusted with this great gift of the Holy Spirit. This great gift empowers us to be bold proclaimers of the Gospel in word and deed. It urges us to speak truth to power. It encourages us to use words and exhortations and even arguments that are meant to heal, show care and compassion and to reconcile. Now is a good time to ask: Are we being good stewards of this gift of the Holy Spirit? What creative things have we done to glorify God’s accomplishments in us?

Before he ascended into heaven, Jesus instructed his disciples to proclaim the Gospel to all of creation. In the first reading, after Jesus’ ascent, the angels ask his disciples “Why do you stand here staring at the skies?” The angels want them to look around themselves and be assured that Christ is working through them. The Ascension does not memorialize Christ leaving us. But instead, Christ working through us, his mystical body, his Church. As stewards of this legacy, we too are called to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our words and actions; in how we live and how we treat others. Are we sharing the life of Christ with others in our day-to-day lives? In what ways do we see ourselves proclaiming the Gospel? In what ways can we do better?