Welcome to Guardian Angels
Catholic Church

Dear Friends and Families of Guardian Angels Parish,

Among the remarkable things I find about you at Guardian Angels is the presence of the Holy Spirit, who is always with the Church, and is especially manifest when needed. God sends the Spirit with particular depth when the Church needs the Spirit. I clearly remember after Vatican II that a charismatic movement arose across the world; we even had in almost every place a special charismatic Mass. The gifts of the Spirit were made manifest. It wasn't that unusual for some Catholic to speak in tongues. Now, fifty years later, this movement has all but disappeared from the average parish landscape. What's emerging now are small faith communities, adult education groups, and a more personalized interest in the spiritual life as an interior life of prayer.

As I think about Pentecost, the feast mostly focuses our attention on the mission of the Church to the ends of the world, or sometimes one hears that this is the birthday of the Church. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we are taught (CCC # 688) that we will find the Holy Spirit in the Church in the following places:

• “in the Scriptures he inspired,
• in the Tradition, to which the Church Fathers are always timely witnesses,
• in the Church’s Magisterium, which he assists,
• in the sacramental liturgy, through it words an symbols, in which the Holy spirit puts us into communion with Christ,
• in prayer, wherein he intercedes for us,
• in the charisms and ministries by which the Church is built up,
• in the signs and activities of apostolic life,
• in the witness of saints through whom he manifests his holiness and constitutes the work of salvation.”

I can see in the eight places to find the Spirit in the Church that this is true of Guardian Angels, granted not in everyone, but broadly in the various members of the parish. No one person will ever have the fullness of all these places. This is not God's plan, and one would want to be wary of anyone claiming to have all of these in themselves. To be a Church, means that everyone who has some share of the charisms offers them to the communion of the Church so that the Church can do its work. In other words, it is the generosity of God's gift giving, that spreads these gifts out broadly among the whole people. When we come together and have unity, then we have all we need for the mission of the Church.

Another way to see this is in religious art and look for the attributes of the Holy Spirit. The CCC lists them in #694-701: water, anointing, fire, cloud and light, seal, hand, finger, and dove. It's the last that may be most frequent, but artists have always used this list of attributes to point to the presence of the Holy Spirit.

If you want to explore this more deeply, I recommend Philip Rieff's Charisma: The Gift of Grace, and How It Has Been Taken From Us. Random House Vintage Books, 2008. It's one of the most important books, I feel, that I've read in the last couple of years about our culture. Even the Wall Street Journal called the book, "A compelling diagnosis of our condition." I thought he hit the nail on the head.

For many Pentecost is merely a long weekend of Memorial Day, the end of the school year, and the beginning of summer. In Boulder, the Bolder Boulder fills the streets will runners, walkers, and even an opportunity for those with disabilities. I would invite you to think of the race we run which St Paul speaks of, the crown of victory at the end, and how the Holy Spirit helps us on our way. Look for and find the Holy Spirit in our parish using the list above, or apply it to your own life, and then be urged by the Spirit to follow Jesus more closely.

Grateful for your ministries,
Fr. Alan

05/27/2012